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Got a mig, now which gas?

Archdukeferdinand

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Boone, NC
So of course I ended up getting a welder bigger than I was initially looking for, my new linc 175 should be here before the weekend.

So which gas should I get? From my searching it seems CO2 is cheaper and hotter (sounds good, I like cheap and it sounds like hotter might be better if I'm trying to mig light plate?) C25 makes the prettiest welds and is a good all-arounder, unimix is considered the norm?


Also, trying to make an extension cord for the welder. I've got hundreds of feet of 10/4 600v SOOW laying around work from old snowguns, I can use that for a 50' cord, right?
 
Most MIG rigs I've seen use a CO2/Argon mix - the Argon probably helps with shielding at higher weld currents. It should be available at any place that supplies industrial gasses (CO2 is a bit more available, since you can also go to a carbonics/drinks service place for that.)

What's the dataplate on your welder say for source current requirements? Probably around 20A.

A quick sparring session at Google-Fu tells me that 10AWG is good for either 30A or 40A (I'm not sure where the differentiation lies, at the moment...) and doesn't give with a length. If you're at or under 20A supply current, I'd think that you could use 10/3 SOOW or SJOOW to make your extension cord, but I'd check to see if it's getting hot the first few times you're using it (just to make sure. I don't have my copy of Ugly's Electrical Reference to hand. I should get a new one...) If it doesn't heat up after about a half-hour of actual use, you should be fine.

SOOW is water-resistant rubber-jacketed cable, and SJOOW is water-, oil-, and grease-resistant rubber-jacketed cable. Both should be readily available in black jackets, and you can find SJOOW in orange or yellow if you're willing to look a little bit.
 
5-90 said:
Most MIG rigs I've seen use a CO2/Argon mix - the Argon probably helps with shielding at higher weld currents. It should be available at any place that supplies industrial gasses (CO2 is a bit more available, since you can also go to a carbonics/drinks service place for that.)


SOOW is water-resistant rubber-jacketed cable, and SJOOW is water-, oil-, and grease-resistant rubber-jacketed cable. Both should be readily available in black jackets, and you can find SJOOW in orange or yellow if you're willing to look a little bit.

yeah, I've got scads of spinal-tap black SOOW at work. The manual suggests AWG 8, but that assumes a 50A under full load. Both line and load sides are protected (breaker on outlet, overheat and breaker on welder) so I'm thinking I'll just give it a shot and keep an eye on it. I'm not gonna go out and drop $$ if I can safely use the free stuff.

Thanks for the help.
 
SOUTHTEXASXJ said:
I run 75/25 argon all the time.

The AMG-25 is a good choice for mild steel (75% argon 25% Co2) I use it in both of my MIGs...a source you may not think of for shield gas (if they have them in your area) is Tractor Supply. Once you get your own tank (80 cubic foot is a good size) that is marked CO or Customer owned...easy to swap out, and lasts a good long time.

The 175 Lincoln is a good machine for hobby fab work. It doesn't have the duty cycle for production work, but thats ok for building all kinds of goodies.

I spent a ton of money on new 8 gauge power cable for my rig, but the 10 gauge is ok if the cord isnt too long and you dont run it wide open. You will be running it wide open on 3/16 and thicker material.

Be sure to wear sleeves and gloves...the hard gamma and UV from the arc is not friendly to skin....I know....I just had 4 lesions removed from my forearms.
 
MudDawg said:
The AMG-25 is a good choice for mild steel (75% argon 25% Co2) I use it in both of my MIGs...a source you may not think of for shield gas (if they have them in your area) is Tractor Supply. Once you get your own tank (80 cubic foot is a good size) that is marked CO or Customer owned...easy to swap out, and lasts a good long time.


Be sure to wear sleeves and gloves...the hard gamma and UV from the arc is not friendly to skin....I know....I just had 4 lesions removed from my forearms.

Thats the same as I run and yeah thats correct as I can atest to getting sunburned from my mig welder!!
 
MudDawg said:
I spent a ton of money on new 8 gauge power cable for my rig, but the 10 gauge is ok if the cord isnt too long and you dont run it wide open. You will be running it wide open on 3/16 and thicker material.

Good call, I dug deeper into the boneyard last night and pulled out about 65 feet of 8/4 600v SOOW. I want to make a run at that duty cycle without worrying about the cord.
 
SOUTHTEXASXJ said:
I run 75/25 argon all the time.

Same here.

MudDawg said:
Be sure to wear sleeves and gloves...the hard gamma and UV from the arc is not friendly to skin....I know....I just had 4 lesions removed from my forearms.

A very very good point. I haven't gotten to the point where I need lesions removed (ouch), but I've got some pretty nasty burns on my arms and hands. Don't be dumb, pick up those $7ish welding sleeves. I've just got a couple pair of those and they work great and if I ruin them... oh well. Sometime if I ever get the cash I'd like to invest in a mid-range comfortable welding jacket.

Archdukeferdinand said:
Also, trying to make an extension cord for the welder. I've got hundreds of feet of 10/4 600v SOOW laying around work from old snowguns, I can use that for a 50' cord, right?

I know I know... extension cords are easier, but think hard about just running a breaker and line to where you want to weld. I works out really well and you don't have to mess with a long cord. I'm really glad I did, and while I was running wire the length of the house I ran two to not only make it harder on myself, but now I've got 50A 220V on both sides/ends of my garage.
 
rockwerks said:
I run 100% co2...burns hotter than the co2 argon mix and much much cheaper and can weld several 10# spools of wire on one tank

I use the same mostly, straight CO2. Good for sheet metal. It does dirty up the tips and shroud faster though. The rest of the time I use 82% Argon and 18% CO2.
The amount of CO2 influences the hardness of your welds, the burn and the amount of splatter.
I keep a set of tip and shroud cleaning brushes and a can of spray silicon around. The silicon is a tip protector and helps keep the splatter from sticking. Dirty tips and shrouds will mess up your welds.
I've got tanks of straight Argon, Helium/O2 and others for the exotic stuff.
One good thing to keep in mind, is most of the cost is for the refill and not the size of the bottle. You typically pay, maybe 15-25% more to fill a bottle of twice the volume.
Buy your own bottles, rental will kill you, it adds up fast.
 
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