Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello, new guy here. Ted's my name, from Detroit, Michigan. I'm just a hobby welder right now. I'm running an HTP MIG160DV (duel voltage). Just wondering what MIG machines you guys are using? Any of you familiar with HTP welders? I usually feel like the odd man out because many have not heard of HTP. Any pics? I'm certain I'll be asking several more annoying questions here. Thanks HTP-Ted


http://www.usaweld.com/MIG-Welders-s/3.htm

I'm a nooby too. I started my hobby welding world with northern mig 135. I have done a lot of projects with it. Now I bought a miller diversion 165 tig. Love it! Looking forward to a miller mig in the future. I love both types of welding

HTP Ted,
You sure you don't work for HTP ? You kinda sound like a salesman. Anyway, HTP MIGS might be good for a hobbyist, but for the serious welder, duty cycles and output are wayyyy toooooo low. Also, doesn't look like there are any spool-gun capabilities.

Nope. Not affiliated with them one bit. Just enthused about welding and the different choices of machines other people make for their needs. Remember, I'm just a hobbyist so I'm just here to learn and enjoy. Not stepping on anyone's feet here. Just happy with the choice in machine I made, that's all. Now, if I said "Drive a Lincoln, Drink a Miller, but weld with an HTP" then yes I'd definitely sound like a salesman.

Here's their Spoolguns: http://www.usaweld.com/Spool-Guns-s/392.htm

HTP-Ted,
If that was said, there would be no doubt. Wasn't tryin' to offend anyone, just havin a little fun.
I would have to agree with you about the machines being good for the hobbyist. Not criticizing their machines at all. And about learning, you come to the right place. There is a LOT of knowledge and experience on this site. Enjoy.

I have a Millermatic 252 with a 30a spoolgun. I used to have a 250, but it got stolen. Never heard of HTP before, is it a new brand? I have to say that I really liked the 250 better than the 252. The dials on the 252 are cheap, loosely fitted plastic knobs. The controls on the 250 were much better, but the newer version of the spoolgun (with the twist on tips) is a 1000 times better than the old version. If I could combine the old Millermatic with the newer spoolgun, life would be perfect (at least for me )

Where are you in Detroit? I have a shop in Delray, across from Zug Island.

Hi, I'm in the Roseville, MI area. Been to Zug Island years ago. Actually, HTP has been around for 30 years. They make very high-end quality machines. Not to say they're better than the Big Box brands or any worse but, they make very high quality machines. What I like about the company is their service, their down to earth way of doing business as well as their user friendly high quality machines. They should always be considered when buying a welder in my book. They can be seen in Haynes Welding Manual, Performance Welding, etc. Hemmings Motor News runs their ads also. Thanks for the welcome. They also supply parts for just about every brand out there. Here's a link to the HTP site if it's ok to post it. I'd like to start a thread to see if there are others who own an HTP. I think I will. There's got to be a few out there. Ted Dugaro

http://www.usaweld.com/Default.asp

Jim,
HTP Ted does not work at HTP. I guess he's excited about his MIG 160DV. If you don’t believe me, call 1-800-USA-WELD and ask for Ted. See what they say….

All of our Mig welders can be outfitted with spool guns, although they are not "spool gun ready". We have 3 spool guns - the RSG200 is identical to the Miller 3035 gun, our RSG 250 is a 25 ft gun which can be installed on virtually any CV power source, and the RSG 500 is a 50 ft version of the same gun As far as our duty cycles being wayyy tooooo low, let’s take a look at some different models:

HTP Mig 2400 ----------Miller 252
35% @ 240 amps --------40% @ 250 amps
100% @ 142 Amps -------100% @ 160 Amps
$1,399 --------------------$2,110
235 lbs ---------------------207 lbs
Yes, Miller has a higher duty cycle, but I would say 18 amps less at the 100% duty cycle level doesn’t put HTP welders in the hobbyist category.

HTP Mig 200------------------Miller 212
20% @ 200 Amps-------------30% @ 210 Amps
100% @ 105 Amps------------100% @ 130 Amps
$1,199 ------------------------$1,630
195 lbs-------------------------178 lbs
Same is true of our Mig 200.

