All things welding
- Thread starter AirborneTexasRanger
- Start date
OP
No they don't. I've seen way worse.
You were moving too fast on these welds
The other bracket looks great.
Also, it's hard to tell, but did you remove the rust/dirt before welding.
Yeah, I removed the rust, just ran a flapper wheel over the areas that I was going to put the bead. I may need to turn down my welding helmet a notch so I. An see the puddle better
Alright - for your amusement, I present to you, my very first weld! Or first since shop class anyway.
It’s my son’s basketball hoop; the brace broke at the factory weld. What a perfect test subject. Only thing is I don’t know how thick or what kind of steel it is so I went with low voltage and dialed up the wire speed as I went until it more or less filled the holes and stuck metal to metal.
It was good just to figure out all my gear - the helmet, the gas regulator, even the welding table & clamps. And - I didn’t die!
My favorite part is the wire sticking out of the glob. I thought you guys would like that! What a travesty.
Now that this ugly thing is done I’ll move on to some 18 gauge coupons in preparation for body panel patching on the jeep. Fun stuff!!
It’s my son’s basketball hoop; the brace broke at the factory weld. What a perfect test subject. Only thing is I don’t know how thick or what kind of steel it is so I went with low voltage and dialed up the wire speed as I went until it more or less filled the holes and stuck metal to metal.
It was good just to figure out all my gear - the helmet, the gas regulator, even the welding table & clamps. And - I didn’t die!
My favorite part is the wire sticking out of the glob. I thought you guys would like that! What a travesty.
Now that this ugly thing is done I’ll move on to some 18 gauge coupons in preparation for body panel patching on the jeep. Fun stuff!!
Welcome to The Ugly Weld Club, Granite! Meetings are the sixth Friday each month. 
New machine on the way.
Owners manual states for 230V, max input is 22.5A (30% duty cycle).
However, that same page recommends an input of 15A, with 40 amp breaker, and #12 wire. This seems incorrect. Or am I not reading it correctly? For an input of 20A, sure #12 wire makes sense. But at 22.5A, I would think #10 would be a better wire choice. Including a 30A breaker vs 40A. Thoughts?
Owners manual states for 230V, max input is 22.5A (30% duty cycle).
However, that same page recommends an input of 15A, with 40 amp breaker, and #12 wire. This seems incorrect. Or am I not reading it correctly? For an input of 20A, sure #12 wire makes sense. But at 22.5A, I would think #10 would be a better wire choice. Including a 30A breaker vs 40A. Thoughts?
OP
I've done this twice & never had any issues. I did it this way because I've never had the main panel inside the garage.
Ran 10/3 from the main panel to a sub panel in the garage on a70 60 amp breaker. The sub panel is set up for the welders & air compressor each on its own 30 amp breaker.
You could get away with just a 30 amp on the main panel with 10/3 to an outlet in your garage. I only did it my way for easy maintenance if it's required.
Often times the machine will stop itself before the breaker does. But if the manufacturer suggests a 40 amp then I'd go with that.
Ran 10/3 from the main panel to a sub panel in the garage on a
You could get away with just a 30 amp on the main panel with 10/3 to an outlet in your garage. I only did it my way for easy maintenance if it's required.
Often times the machine will stop itself before the breaker does. But if the manufacturer suggests a 40 amp then I'd go with that.
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I've already got a subpanel in the garage with open walls so no issues there...
I need to research it a bit more. But based on my limited electrical knowledge..
1) #10 wire would support the 22.5A required input. #10 should be able to support 30A easily. #8 would support 40A.
2) A 30A breaker would protect the #10 wire. A 40A breaker would protect #8 wire.
I need to research it a bit more. But based on my limited electrical knowledge..
1) #10 wire would support the 22.5A required input. #10 should be able to support 30A easily. #8 would support 40A.
2) A 30A breaker would protect the #10 wire. A 40A breaker would protect #8 wire.
OP
I can get a 25ft role of 10/3 solid romex for $121.
I can get by-the-foot of 8/3 stranded romex for $5.68/ft. So for comparison, 25ft would be $106.
OP
That wire size recommendation isn't apples to apples with what you're likely to use...the NM-B stuff typically used in residential is a 60C insulation, sheathed and run through a wall cavity so the allowable ampacity is different than what that chart shows for 75C in conduit.
I would think you could probably get away with a 30A breaker and 10awg wire but it would suck to have to redo it if I'm wrong. And if you can get 8/3 cheaper then might as well go with it.
Fwiw, I told my electrician I needed an outlet for a welder and he ran 6/3 from a 50A breaker.
What machine did you end up buying?
Good catch on the 75C. I completely overlooked that!
Im looking at the 8/3. Decent savings for better wire, why wouldn't I? It's going to be a relatively short run and close to the subpanel as possible.
I picked up the lincoln 211i. It's still a fairly new unit and not much out there yet in terms of real world use. Excited to try it.
I remembered you saying you were looking at that one; same one I have at top of my list. Just waiting for the funds to appear.
OP
Something to consider when buying/owning a welder is it's Duty Cycle. Typically this is a percentage rating in reference to arc time in a 10 minute span. For example a machine with a 30% duty cycle could weld continuously for ≈ 3 minutes before it stops to cool down for ≈ 7 minutes. Inverter based machines usually have a longer duty cycle than transformer based machines, but it also depends on the power supply to the machine with 220v having a longer duty cycle. The duty cycle is also often measured at the machines peak welding amperage so the duty cycle increases at lower amperage. Essentially this is the machine protecting itself from overheating.
I think this is important because if you plan on welding at the high range of your machine then you should expect the machine to periodically time out for a few minutes. For reference, my machine is wired to 220v on a 30 amp breaker, I weld a lot & I've never had my machine time out on me. However, when I had it wired to 110v on a 20 amp breaker it would often shut off or trip the breaker to the point where I was frustrated enough to rewire it.
I should also note that your wires, outlet & circuit breaker should be able to handle power you need. I'm lucky in that my Dad is a master electrician & walked me through setting up my system, but hiring an electrician might be a better route for some.
If I remember I'll photo document my set up when I get home.
I think this is important because if you plan on welding at the high range of your machine then you should expect the machine to periodically time out for a few minutes. For reference, my machine is wired to 220v on a 30 amp breaker, I weld a lot & I've never had my machine time out on me. However, when I had it wired to 110v on a 20 amp breaker it would often shut off or trip the breaker to the point where I was frustrated enough to rewire it.
I should also note that your wires, outlet & circuit breaker should be able to handle power you need. I'm lucky in that my Dad is a master electrician & walked me through setting up my system, but hiring an electrician might be a better route for some.
If I remember I'll photo document my set up when I get home.
And the the 240v units shouldn't require (or at least most shouldn't) a neutral wire. Two hots and a ground is all that's needed depending on welder.
Getting ready to install my own outlet. 8/2 romex, 40amp breaker, 4" steel box with cover and a 6-50R outlet. Right at $100
Getting ready to install my own outlet. 8/2 romex, 40amp breaker, 4" steel box with cover and a 6-50R outlet. Right at $100
That's true, but the other way of looking at it is that an extra wire for the neutral doesn't cost much extra dollars or time to install, and then it's there if you ever need to pull 120VAC off that outlet. I use the appropriate NEMA 4-pin connectors for my outlets and welders/plasma/air compressors for that reason. Not saying it's the best way, just that it's another way of looking at it.