Welding Tips and Tricks

I've been running my old Millermatic 35 since the late '70s and have loved this welder. It's built tons of projects over the years, off-road race cars, trailers, all kinds of small projects. Best tool I ever bought! I'm old now, but still love to do metal projects. My machine still runs, but basic parts like wire rollers apparently aren't available anymore.

Helping my son with a tube rail fence around his property and he bought a little inverter stick machine that got looking into what the new machines were all about. After a bunch of reading and watching instructional videos, I am wanting to spend more time under the hood.

My question is; how much difference would I see at the work surface if I went to one of the inverter machines? I am looking at the Miller Multimatic 235. I can't TIG weld and have never done anything on aluminum. The fence job showed me I can still run stick, at least 7018. My work is really all about MIG on parent metal up to 1/4". Jeep modifications and stuff like that. Having flux-core capability and being able to go portable for outside jobs would be an attraction too.

I'm just trying to figure out if "upgrading" to one of the more modern machines makes sense? Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

I'm certainly not a professional welder, but I'm definitely an enthusiast, and have welded with many of the Millermatic line of machines so far...35S, 35, 200, 211 AutoSet, 212 AutoSet, 250, 250 Vintage, 250X, 251, 252 and 350P. The 35S/35/200 family are all pretty similar and have one of the nicest arcs you'll ever find....period. They are actually sought after by folks doing sheetmetal work because of their smooth starts and buttery arc.

I wouldn't be surprised if a new inverter machine will have more pop to it, but I don't think you'll be any happier with the quality of the weld produced.

I have taken several of the 35S/35 machines and converted them to use a modern M25 style gun. There is a Lincoln adapter meant to allow a Miller gun to be used on a Lincoln that you need, then you buy an inexpensive gas solenoid/valve, and a receptacle for the 2-pin trigger connector, and some thick acrylic (I use a small 1/2" thick cutting board I can get at the local Menards for like $10) ...a bit of hardware, a couple of hole saw cuts and you're ready to plug and play a new gun into the machine.

The first machine I did this way went to a paint and body guy who periodically texts me notes like "Man, I still love this welder"....which always makes me smile. Even if you do decide to buy a new machine I would suggest keeping the old one, and maybe converting it to a modern gun setup, just in case.

There is a thread about this topic over at the Miller forum. I added my description near the end since I was using the same basic layout.
https://forum.millerwelds.com/forum/wel ... 35-mig-gun

Years ago I converted the gun and cable assembly to a Tweco No. 2 and installed a gas solenoid. About 5-6 years ago I started running C25 gas and now I am going to pick up some .030 contact tips and wire just to see how the machine likes it. For most of it's life, I only ran .035 and C100 gas. Maybe I don't get out enough?

G-Man,

I read that thread about converting to a modern gun. Nice work!

FootSoldier wrote:Years ago I converted the gun and cable assembly to a Tweco No. 2 and installed a gas solenoid. About 5-6 years ago I started running C25 gas and now I am going to pick up some .030 contact tips and wire just to see how the machine likes it. For most of it's life, I only ran .035 and C100 gas. Maybe I don't get out enough?

I think you'll find C25 and either .030 or .035 work perfectly on your machine! Very clean, very smooth and plenty of power.

FootSoldier wrote:I've been running my old Millermatic 35 since the late '70s and have loved this welder. It's built tons of projects over the years, off-road race cars, trailers, all kinds of small projects. Best tool I ever bought! I'm old now, but still love to do metal projects. My machine still runs, but basic parts like wire rollers apparently aren't available anymore.

.............
I'm just trying to figure out if "upgrading" to one of the more modern machines makes sense? Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

upgrading is more about the old machine doesn't work any more (rollers etc) or doesn't have a feature that you want (eg pulse).
for basic welding i don't think there is really any difference except for lower power usage ie run off a lower amp outlet.

tweake-That's what I had been trying to figure out without talking to sales people. My old 35 is still running and I think it will do even better with a little tune up. I don't really have a need for other welding processes, although a capable stick option might come in handy. The portability issue along with flux-core is kind of the same way. Might come in handy. But the truth is, I have gotten along very well with my trusty MM35 for the last 40 years. LOL!

