Lincoln Welder?

-
J

JoeDust451

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2005
Messages
1,348
Reaction score
27
Would this be a good welder for the adverage patch panel jobs on a car, i'm useing a cheap clux wire feed from harbor freight & its too messy, i figure a mig would be much cleaner, it only has 4 settings for the amps., the cheap one i'm useing just has high/low, has anyone used one of these 115s, i would like to do some exhaust work & maybe weld up SFCs (sub frame connectors), my only drawback is i'm limited to a 110/120 outlet, the price doesn't seem too bad for what is all there.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
 
It's still a MiG with flux core wire, unless you get the gas kit for it. Still a little messy, but not as bad as the Harbor Freight one probably is. I have welded patch panels, exhaust, motorcycle frames, and other misc stuff with mine. You just need to practice on similar metals first to figure out the settings so you don't burn through. You're still going to get spatter if you don't get the bottle.
 
Check Craigslist and Kijiji in your local area. There's lots of guys selling these units barely used.

Try find a Lincoln 140. More power! and still 125V.
 
You can likely buy that cheaper than from Home Depot. Like the other stated, bigger is always better.
 
It comes with the gas setup so it would be better than what you have but it is really only good for thin metal. Body or exhaust work would be fine but not really anything else. most of the small machines will say stuff like up 1/8 inch but not really single pass. if you can afford it go a step or two up or get a good used one.
 
this is my profession,and ive used quite a few machines out there.the best small at home mig that runs off 110 is the miller,its also the most expensive.if you have to weld in its higher ranges it likes to trip breakers.id look for something used myself.if you want a machine that is multi purpose(as far as mig goes)than look for a millermatic 200.there old tech but work awsome ,they use a copper wound transformer.my second choice for an old used machine would be a linde L-tec 225 made by union carbide.they were bought out by esab and are crap now,but if you find an old linde they are great.
 
I have been repairing welders for 18 years and run a Lincoln warranty shop. You would definitely be better stepping up to the Powermig 140. Lincolns standard warranty is 3 years on anything they make. This is a rebaged Century welder (Lincoln bought them a few years ago) That is why it only comes with a 1 year warranty. Again looking for a used one is also a good way to save some money though most that buy a good 110 v welder do not get rid of them too often. The prevoius SP 100, 125, 135 are very good welders also which when connnected to it's own dedicated outlet will do most anything you want without poping the breaker. One thing to remember is do not run one off of an extention cord unless it is a 10 guage or heavier. It will not perform they way it is desinged to and will shorten it's life.
 
Nice little welder (little). Must be only a 90 amp output if it only does 1/8" which won't do more than sheet metal.(by the way, it comes with a gas regulator so all you need is a tank of gas from your local welding supplier.) Check with them. They may have a nice trade in or a better one on sale. Get a 130 amp at least if you need a 115 volt. The Millermatic 200 that mygwenever66 mentioned is impressive and worth the extra $$$ if you're going to do anything heavier than sheet metal. That is a 230 volt unit so your garage will have to have the proper electrical service and plug in. It just depends what your needs are. Most people I sell small welders to usually trade up to a bigger one. The same goes for air compressors and sandblast cabinets! toolmanmike
 
i dont like the small machines that much,but they are great for portability.if your looking for something new,the id go with a miller product,just for customer support and ease of getting parts.nothing wrong with the lincon either.my personal favorite out of the new stuff out there is thermal arc .very impressed with their stuff....
 
For the love of safety don't use that Home Depot special welder on frames or anything that has any support to anything! The smallest I would use on frames would be something like my Millermatic 135 and even that I would only use for crossmembers. A good all around welder is a Hobart 150 with a bottle of 75/25.
Save your money a little longer and get a package deal from your local welding supply store and get a welder/tank/cart and auto dimming helmet.
FYI Hobart and Miller now share the same gun. They are swapping over to the Miller style and phasing out the Hobart guns. This way they only have to supply parts for one type of gun now. It runs around 200 bucks for the new gun kit.
 
360scamp said:
For the love of safety don't use that Home Depot special welder on frames or anything that has any support to anything! The smallest I would use on frames would be something like my Millermatic 135 and even that I would only use for crossmembers. A good all around welder is a Hobart 150 with a bottle of 75/25.

FYI Hobart and Miller now share the same gun. They are swapping over to the Miller style and phasing out the Hobart guns. This way they only have to supply parts for one type of gun now. It runs around 200 bucks for the new gun kit.
Click to expand...
hey,some of the ugliest weld are the strongest lol.but on a serious note,i agree 100%about not using the crap home depot welder on anything you are trusting you safety/life to.
 
No, i'm not useing it for anything other then sheet metal (roof work), but it wants to burn through sometimes, or just leave heavy black soot, i'm getting sick of it, i'm only out 80.00 & thats with a 1 yr. warr., Harbor freight says they will take it back, its a Chicago welder, i'm just useing a standard style extention cord, so maybe thats my problem, i can't even make a pass, just a tack here & there, it really sucks & is very frustrating to say the least, it seems to do good at times, then crappy the next, i'm coming to the conclusion that flux is crapolla. I'm limited to the small 3 prong outlet, its at my storage.

What is a good extention cord to use? I'll look around for a used unit about 130 that can run off 115v.
 
Hey Joe Dust, The problems that you just described will happen with any flux core wire using any brand welder; and I will match certification papers and experience with anyone here. My advise would be to buy any welder with a gas kit and use 75/25; and if you can pull the trigger and move your hand, with a minimum of practice you will see no more burn through or soot. God bless you. Wayne
 
look for a miller/hobart /lincon with a shielding gas option,run 75/25 argon c02,and the heaviest ext. cord you can find.use small dia. wire like .030.
 
i got a flux core and hate it. it is a lot easier to take whatever im welding somewhere with shielding gas. you will love it lol. i really like the hobart handler 140. we have 3 of them at school and they are all top notch and if you go hot and slow you can weld pretty thick stuff. i wouldnt worry if i was gonna weld structural stuff with it. but anything with shielding gas you will love. just fyi the lincoln weld pack hd is not able to be converted to shielding gas. that is what lincoln said. other ppl have disagreed but i would say go ahead and get something that is set up for a bottle and go from there.
 
You get what you pay for. Lincoln has gone down the road of putting their name on import products. Import products aren't always a bad thing, but the buyer should (always) educate themselves.

A Miller welder is like a Milwaukee power tool, not the cheapest, but they don't put their name on crap and it WILL work (and you can repair it). Hobart and Lincoln certainly make decent stuff, but shop around.

The Miller may be twice as expensive as the Harbor Freight, and 50% more than a hardware store Lincoln. Is the Miller twice as good? Do you earn your paycheck with the welder?

A Lincoln will do just fine for the occasional user, duty cycle shouldn't be an issue.
 
Or maybe this one.

Whats the difference between self shielding gas & self shielding flux wire?
 
You may not lie the autoset. I get a lot of them in the shop because people canno get the setting where they want them and think something is wrong. I would agreee that Lincoln has come out with this home user crap that they sell at Lowes and Home depot but if you go the a welding supplier they carry the pro models (powermig series) that are just as good quality wise as the Miller. The flux core wire is good for ding farm type jobs, traier welding ect. It does not give a pretty weld and will remind you more of stick welding with a slag that needs to be removed along with a ton of splatter. The gas shied will give you that pretty -out of the box weld. Also you will be able to get a smaller diameter wire (.023 or .025 depending onthe manufacturer) that is better for the beginner to do sheet metal work. One thing to remember- if you pick up a used Lincoln- They did sell them with or without the gas set up but the conversion kit will run you $100 plus the bottle.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top