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Are you looking for a used mig machine or a reliable single-phase Mig welder to weld solid wire?
When a customer asks for my advice on purchasing a new MIG welder, which machine would I recommend? The first question I ask is what you are welding, and whether it is production, repair, or fabrication. What size wire are you planning to burn? Solid wire or flux core? Indoor or outdoor welding?
1. Mig (solid wire) welding with C02 or 75/25 argon C02 gas, the average maximum welding current usually is 180 amps. Say you're welding on 1/4 mild steel, by hand, expect to run 130 to 145 amps 8% arc-on duty cycle. Arc-on refers to the time the machine is actually burning wire. In hand welding, production is low, but it is typically faster; in automated welding, the possibilities are endless. I have seen automatic sub-arc welders, welding thick pressure vessels continuously for several days without stopping.
2. For applications where you are using flux-core (E70T1) solid wire (E70S6) in heavy-duty repairs, shipbuilding, pressure vessels, or any applications over 1/2 inch thick, you will need a 200 to 250 amp power supply with 60% duty cycle. I no longer concern myself with MIg power supplies today. If they overheat during welding, there are safety features to shut off operations until they cool down. Inverter power supplies will typically shut down when overheated or will internally fail, sometimes with a disturbing bang that you feel running through your wallet.
ONLY PURCHASE EQUIPMENT THAT HAS THE NECESSARY REQUIREMENTS TO DO THE JOB. KEEP IT SIMPLE, EASY TO UNDERSTAND AND REPAIR,
RECOMMENDATIONS-WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN THE USED IN THE SINGLE PHASE MIG MACHINE MARKET.
1. SYSTEMATICS MP-300 POWER SUPPLY
Without a doubt, this is one of the most straightforward and powerful supplies ever manufactured. It is large and unappealing, but it comes with a built-in cart and bottle rack. It is the only 240-volt, single-phase, 300-amp, 100% duty cycle power supply I know of: a tapped transformer, multiple overlapping voltage settings, and no printed circuit boards.
You can almost anybody's wire feeder on, and its arc characteristics on aluminum are excellent. Most welders have never seen one. You can buy them cheaply. Nobody knows their value.
2, ANY SYSTEMATICS OR SNAP-ON MIG MACHINE MADE BY SYSTEMATICS
Why you should consider a Systematics/ Snap-on single-phase mig machine?
1. I don't sell these machines-I have no dog in this fight. The only thing that separates me from the rest of the "experts on the web" is service.
2. The basic copper-wound, tapped transformer design goes back to the late 1980s. It is simple, straightforward, and it works—no bells, no whistles, no bull shit.
3. The wire feeders are permanent magnet motors, and the control board is simple. You can purchase a bare board and the components to make your own board.
3. MILLER MATIC 35
The orginal Millermatic 35 came on the market in the late 1960's. It was the original "mig-in-a-box"—no electronics, totally analog. The only problem with the original unit was the gun. I always liked the idea, simple. When Miller produced the 200, they standardized on the Miller style power pin
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4. MILLERMATIC 200
In the early 1980s, Miller Electric came out with the Millermatic 200. No doubt one of the most reliable mig welders ever made. It was an improvement over the original Millematic 35. It came with a PC motor control board; I cannot remember replacing one. A manual voltage range switch, the original Miller-style power pin, is still in use today. Miller took the "Tweco style" power pin and improved it. I don't know who at Miller designed the front panel, but they did the world a favor. This 14-pin receptacle has become Miller's standard connector. We offer a spool gun that is available and directly connects to this machine, eliminating the need for an adapter.
I always consider the Miller-style power pin to be superior to the Tweco style. The concept is identical; the idea is that you can remove the mig gun without tools. Everything in the world requires maintenance, and the simpler it is to achieve. The pin is more robust, and the"0" rings are twice the size of Tweco. The one in the image above is a Tregaskiss version.
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5. MILLERMATIC VINTAGE
Around 1994, Miller reintroduced an updated version of the original Millermatic 200. Look for S/NKE723414 through LC032246 and above. There were approximately twenty serial number changes throughout its production life. There doesn't seem to be much difference between them. The biggest problem and the main reason it's out of production is the cost of manufacturing it. Technically, it is a simple machine, but it was "hand-built" and complicated to automate in the production numbers that were made.
EDITORIAL: ONE MAN'S OPINION
I am sure that in 2000, when Illinois Tool Works bought Miller and saw the production costs, I knew its days were numbered. They killed it in 2002. In my opinion, the management today is only interested in profit. Buy a machine; if it fails, scrap it and buy a new one. The Vintage was too good, too reliable, and too easy to repair.
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It had a big, ugly "kick-ass" primary transformer, eight large filter caps, and an inductor that promises precise short arc welding. It had a "High-Low" voltage range. Drop down low, and you won't believe what happens with 0.025" or 0.030" wire on thin metal. Insert it high, and you can spray hard wire or flux core (E70T1). You never have to worry about "burning it up". It had "fan on demand" when it needed cooling; the fan would energize, and it had an automatic thermal shutdown. If it got too hot, it would automatically pause for a cooldown.
6.AIRCO DIP-PAK 160 250 & 300
The late 60s through the early 1980s were good days in the welding equipment business. Mig (solid wire gas shielded) had been "perfected' in the late 1950s, but the equipment was complicated and very expensive. When Miller introduced the original Millermatic 35, they had found the market—an all-in-one mig power supply, with integrated wire feeder, on wheels with a bottle rack. Open the box, and within 20 minutes, you're burning wire! Airco bought most of the equipment it sold, which was painted orange by Miller. Airco purchased its line of "dip-pak" (meaning short-arc welder) from Midstates. Although I couldn't find any information about the company, I have used and serviced their machines over the years and am very impressed with their engineering and manufacturing.
They were great welding machines; you had a three-position voltage switch and a hand crank shunt to tweak the weld. These were machines for welders who knew how to weld mig! They were the first manufacturer to use permanent magnet DC drive motors. The printed circuit boards were robust, reliable, and easily repairable.
The only downside is that feed rolls are scarce, but any good machine can cut one easily. The fan motors, relays, contactors, rectifiers, and other miscellaneous items can typically be found on the open market.
To the best of our knowledge, there are no new original Airco mig guns available. Here at Weldmart, we offer new mig guns with adapters to upgrade your Airco. For more information. Click the button
One of the last Dip-Pak 160s. Note it had a mig gun with a Euro connector-very smart!
Air Products "Dip-Pak 160
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Linde/ L-Tec/ Esab Migmaster 250
In my humble opinion, if I were looking for a used mig machine, the one I would look for
the Migmaster 250 There were three versions of this machine. The first was the Linde version,
which says
Linde and has a darker green top and sides with a white face. The L-Tec version has a
light green top and a white face. The last version was the Esab version, solid yellow. In
my opinion, these are among the most reliable. Why, you ask? I can't remember the
last one who came into our shop needing more than a new gun. We sell a lot of
replacement mig guns and spool guns for these units.
I believe most of these were produced at the original Linde manufacturing plant in
Florence, South Carolina. The original Linde had the Linde EH-9 drive motor and
Linde 1-inch drive roll system. These motors were 90-volt DC, heavy-duty.
The original L-Tec versions changed to a 24Vdc motor drive system. I've never
heard a complaint.
THIS IS ALL OF THE SECTION FOR THE MOMENT, I WILL BE ADDING MORE MACHINES LATER
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