Thanks!

tweake wrote:

FootSoldier wrote:I've been running my old Millermatic 35 since the late '70s and have loved this welder. It's built tons of projects over the years, off-road race cars, trailers, all kinds of small projects. Best tool I ever bought! I'm old now, but still love to do metal projects. My machine still runs, but basic parts like wire rollers apparently aren't available anymore.

.............
I'm just trying to figure out if "upgrading" to one of the more modern machines makes sense? Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

upgrading is more about the old machine doesn't work any more (rollers etc) or doesn't have a feature that you want (eg pulse).
for basic welding i don't think there is really any difference except for lower power usage ie run off a lower amp outlet.

Unfortunately, or not, I have become smitten with the thought of having a machine with pulse spray capability. I have been reading and watching a lot of info about LOP from trying to short-circuit MIG weld on too heavy material. The thought of really being capable of hammering on .375-.500" metal with a pulse machine is real attractive. Kind of leaning toward the Millermatic 255, but then I come back to earth and ask how often a 68 yr old guy in his home garage is going to come across the need for that much punch?

Not sure I have a good understanding of how effective pulse would be on lighter material?

FootSoldier wrote:

tweake wrote:

FootSoldier wrote:I've been running my old Millermatic 35 since the late '70s and have loved this welder. It's built tons of projects over the years, off-road race cars, trailers, all kinds of small projects. Best tool I ever bought! I'm old now, but still love to do metal projects. My machine still runs, but basic parts like wire rollers apparently aren't available anymore.

.............
I'm just trying to figure out if "upgrading" to one of the more modern machines makes sense? Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

upgrading is more about the old machine doesn't work any more (rollers etc) or doesn't have a feature that you want (eg pulse).
for basic welding i don't think there is really any difference except for lower power usage ie run off a lower amp outlet.

Unfortunately, or not, I have become smitten with the thought of having a machine with pulse spray capability. I have been reading and watching a lot of info about LOP from trying to TIG weld on too heavy material. The thought of really being capable of hammering on .375-.500" metal with a pulse machine is real attractive. Kind of leaning toward the Millermatic 255, but then I come back to earth and ask how often a 68 yr old guy in his home garage is going to come across the need for that much punch?

Not sure I have a good understanding of how effective pulse would be on lighter material?

In my opinion, don't use pulse on thinner material. Under 1/8 or so is where I switch to short circuit. Pulse spray is still a spray transfer, albeit a much more controllable and tunable version of spray. But still too hot for thinner material. But others may disagree

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Why can't can't a guy have a couple of useful toys in his man cave? Do it brother, you've earned it.

I only very rarely weld anything lighter than .125. 90% of what I do is .1875-.250" and I have always liked having enough capacity that I didn't have to run the machine at the upper most of it's rated range. The Millermatic 255 would be my heavy hitter for all the rest of my life and probably (hopefully) my son's as well. If inverter machines are as durable as my old transformer machine, it would be money well spent!

Coldman wrote:Why can't can't a guy have a couple of useful toys in his man cave? Do it brother, you've earned it.

That's what I'm thinking! And the sweetheart I married 45 yrs ago says quit looking at them all and buy one!

JayWal wrote:In my opinion, don't use pulse on thinner material. Under 1/8 or so is where I switch to short circuit. Pulse spray is still a spray transfer, albeit a much more controllable and tunable version of spray. But still too hot for thinner material. But others may disagree

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How thin of a weld sample would you like to see?

Sorry to barge in here...quick one answer question...what is Lincolns' answer to the 255?

Jakedaawg wrote:Sorry to barge in here...quick one answer question...what is Lincolns' answer to the 255?

Don't apologize Jakedaawg, we're amongst friends here!

I haven't seen anything posted from Lincoln. Pretty sure they will make something soon. The Aspect 230 TIG came out after Miller updated they Dynasty 200-> 210, so they're probably working on it I'd say.

