Arc welding question

Hello,

I'm wondering how thick of steel, oh say 1ft x 1ft, sheet metal a

110Amp arc welder can weld? As example, lets say I wanted to make a steel box. They have one at homedept

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Model AWELD110

Thanks my friends, Anon

Reply to
curiousjohn4
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110 amp is way plenty for your use.
Reply to
Claude Hopper

That unit you are looking requires a 220 volt outlet like a dryer.

Don't get your amps and volts mixed up.

Reply to
Claude Hopper

Your better off buying a 220 amp arcwelder. It can weld stronger.

Reply to
Mikepier

Ok. I'll look into them. I only have 120V lines. I don't remember seeing any 220amp units for just 120volt lines. I don't want to be popping circuit breakers.

Thanks, Anon

Reply to
curiousjohn4

re-read the specs

this is a 5400 watt unit......you cannot easily get 5000 watts out of a 120V outlet.

The specs call for 240V 40amp circuit...you'd probably be able to get by with a 30amp circuit & your dryer breaker / receptacle.

the specs are unclear but lists capacity at 2-11..... I'm guessing but .....2mm to 11mm thickness????

this unit might be a little wimpy, here's a link and a couple reviews

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cheers Bob

Reply to
BobK207

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote: ...

It's not so much the input voltage as the output current that's significant. Of course, higher input voltage allows for more output current at reasonable input wiring requirements so there are lower limits on what one finds at 115VAC input vis a vis 230VAC input.

A rough rule of thumb is 125A will be able to weld about 3/16" mild steel; there are 115VAC welders that can do that at fairly low duty cycles (say 25%, maybe).

As you go down in amperage, so does the single-pass welding capacity, obviously.

Of course, w/ preparation and care and practice, one can learn to weld thicker material using multiple passes.

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Reply to
dpb

The model you cite requires 240 volts.

1/8" to 1/4" steel requires 50 to 120 amps with 1/8" electrode (according to "Modern Welding" by Althouse, et al.) The dimensions of the sheets are largely irrelevant.

If you haven't welded before, prepare for a good deal of practicing. It might be cheaper to have a welding or machine shop fabricate it for you.

You'll also have to buy a helmet, electrodes and perhaps other accessories.

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

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Reply to
Bennett Price

If you plan on doing any serious welding I would recommend going with a good "brand name" welder, e.g. Lincoln, Miller, etc. also look into MIGs, they are easy for beginners to use and produce nicer welds than a stick welder. only downside is that you have to buy a bottle of argon/CO2 but then again you just use mild steel wire instead of flux coated rod (win some, lose some) a 12V MIG is adequate for, say, car body sheetmetal welding although I wouldn't want to do frame work with it.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

A 110 *AMP* arc welder will handle just about anything a homeowner can throw at it, including blowing big holes in sheet metal. Are you looking for a 110 *volt* arc welder? The one in your link is a 220 volt, 110 amp.

If your goal is to have something useful for home projects that you can plug into a regular outlet, I highly recommend a 110V MIG welder. If the sticker shock is too much, pick up a used one on craigslist. $200 - $300, maybe.

I have a 110v Arc welder and it always seems too big for small stuff and too small for big stuff.

Reply to
The Reverend Natural Light

de quoted text -

Thanks everyone for the advice. You're all right, the dryer is 220V, and 30amps. The welder spec is 220v and 40A and 5400 watts, but maybe it will still work.

What amazes me is how 120v units could produce 120amps? Here's one,

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To get 5400 watts from 120volts it would have to draw 45 amps. This one draws 42 amps. That sounds like a lot of current for a 120v socket.

Thanks, Anon

Reply to
curiousjohn4

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote: ...

... Output is high amps, but low voltage.

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Reply to
dpb
110amps will weld 1/8" steel. Any thicker and you'll not be getting a proper penetration.

steve

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Reply to
Steve Barker DLT

the smaller "migs' will use a flux core wire and no shielding gas is necessary.

steve

Reply to
Steve Barker DLT

a. you don't use them at maximum capacity and b. welders are always over rated as to the input requirements.

we have a production sized (250 A) hobart and it runs just fine on a 30 a breaker. As a matter of fact, the whole garage is 200 feet from the house and is fed off of a 30a breaker and flows through a 10 ga wire that is buried under ground. Has worked fine for over 30 years. air compressor, lights, welder, grinders, overhead heater, etc. Power requirements are always over estimated.

steve

Thanks everyone for the advice. You're all right, the dryer is 220V, and 30amps. The welder spec is 220v and 40A and 5400 watts, but maybe it will still work.

What amazes me is how 120v units could produce 120amps? Here's one,

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To get 5400 watts from 120volts it would have to draw 45 amps. This one draws 42 amps. That sounds like a lot of current for a 120v socket.

Thanks, Anon

Reply to
Steve Barker DLT

DPB brought up another important point. DUTY CYCLE. Learn what it is and understand it. Most the cheaper welders are of a low duty cycle %. If they are less than say 60%, you won't be getting much done. Our hobart is rated

100%. They are hard to find now a days.

steve

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Reply to
Steve Barker DLT

a buddy welds heavy stuff with 3 car batteries in series.

nice smooth DC weld, low cost he says its easy.

he has used this for years

Reply to
hallerb

No, the power requirements are based on the rated output and duty cycle. You simply aren't pushing the welder near that maximum rated output, nor are you likely approaching the duty cycle. Your 30A breakers are most likely HACR rated and as such will allow you to draw more than 30A for a short time without tripping as well.

I have a Syncrowave 250, which wants a 100A 240V feed for it's 250A 40% duty cycle output. I ran it for some time on a 30A feed until I was able to upgrade the power to my shop. On that 30A circuit it did just fine when I was running at about 125A max output welding 16ga steel in short segments. If I tried higher current levels to weld aluminum it would trip that 30A breaker in just a few seconds.

Reply to
Pete C.

More importantly find the duty cycle curve for the welder in question as there is not a single duty cycle. As an example, my Syncrowave 250 is rated at 40% duty cycle at 250A, 60% duty cycle at 200A, and 100% duty cycle at about 150A. The bulk of my welding falls within the 100% duty cycle range.

Reply to
Pete C.

Read the specs carefully. This welder runs on 115 OR 230V and 30 TO

120 amps. That almost certa> > What amazes me is how 120v units could produce 120amps? Here's one, >
Reply to
Larry Fishel

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