stick welder question

[arrow]

Anyone know of a stick welder that puts out more than 85 amps if attached to a 115 volt circuit? Everlast has a 140 amp welder however that rating is for 220 volts. Eventually I'll have something hooked up on 220 This same welder is good for 85 amps on 115. I have a 115 volt 100 amp welder now (AC) that does miserably with even 3/32 sticks. Way too cold no matter what the stick. Clearly it is not doing anywhere near 100 amps and I doubt this old transformer welder (Century) is doing 70 when pushed all the way up. Perhaps I'd be better off with a flux wire 115 mig such as the Handler 140? Rarely weld but would like a somewhat creditable tool when I do.

 

[k0ua]

Arrow the problem is that with arc voltage around 20+ and current around 85 or a hair more, you are really pushing the total amount of energy you can get from a 115 volt 20 amp circuit.. Sure you can put in a 30 amp breaker, but now what is the wire size in the wall?.. see the problem? It is time to go to 220-240 volts so you can pull some current at twice the voltage, so much more energy is available. The same reason that you don't see a lot of cloths dryers that run on 115 volts. and even if they were designed to do so the drying times would have to be very long. There is just so much blood you can squeeze out of a turnip. And there is just so much juice you can squeeze out of an ordinary 115-120 volt receptacle.

James K0UA

 

[muddstopper]

Heres the problem with the 115v machines, Even if one is rated for 100amps, it is stll limited to the outlet it is plugged into. Most 115v circuits in a home are usually fixed with 15amp circuits. That right there is going to limit you to below 100amp's. If you have a circuit that you can dedicate to the welder, then you can swap out the breaker to a 20amp one and increase the output of the welder. Now this might be a alright fix if the welder never leaves its dedicated circuit, but if you need to take the welder to someplace else, a buddies house, out to the barn, ect, you are right back with the limited 15amp circuit. You might check the breaker that your old century is plugged into and see what size breaker it is plugged into. If its just a 15amp breaker, then you can make the decision if you want to swap the breaker out to a larger size and see if that helps with your problem.

 

[yomax4]

Look for a machine that has Power Factor Correction. Run it on a long cord and still get your amps out of it on 115v.. Look up Thermal Arc 201TS. You will be able run 1/8 rods easily on 115v. Also. Look up Power Factor Correction on google. Good Luck.

 

[arrow]

Thanks James, Bill and "Mud". I have #10 wire out to the garage and the welder is currently on a 20 amp circuit. Yomax I looked up the welder you suggested and its right up there price wise with prices from $850 -$1200. I'll look up PFC and see what else pops up that may be cheaper. Thanks again.

 

[CNC Dan]

I have the Everlast PA200. I have burned 1/8" 6011 running off of a 120 volt outlet. Just today I did a small repair on a friends trailer door using 3/32" 6011. I had an Everlast PA140, but I couldn't get it to run 6011. I'm much happier with the PA200.

 

[arrow]

I have the Everlast PA200. I have burned 1/8" 6011 running off of a 120 volt outlet. Just today I did a small repair on a friends trailer door using 3/32" 6011. I had an Everlast PA140, but I couldn't get it to run 6011. I'm much happier with the PA200.

Dan is there a statistic for the welder as to how many amps it puts out @ 120v? I also didn't know the PA 200 was a dual voltage welder

 

[arrow]

Well I found one welder with PFC. Its the Longevity 160i. States it puts out 125 amps @ 120v. Its $599 and with 15% off comes to around 500 bucks with "free shipping" that everyone pays for. Something like this should be fine for what I do for not so much money.

 

[CNC Dan]

Dan is there a statistic for the welder as to how many amps it puts out @ 120v? I also didn't know the PA 200 was a dual voltage welder

Not sure. But you can go high enough to trip the breaker pretty quick, and then weld in short bursts.
It also makes a differance if your AC is 110 or 120 volts. The higher the better(lower current draw).

I know the Everlast website kinda sucks, but you should be able to download the manual.

 

[yomax4]

Most Inverter 115v units should do ok on 115v with 3/32 rods. You will have a hard time with a transformer unit.. They just don't well work on 115v stick. Other option is a used $200 generator that puts out 3000 watts to run your 115v stick unit off of.

 

[rankrank1]

I agree your little 115 volt transformer that you currently have is likely putting out in the neighborhood of 70 amps only. That said it should run some 5/64" 6013 real nice. Should also easily handle 1/16" 7014 again real nice. If your lucky it just might run some 3/32" 6011 of the type Hobart 335A which is my favorite brand of 6011. I struggle with 6011 but do best with Hobart type 335A even on my 230 volt power Miller Thunderbolt.

