Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello, I am new to the forum. I have a small farm shop with a Lincoln buzz box and a Miller 211 mig setup. I was wondering, is the Miller welding calculator app correct on the mig settings? Seems a lot different than Jodi's recommendations of (1 amp per .001 thickness (125amp on 1/8 " steel) and .035 wire speed - 1.6" x 125 for 1/8 steel =200imp). The app says use 140-150 amps and 280- 300 imp wire feed. This seems like a big difference to me.

KDS wrote:Hello, I am new to the forum. I have a small farm shop with a Lincoln buzz box and a Miller 211 mig setup. I was wondering, is the Miller welding calculator app correct on the mig settings? Seems a lot different than Jodi's recommendations of (1 amp per .001 thickness (125amp on 1/8 " steel) and .035 wire speed - 1.6" x 125 for 1/8 steel =200imp). The app says use 140-150 amps and 280- 300 imp wire feed. This seems like a big difference to me.

Forget settings.
Learn to read the puddle.
No chart in the world is 100% accurate.

Aka, fine tuning, "sweet spot"....

KDS wrote:Hello, I am new to the forum. I have a small farm shop with a Lincoln buzz box and a Miller 211 mig setup. I was wondering, is the Miller welding calculator app correct on the mig settings? Seems a lot different than Jodi's recommendations of (1 amp per .001 thickness (125amp on 1/8 " steel) and .035 wire speed - 1.6" x 125 for 1/8 steel =200imp). The app says use 140-150 amps and 280- 300 imp wire feed. This seems like a big difference to me.

Welcome to the forum!!!

Please share some of your projects as well as a little about yourself.
To answer your question, the recommended settings will get you a starting point but don't take into account what you are actually doing. Example; you might be welding 1/8" to 1/4" plate. There are no settings recommended for that on the app so you would set for 1/4" and adjust gun angle and settings. Point is, use the calculator to get you close and fine time.

As for the 1 amp for .001 thickness, while that is a good rule of thumb it is not always necessarily accurate. Again, that does not take differing thicknesses into account. Go with recommended settings for thicker material and again adjust.
-Jonathan

KDS charts are fine, but they are only suggestions. A guy on another site brought his Miller 211 over for me to help him with his welding. He had a brand new 211. He set the machine up by the door chart. I started welding with his 211. I started turning dials until I liked it. I ask him if he could tell the difference in the sound of the arc. He really wasn't thinking about the sound of the arc. We went back to the door settings, so he could listen, then back to my settings. He was amazed at the difference in sound! It's imperative you learn how to read the puddle, but there is a lot to be said about the sound of the arc also!

I am a farmer. We grow and sell alfalfa hay. I have a shop and do repairs and projects for the neighbors in my spare time. I have been running the ole buzz box for 30 years and the mig about the last three years. Over the years I have done many projects - 3 pt. bale spears, quick attach boom for front end loaders, carryalls, decorative yard gates, atv harrows..... On the mig settings, I have been using the miller recommendations on wire speed and adjusting the amps to get the sound I want. Then I seen the recommendations (listed in original post) and thought I may have been doing it wrong. I rarely use the auto feature on the 211. I have never had any mig welds to fail or crack. I just want to make sure I am doing it right. Thanks for you help. Looking forward to being a productive member of the forum team.

KDS
Welcome aboard. This is a great forum, and there are many and varied highly skilled members on the team. I found that no question was too hard, and am still learning great ideas.
AKWeldshop's information on reading the puddle is a great example.
Enjoy

Superiorwelding wrote:

KDS wrote:Hello, I am new to the forum. I have a small farm shop with a Lincoln buzz box and a Miller 211 mig setup. I was wondering, is the Miller welding calculator app correct on the mig settings? Seems a lot different than Jodi's recommendations of (1 amp per .001 thickness (125amp on 1/8 " steel) and .035 wire speed - 1.6" x 125 for 1/8 steel =200imp). The app says use 140-150 amps and 280- 300 imp wire feed. This seems like a big difference to me.

Welcome to the forum!!!

Please share some of your projects as well as a little about yourself.
To answer your question, the recommended settings will get you a starting point but don't take into account what you are actually doing. Example; you might be welding 1/8" to 1/4" plate. There are no settings recommended for that on the app so you would set for 1/4" and adjust gun angle and settings. Point is, use the calculator to get you close and fine time.

As for the 1 amp for .001 thickness, while that is a good rule of thumb it is not always necessarily accurate. Again, that does not take differing thicknesses into account. Go with recommended settings for thicker material and again adjust.
-Jonathan

By following the door chart for 1/4" steel and slowing the wire feed, would that provide better penetration?

What about if I have to weld 1/4" steel tabs to a ford 9" rear end? Keeping in mind that I have a Eastwood MIG 135 using .030 wire with 75/25 argon/CO2 gas.

Is it possible to weld 3/8" tabs to the top of a ford 9" rear end using my Eastwood MIG 135?

Unfortunately it is the only welder I have and I can't afford to buy a larger one right now.

My current intensions are to get 1/4" tabs to weld on the top of the ford 9" rear end, but wanted to ask the experts here for their opinion and recommedation.

Thank you

AKweldshop wrote:

KDS wrote:Hello, I am new to the forum. I have a small farm shop with a Lincoln buzz box and a Miller 211 mig setup. I was wondering, is the Miller welding calculator app correct on the mig settings? Seems a lot different than Jodi's recommendations of (1 amp per .001 thickness (125amp on 1/8 " steel) and .035 wire speed - 1.6" x 125 for 1/8 steel =200imp). The app says use 140-150 amps and 280- 300 imp wire feed. This seems like a big difference to me.

Forget settings.
Learn to read the puddle.
No chart in the world is 100% accurate.

Aka, fine tuning, "sweet spot"....

In trying to find that sweet spot, then I would need to have scrap metal of the same thickness to get the welder dialed in first, before actually welding the project?

This makes it hard for my because the welding I am trying to do is on a ford 9" rear end on my car. So my options are very limited.
Any suggestions?