Welding Tips and Tricks

Alright, I got a Bobcat a year or so ago and an AHP tig. Now, I want a mig welder.

I saw that AHP has a mig, with a 60% duty cycle. I dig their tig welder. So, I was going to wait 6 months and get one from them. I just went on Eastwoods site and saw that they have the mig 250, that also has a 60% duty cycle. It is actually cheaper than the AHP. Not by misch, but still.

Any opinions on the two, or a good mig welder, around $900, that has a duty cycle of 60%?

Why not a 12vs feeder for the bobcat? Ya wont be bumping into duty cycle, and can lay down lots of mig bead hot and fast, do thin wall and delicate work with tig, burn stick for grungy steel and repairs, and cover the bases.
But then I'm biased, I enjoy stick and tig welding, mig is a get it done quick thing to me.

Poleframer wrote:Why not a 12vs feeder for the bobcat?

Exactly. Plus, you can InnerShield, FluxCore, and aluminum with some internal swaps. About the same price as a good MIG machine, and its a "portable suitcase".

Well, by getting a mig machine, it seems I would put less on the Bobcat. But, that is a good idea. haha

I should say. I am new. I just saved and got a Bobcat one day. So, I will have to search the web, to understand what you said. haha

Other nice thing with a suitcase is that you can run it off a power source in the shop, and either way not be stuck with dragging around a whole machine with a short lead. At least thats the direction I'm thinking of going.
I'm more leaning to a 8vs, smaller spools, cause a small 25 lb suitcase sounds better than a 80 lb suitcase to me.
But then I'm mostly a stick welder, and the freedom of long leads and the ability to duck and weave around projects I miss with with mig.

In deed. hmm I was looking on Millers site. Those things are as expensive as hell. haha If that is, hell were a product.

Space is a problem. I have a, maybe 8 x 8 shed. haha

If you end up with a Miller 12VS I Bet you will be happy like a kid in a candy store, Ive had one for about 13 years or so. I run this thing wide open with 1/16 to 072 self shielded wire on stuff from 3/4 to 4 inches thick all day long evry day. It has never missed a beat. They are built durable like a tank, which does make the this thing heavy, (try pulling one up with a full roll of wire 90ft from the ground with a rope) and water from the rain don't get inside them, at least Ive never found any. Another good wire feeder is a Lincoln LN25, its not as durable but it runs just as good.

If you want something that's gonna do whatever you ask of it evry day, and runs MIG as well as fluxcore and can be run on any welding machine that makes dc this is what you want, yeah they cost a bunch but its well worth evry penny

Sold my friend. haha Ok, I will start saving for that instead of the mig welder.

Man, when my dad died in 03, his family came and took everything of his. I wish, so much, that I could have his welder. I have no clue what happened to any of his stuff.

I will have to find out how to hook the thing up. haha

Here's my shed. It's a ways from anything, including power poles, why I use a generator welder, and am partial to the low rpm Miler Legend. Little bigger than yours, 38 x 42, at the end of a ridge, steel scrap, engines and transmissions sort of roll off the edges and down the hill....

One day my dog was down there, chasing a lizard I suppose, got his head stuck in a brake drum, had to cut it off his head after the vet gave up on it...

Glowzinski wrote:I will have to find out how to hook the thing up. haha

Plug your welder into the pigtail at the back of the feeder (whatever polarity you need), hook up the gator clip to your ground and you are off to the races...have fun

Poleframer wrote:Here's my shed. It's a ways from anything, including power poles, why I use a generator welder, and am partial to the low rpm Miler Legend. Little bigger than yours, 38 x 42, at the end of a ridge, steel scrap, engines and transmissions sort of roll off the edges and down the hill....

Looks like a country boys dream there

Do you have any videos of welding with the 12 VS? I want to know if mine is set up correctly.