another mig owner thread

[Regneufeld]

I picked up a used miller regency 250, I always thought I wanted a mig (I have been getting along fine with a lincon 250 buzz box). Anyway this guy was moving out of a shop and wanted to sell this unit, so I took it home. Now I am doing some research after the fact to see if I was an idiot or not. Seems to weld fine. For the last owner he could do magic with it. Been mostly welding scrap together to get a feel for how much heat and how much wire to feed to get something I can stand to look at.

One question I do have is how do you know how much gas to let out. I went through a tank pretty quickly as I didn't change anything from when I got it. It was pretty much at the max. Also there was a part in the plastic tube that was broke so I got a new one of those I could hear it leaking a bit. Seems the little ball hits it if you turn the valve on too quickly.
I have now gone and purchased a auto darkening mask which is sure nice to use. (my birthday present from my kids, wife was good with that excuse)

 

[rbcsaver]

Very nice looking unit. You didn't mention the price. You shouldn't empty a tank that fast.
Your flows were probably too high. Did you consult the owner's manual or contact Miller customer service for details?
Did you google or otherwise research your question? I started to, but then realized that it's YOUR Miller. My Lincoln 125
runs just fine and doesn't consume a lot of gas
regards,
Steve

 

[RonMar]

Turn the gas off and run a few short beads without it. Note how the weld looks, it should be a little porus. The weld will also sound different as the wire melts into the base metal without shielding gas. Now add gas till you get smooth weld metal. You will probably find that the ball in the tube is only being lifted off the bottom just a little bit(1/4-3/8" or so) to get a smooth weld. Your atmospheric conditions will also effect this. More air movement in the area of the weld, and you will need more gasflow to replace what is being blown away. Best to avoid any breeze in the weld area as much as possible. Nice welder...

 

[77transam]

Here's the link... (C'mon, how much did you pay?)

(That's a right fancy-lookin' helmet there too!)

Miller - Owners Manuals

 

[Jim in ICT]

Try around 25-30 CFH. Shouldn't need more than that under most circumstances.

 

[Regneufeld]

thanks for info. makes sense to turn it off and bring it up. As far as the price goes I may have paid top dollar but it was a bit of a spontaneous thing. I have 1000 into it with tank and new spool of wire. The brand new miller I was looking at was over 2500, ( If I buy something I tend to over do it) and I do not weld enough to justify doing that. Getting this one was over kill as well. It has been used a lot but should be good for a very long time for my use.

Now to get the metal together to do a few projects I have on my mind.

 

[DaveOmak]

When MIG welding, wire dia, material thickness and material chemistry suggest; adjustments to amperage/voltage, wire stick-out, CFH gas flow, gas make up, inches/minute travel, inches/minute wire feed etc.
Visit your local welding shop and discuss your concerns with them. Tell them what you purchased and that you are needing help and looking to make a long term relationship with them for consumables. (wire, rod, gasses, gloves, etc)
They should be very willing to help you with pamphlets and discussion to get you going in a friendly manner.
Their profit is in the supplies end of the business.
If they don't bend over backwards to help you, find another welding shop.

 

[Shield Arc]

Inside my shop with doors closed, running bare wire gas coverage, (Mig) I run 15 to 20-CFH, (cubic feet hour).
When running dual shield wires, some require 30 to 35-CFH, some require 35 to 40-CFH. This is all 75% Argon / 25% CO2.

 

[RPW]

On smaller jobs I tend to run between 10 ~ 20. Also important to note is to make sure your metal is clean. That's the main difference in welding with MIG verses Stick. I think you'll find that fabricating projects goes a lot faster with MIG in general. Also a bottle of gas should last you months for a normal home user (large bottle).

Good luck.

 

[Ford tractor]

If you don't mind the welds being a bit cruder looking (but just as strong), try straight CO2 gas. Much cheaper to buy and as it's a liquid it goes much farther than compressed gas.

 

[Regneufeld]

If you don't mind the welds being a bit cruder looking (but just as strong), try straight CO2 gas. Much cheaper to buy and as it's a liquid it goes much farther than compressed gas.

that was something I was going to ask someone about. They gave me the mixed stuff I believe but was wondering what the other options were for. I am not to worried about gas usage as I do not weld that much.

been reading on here till my head hurts, and really need to work with it for a while before I even know what to ask at this point. Seems like a pretty safe place to learn

 

[sammyslab]

that was something I was going to ask someone about. They gave me the mixed stuff I believe but was wondering what the other options were for. I am not to worried about gas usage as I do not weld that much.

been reading on here till my head hurts, and really need to work with it for a while before I even know what to ask at this point. Seems like a pretty safe place to learn

Hi Regneufeld... I saw this thread today and wanted to respond to your welder question. First of all,,,,,, I have the exact same machine as yours. I bought it new in 1999 for $1,700. These were some of Miller's best welding machines. They have a very smooth start as you will notice. They weld very nicely once you get used to them. I don't weld very much myself; just as a hobby but I take the side panel off and blow it out very good with an air hose before plugging it in. The spiders seem to like it very much as a home. I also use a weld wire lubricant via swabbers (for lack of a better word) before the feed mechanism of the wire feeder. This keeps the wire clean and lubricated while traveling thru the hose. My gas flow is set on about 25 cfm and generally 30 if I'm welding outside.
If I could figure out how to post a pic I'll do that. The welder still looks like new. I had to build a special cart to keep the 33 lb roll from touching the tank. It looks great as well.
As far as gas is concerned, I use 75/25 CO2/Argon. There is less spatter with this mix but a little penetration. You can get 100% CO2 and get better penetration but with a lot more spatter. These are for mild steel...
You got a great deal,,, enjoy it!!! Ron

 

[BukitCase]

One more thing to consider - I have a mm252, so my wire spool is inside the box - and I STILL went and bought one of these

Brinkmann Premium 60 in. Universal Grill Cover-812-1095-S at The Home Depot

With an open feeder such as yours, especially considering how long it will probably take you to go thru a 33 lb. spool, I would be even MORE likely to do it.

Also, with your climate I would either remove the wire spool and take it in the house (major PITA) or find a place for a small incandescent bulb near the feeder - just enough to keep things above dew point so you're not trying to run RUSTY wire thru the gun... Steve

 

[Arc weld]

What's nice about your new machine is the feeder is separate from the machine. If you bought a longer control cord, gas hose and welding cables, you could mount the feeder on its own cart to move it where ever you need it or even mount it on a boom. When I used to have a wire feeder for my portable, I could use a 2 wire extension cord to run the feeder.