I bought a Millermatic 135 MIG welder a few months back and have been practicing off and on with scrap metal from the plant ever since. Last night I actually got to use it for real!!!
In changing over from a generator to an alternator in my 57 Dodge, I needed to shorten the bracket by about 3 inches. I made my cuts, bevelled the edges, fired up the little MIG and WOW! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Okay, so it was just a tiny job! But we've all got to start somewhere!
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Pete
Wait until you have a nut that won't come off, so you weld a great big nut onto it, and the heat and additional leverage spin it right off. Sometimes the smallest jobs give the greatest satisfaction. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
Ok, I've been following the welder threads here and my question is...
What Amp ciruit breaker ? I have a 30 amp 220 V for my Air compressor which is hard wired in. I was thinking about converting the hardwire to a plug in which would free up the circuit for other 220v items... Can I run a welder with this and what would be a good size for lets say 1/4" steel and thinner aluminum ?
Maybe. You would have to check on the individual welder to see what the amp draw is. A 110v wire welder will run on a 30 amp circuit. There are some here who don't like the 110v welders and some that do. I think it is going to depend on what you expect to be able to do with the unit and how well you hope to do it.
If the welder is 220V 30A. How about a couple of SO cords and NEMA plugs. You can get twist lock NEMA plugs at most home centers. Looks like a dryer plug but round.
This way you can plug in the compressor or the welder as needed. To plug in you stick the plug in and twist to lock it in place.
The question I've always had, is why you couldn't plug a 220v welder into a small generator. I've seen several that have 220 outlets. It would make the welder a lot more portable.
I had that question too so I tried it. I have a 220volt stick that I run off a 30amp circuit. Also have a 8kw generator with a 30 amp 220v outlet. Bought the adapter so I could weld in my detached garage which does not have 220 service. I was able to do dome light welding but the arc didn't seem strong enough, even on a low setting. Really bogged down the generator too, you could tell a real load was being put on. I'm going to play with this some more this summer but my experience so far is this isn't as straightforward as you would think. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]
With the right generator you should be able to do so. I have not done it but the generator provides AC just like the wall.
The problem may be that the generator ratings are optimistic. A 240V 30 amp outlet is ~7400 watts. Thats a continous load of 7.4 Kwatt not peak.
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