COMET CENTRAL

I need to buy more wire for the welder and I have been using .30 (I think) but I will be doing a bunch of chassis work in the near future (welding stuff up to 1/4")

I have several tips for the welder and I think I saw a .40 tip in there and then 2 or 3 smaller ones, just wondering if I should get some bigger wire or stick with the .30 for now, sometimes I would like to lay a heavier bead but then I worry about weld penetration and cold welds.

Anyone know of a source for determining wire size or have a suggestion?

I also am thinking about getting a plug on the ARC welder and using it for some of the heavier stuff, would I regret using it? I know they have been used for building a many cars etc. I would have to pick up some sticks for it as well (I need to get it going anyway)

See Ya,
Mike

.30 will work. More important what is the amperage of your mig welder?

Lou

lavron wrote:I need to buy more wire for the welder and I have been using .30 (I think) but I will be doing a bunch of chassis work in the near future (welding stuff up to 1/4")

I have several tips for the welder and I think I saw a .40 tip in there and then 2 or 3 smaller ones, just wondering if I should get some bigger wire or stick with the .30 for now, sometimes I would like to lay a heavier bead but then I worry about weld penetration and cold welds.

Anyone know of a source for determining wire size or have a suggestion?

I also am thinking about getting a plug on the ARC welder and using it for some of the heavier stuff, would I regret using it? I know they have been used for building a many cars etc. I would have to pick up some sticks for it as well (I need to get it going anyway)

See Ya,
Mike

I use 0.030 for everything. Thicker material (1/4" is about the heaviest you'll see on a car) I just turn the amps and wire speed up. Plus then you don't run out of 0.030 tips and just have 0.040 wire, or vice versa LOL.

As for the stick welder, it would be useful for 4 link brackets to an axle tube if everything is really clean, but for sheet metal and under car overhead work a wire feed would be better. Then again, you could pick up a TIG dry rig from your welding supply house, grab a bottle of argon and er70 rods and have all three welding types at your disposal, which is handy. It would be scratch start and you couldn't weld aluminum, of course, but it opens up possibilities. All in all, though, a good MIG with 0.030 wire can about did everything a car guy needs.

Just my $0.02.

Dan

.030 to .035 will do anything on our cars. If flux core I’d probably use .035 for any >3/16...

Lou's Comet wrote:More important what is the amperage of your mig welder?

All I have is this Harbor Freight 110 Welder, I was running on MAX-2 with the wire feed at around 4 to 5, and 0.30 flux core wire (I really need to get some gas, it is gas equipped).

bigdan wrote:As for the stick welder, it would be useful for 4 link brackets to an axle tube if everything is really clean

That was my thought as well as having to weld together the rest of the M2 parts. Of course that means selecting the correct rods as well, good thing there is Google

See Ya,
Mike

That's 85amps max, prob good for up to 1/8". For 1/4" steel use the stick welder

Lou

lavron wrote:Of course that means selecting the correct rods as well

I'd use 7018's. For 1/4" steel I'd grab 3/32" or maybe 1/8", but 3/32's should do it.

Dan

This is the other welder BTW, I guess I had never put an actual picture of it on here.



Tomorrow I will pick up a breaker and wire a new outlet for it in the shed, the plug is missing off of it but there was a dryer or stove cord with it so I guess I will take it apart and install the new cord and see if it works.

bigdan wrote:I'd use 7018's. For 1/4" steel I'd grab 3/32" or maybe 1/8", but 3/32's should do it.

I appreciate it I watched a couple of videos and that looked like the rod to have, I will try and grab a few of those tomorrow as well.

See Ya,
Mike

Cool. It's always nice to have options. I have 2 receptacles wired up for overkill in my shop (6 ga with 50a receptacles) but if you are only going 30a I think you're fine with 10 ga (8ga would be better). Good luck!

Dan

I got the receptacle wired up and a plug put on the all too short cord of the welder (it won't hardly reach from the floor up to outlet) so a longer cord will probably need to be installed.

I got ripped of at TSC buying a pound box of 7018 1/8" (they didn't have 3/32") because I went over to the local farm supply store afterward and they had 5 pound packages and 3/32" for the same price as 1# at TSC (both Hobart sticks) I didn't buy any because I wanted to make sure the welder worked first.

The welder does work but couldn't hardly strike a weld to start it but don't know what my settings should be, and my metal was rusty that I was trying to test on. I will try again sometime but I was wearing shorts and it is too hot out to attempt to weld anything (I usually set my pant leg a fire so I didn't want to set my leg a fire, I did have a spark go down my shoe just the little I did do).

Anyway it works but so far I like the MIG much better (I did get a roll of 0.30 wire as well)

See Ya,
Mike