HTP Mig 140------------------Miller 140
20% @ 140 Amps-------------20% @ 90 Amps
100% @ 62 Amps-------------100% @ 40 Amps
$849 ---------------------------$713
135 lbs-------------------------178 lbs
Our 140 is a much beefier machine than the Miller 140. The price includes an undercarriage and the machine will also handle 12” diameter spools of wire.

Invertig 221-----------------Dynasty 200 DX
20% @ 220 Amps------------20% @ 200 Amps
100% @ 145 amps-----------100% @ 100 Amps
$2,495 -----------------------$3,650
Our Invertig 221 has the highest output in its class, and gives you the ability to adjust the electrode positive and electrode negative separately when Tig welding in the AC Mode (you won’t find this feature until you get into the Dynasty 350 - at well over $5000)

Quote honestly, in the 30 years I have been in the welding industry, the only time we have a duty cycle complaint is when a customer spends $350 on a 110 volt welder and wants to build trailers in his back yard. If someone will take the time to give you a little information about their application and allow you to recommend a machine based on that application, then duty cycle never comes into play, because they purchased the right machine for the job.

This whole thread is starting to sound like a clever marketing campaign.

I promise you guys it's not a marketing thing. I'm just a regular guy who wanted to see what mig welders others chose to purchase and why. I asked Jeff Noland of HTP to help with the duty cycle topic. Of course I looked at the big box names (Miller, Lincoln etc.) but, there are some really nice machines out there that are built the way some of us outside of the box guys want. In my search for a good quality mig unit I stumbled across HTP. These guys don't mess around. They really make high quality machines that deserves a good mention here. Not to mention their great service. I'm not making a plug. Just my opinion. Ok so I might be biased now. All in all, I just like to weld. I'd still like to see what machine everyone's miggin' with! The original topic. Might seem like a dumb question yeah Thanks. Ted Dugaro

Mr. HTP,
I am in no way criticizing HTP machines. I stated that in my second post. I was not trying to offend anyone. I merely made a statement from my position, in that for me, HTP machines are not adequate for my situation. I mainly repair heavy equipment and consistently burn 1/16 flux-cored wire. HTP machines could not provide me with the duty cycles and output that I would need for the type of work I do. Now on the other hand, for the hobbyist and the light-to-medium welders and fabbers, I would say your machines are adequate. The only true downside to owning an HTP machine is the availability of parts and/or consumables that are propietary to your machines. I would not be able to go to my local welding store and purchase these. As far as your tech support, I am not familiar with that so I can't comment. Other than that, I have not heard anything negative about HTP equipment. In fact, I was almost to the point to where I was going to buy one of your flexible neck mig guns for my Passport plus.

I've got a Cigweld 175i machine.
Don't know if they are available in the USA, here's some info if you're interested.http://apac.thermadyne.com/south-pacifi ... 533&brand=

Ok, after a bit more digging around the Thermadyne website, it looks like the closest product to my Cigweld 175i in America is the Thermal Arc 181i. http://www.thermadyne.com/Thermal%20Arc ... /index.php

I hear these are a top machine (Cigweld one). A mate who is a professional welder bought one for home. He reckons its the ducks guts.

Mick

Yep. I'm more than happy with it. Even drag it to work with me instead of using the welder there.

I'm a newbie, too. I opted for the Hobart Handler 140, which can be had (shipped) for about $500 from Northern Tool. I did a lot of reading of reviews, and reviews of the welders before I picked this one. My needs are all hobbyist, and won't (in the NEAR future), be welding more than about 1/4" mild steel.

Good luck.

My brother has the Handler 140 also and I liked it, smooth arc. Two thumbs up.

To tag on if I may, I'm looking at the Miller 211 (due to the dual AC input) for a small farm/ranch operation. The wind is always a factor and I don't have a shop finished. Planning on FCAW again because of the wind.
My nephew is trying to convince me to get a generator/welder but I believe thats too much welder and the AC is pretty constant.