Steve,

Here are cut-n-etch samples done with my 200A pulse MIG using C10 on ¼" steel (and also a short-circuit/globular weld for comparison), just for reference what pulsed-spray can achieve on my machines (not all are the same as the operation is inherent to the programming, which can be vastly different from manufacturer-to-manufacturer)

Leaving the issue of pulse aside for a moment, I would definitely upgrade your Millermatic 35. I believe having adjustments like run-in speed, burn back, adjustable inductance (affects puddle fluidity), pre flow, post flow, etc,. etc. make upgrading worth it. Your 35 is basically a 175-190 amp machine at max, so you don't have to go all the way to a multimatic 255 to see those benefits. Unfortunately though, some of those features are not available on some of the lower end Miller units like the 211, 215, or 235. An Esab Rebel 215 would easily fill the place of your Millermatic 35 and would probably delight you.

That being said, a Multimatic 255 is my next machine. I sold my Millermatic 252, and am selling off my Syncrowave 250 and Idealarc 250, to both help fund the purchase and just to make space in my small garage. I really want a multiprocess unit that can do pulse. But since I am selling off a number of welders, its probably not as big of an investment for me net/net. I say go for it. You will be delighted.

FootSoldier wrote:If inverter machines are as durable as my old transformer machine, it would be money well spent!

Unfortunately, they aren't.

Before anybody says I'm bashing inverters, I'll point out that right now I own four welders...an inverter TIG, an inverter MIG, a transformer TIG and an engine drive....so I'm not anti-inverter at all.

Inverters have gotten much better, but still can't match the reliability/durability of transformer machines. Everything is a tradeoff....and if you want smaller, lighter, less power draw you give up long-term reliability with the current state of technology. At some point they'll probably get close, but repairs to those that break are still going to be more expensive. Right now, if you have an inverter machine that fails out of warranty it's common for the price of the repairs to be upwards of half the price of just getting a new machine.

Of course someone will come along and argue that "they hardly ever fail" but the posts by folks looking for help on pretty much every welding forum suggest otherwise. You'll see folks needing help with transformer machines, but those usually get resolved pretty easily...not so with the inverter machines.

I bought a 1988 transformer TIG recently and they threw in a broken 2014 inverter multi-process welder....it's a $6K unit. It needs at least two boards that would run $2K and might need more...can't tell until the first two boards are replaced.

I went back and dug up my receipt for the purchase of my Millermatic 35. It was 3/22/79 at Phoenix Welding Supply and I paid $857 for it. Curiosity made me look up the inflationary difference between then and today. Approximately $3300 in today's money. LOL. I was a brand new young Journeyman Electrician with our first baby months away and $857 was a pretty tall order at that time. That welder remains the best tool I ever bought. During down times in construction work, it fed my family.

Although things are a lot different today, I still come from a time and place where I want to see what the potential gain from a tool purchase is? I'm older now, but I have a son who welds. So part of my justification has been, that even if I don't use up a new welder, my son can try for many years!

I won't let my old Miller go unless the time comes when I just can't find a way to fix or repair any problem with it. Neither do I have a big shop to work in (oh how I'd love to though) but I do have room for another welder and Miller won my heart years ago.

I took the plunge! Not really replacing my old reliable Millermatic 35 (which I did not know until today that the 35 was the first all-in-one MIG machine made), but I just ordered a new Millermatic 255. I'm stoked! Well ok, I'll probably be "storing" the 35 at my son's house, with gas, wire, and consumables as well. LOL.

This is going to be like welding Christmas for both of us!

The only thing that was kind of a bummer, I wanted to buy it through my LWS and couldn't make that work. They had no stock and could only promise backorder with no known approximate delivery date. Prepay and wait until we don't know when, wasn't really sounding so good to me. So I went with an online purchase, fingers crossed.

Awesome choice! Blue is always best. (that'll get some reaction by those who are not true blue believers.)

Well, you should definitely upgrade because the modern MIG machines are really out of the 70s world. I have a lincoln electric k2697-1 and Millermatic 211. Though I use lincoln for smaller projects and for home use, I think millermatic is the most premium MIG machine today on the market.

It is a good mig welder.

It is surely expensive than Hobart and cost-effective forney machines but I'm sure it isn't going to go anywhere for a lifetime. Like you said, you're still using the same machine for decades. I feel the same about the Millermatic 211. And yeah, it easily welds steel up to 1/4".