Make sense?

RC

Ted, I always enjoy learning about different products especially when they're not always the old stand by. As for my mig, personal use is a Lincoln sp130 bought new over 15years ago and still going strong and best used with solid .025 wire. The other mig I own is a Century 180 now owned by Lincoln that I use mainly for outdoor flux core wire welding. Now my favorite is the Millermatic 250's that everyone at work has been using for years in the heavy equip repair we do. In the right hands like the one fellow at work, he's been fabricating train coupling hitches for the back of our big WA 500 Komatsu Loaders that pull a gang of loaded rail cars loaded with limestone to the unloader convayors for stock piling! Now that is a WORKHORSE of a welder for it's size in the hands of someone knowing how to fabricate heavy structures! So if I had to pick one all around reasonably priced mig welder it would be that Miller! Ed K.

Ed,

I agree 100% with you, the Millermatic 250 was the best mig welder I ever owned. Mine got stolen and I replaced it with a 252, but it's just not the same thing. The quality of the workmanship on the front panel went way down on the 252. I miss my 250. I hope the crackheads who stole her sold her to a good home!

Steve

I'm running a Migatronic Automig 183 MPS, and a Migatronic Sigma 300 Pulse at home - At job i run a Migatronic KDO 325 and some ESAB LAN 315/ESAB LAX 380
The machines are probably not known in the US.

I recently bought my first welding machine - MillerMatic 211. I am a hobby/small ranch user. I decided I needed a welder as I got into my latest project - renovating a vintage Airstream travel trailer. The Airstream looked good from the outside, but as I started into the rehab, found significant frame rot. So a worthy project deserves a worthy tool - as I told the missus - and now I have the welder. There's a lot of machines out there - spent a lot time on the Internet, forums, web sales pages, etc. Asked around to those I know experienced in metal crafting. Settled on a machine from a reputable US manufacturer, and went with Miller 211 for its dual voltage capability, and the automatic features for us noobs. I set the wire size and material thickness, and it figures out the amps/volts/wire feed rate. Pretty slick! Now my appetite is whetted for the next metal tool(s): plasma cutter, TIG welder. Anyone care to recommend a good multi-purpose machine for plasma cutting and TIG DC/AC? Any owners of an Everlast PowerPro 256?

A little late to the party, but figured to just jump in. I'm currently running a Miller 140 Auto-Set. Fun little machine. Will be buying another Lincoln Idealarc before too much longer though.

I gotta agree with shadow - those 140s are a delight to run, especially for price point. We run an Esab Migmaster 275, and a Millermatic 252, both fun machines. Returning to the Esab after running that Millermatic a while, the arc seems harsher, I think it may be time for a liner, though.

We picked up a Millermatic 140 for a railing job we didn't want to string a bunch of line out for, and running .030 Er70s-6, it's a lit of fun. We use it on some of our smaller projects where we're folding 16ga trench drains or something like that, generally we'll put a shop hand that's still learning on it and let him burn 10lbs of wire a day. Good for learning, the weld doesn't take enough power to scare a newbie, and if they mess up, we just pitch the piece, as material is only like $3/ea plus their time. Not a big fan of wasting time, but with the shortage of qualified welders, if one of these guys learns something, its an investment more than a waste. My wife's a first year welding student, I hope to let her play with the 140 at home some and get her some extra practice without having to run to the shop.

We had a Millermatic 180, but a couple of our guys didn't understand the idea of "duty cycle", and that machine is pretty much fried. Just sent it off for repair. It was a fun machine while it lasted, though.

We just picked up a eXtreme 12vs...I'm ruined, never arcing anything again. Got a 30a spool-gun for the Millermatic in the works, can't wait get it in.

Citroën wrote:I'm running a Migatronic Automig 183 MPS, and a Migatronic Sigma 300 Pulse at home - At job i run a Migatronic KDO 325 and some ESAB LAN 315/ESAB LAX 380
The machines are probably not known in the US.

A little edit;
The Sigma 300 are traded in for a new Sigma² 400 watercooled machine - Can't wait.