I have a little 50 amp fixed transformer AC output. It will run 5/64" 6013 and 1/16" 7014 decent and that's it. While I hate all 1/16" diameter rods the ease of 7014 makes the 1/16 diameter of at least tolerable to run. 5/64" 6013 are actually not too terrible to run at all and I prefer them on a marginal power source. The rods are shorter and they have just enough diameter to not flex all over the place. If you have not already tried some 5/64" 6013 then do try a pack you just might be surprised and you will not be out all that much if you hate em. You say you do not weld much they might be good enough to get you buy for simple little repair type projects. Even though I have the 230 volt Miller Thunderbolt stick welder, I still use that little 50 amp crap box on occasion.

Just to cloud this issue: Instead of buying another stick welder that you will only use on 115 volt, I think I would explore a Hobart Handler 210MVP mig. Another 115 volt stick while better than what you have is not going to be signifigantly better than what you already have - still very limited. If you shop you can likely find a Hobart 210MVP on sale for couple hundred more than you are considering now and likely have a welder to last you the rest of your life - as well as open up another set of welding capabilities on the really thin sheet metal that even the best of stick welders are not suited for.

The 210 MVP will cover lots of bases/processes for you
a) 115 volt flux core
b) 115 volt mig mode (course you will have to get a bottle for mig mode)
c) 230 volt flux core
d) 230 volt mig (again need a bottle).
e) the unit is spool gun compatible too and some packages may even come with spool gun (handy if you ever decide to do aluminum later on).

If I was considering a new wire feeder today, I would give the Hobart 210 MVP a hard look. Best of both worlds 115 volt portability and serious and better 230 power when needed too. I wish a unit like this was available back when I bought my Lincoln SP-135P mig which is a fine unit but only 115 volt.

 

[Big Barn]

I agree your little 115 volt transformer that you currently have is likely putting out in the neighborhood of 70 amps only. That said it should run some 5/64" 6013 real nice. Should also easily handle 1/16" 7014 again real nice. If your lucky it just might run some 3/32" 6011 of the type Hobart 335A which is my favorite brand of 6011. I struggle with 6011 but do best with Hobart type 335A even on my 230 volt power Miller Thunderbolt. I have a little 50 amp fixed transformer AC output. It will run 5/64" 6013 and 1/16" 7014 decent and that's it. While I hate all 1/16" diameter rods the ease of 7014 makes the 1/16 diameter of at least tolerable to run. 5/64" 6013 are actually not too terrible to run at all and I prefer them on a marginal power source. The rods are shorter and they have just enough diameter to not flex all over the place. If you have not already tried some 5/646013 then do try a pack you just might be surprised and you will not be out all that much if you hate em. You say you do not weld much they might be good enough to get you buy. Just to cloud this issue: Instead of buying another stick welder that you will only use on 115 volt, I think I would explore a Hobart Handler 210MVP mig. Another 115 volt stick while better than what you have is not going to be signifigantly better than what you already have - still very limited. If you shop you can likely find a Hobart 210MVP on sale for couple hundred more than you are considering now and likely have a welder to last you the rest of your life - as well as open up another set of welding capabilities on the really thin sheet metal that even the best of stick welders are not suited for. The 210 MVP will cover lots of bases/processes for you a) 115 volt flux core b) 115 volt mig mode (course you will have to get a bottle for mig mode) c) 230 volt flux core d) 230 volt mig (again need a bottle). e) the unit is spool gun compatible too and some packages may even come with spool gun (handy if you ever decide to do aluminum later on). If I was considering a new wire feeder today, I would give the Hobart 210 MVP a hard look. Best of both worlds 115 volt portability and serious and better 230 power when needed too. I wish a unit like this was available back when I bought my Lincoln SP-135P which is a fine unit but only 115 volt.

This might be a good option to at least consider.

Terry

 

[arrow]

Not sure. But you can go high enough to trip the breaker pretty quick, and then weld in short bursts.
It also makes a differance if your AC is 110 or 120 volts. The higher the better(lower current draw).

I know the Everlast website kinda sucks, but you should be able to download the manual.

Dan , I ran the download for this welder and for the life of me I could not find that it is dual voltage. (If indeed we're talking about the Power ARC 200) As I do not trust my scanning skills and you obviously having the welder and running it on 115/120 volt circuit, I must be cockeyed. Everlast's website is half again better than Longevity's which seemingly they have about given up on. They state next to diddly about their welders which if you are relying on the internet for sales, makes less sense to me than Obama being re-elected. (not a political statement just a personal one) My biggest attraction to this welder is its price of $350 and as Yomax contributes the fact that inverters can run a larger rod than puny transformers, this could be a go.

Rank rank thank you for your contribution as well and the time you took to type it. No, my welder doesn't light up a 6011 at 3/32 and like you, 1/16" makes me crazy as you need about a rod an inch. (exaggerating but it certainly seems that way) I'll get ahold of some 5/64's 6013 and see how that goes. I did look at the Hobart 210 last week and considered it but for $879, it is more than I care to spend. Plus the extent of my welding ventures doesn't deserve this good a welder. Here is the part that gets confusing. A true welder has not much good to say about the little 115 migs and I can easily understand why. For those that have this welder, they swear by it welding stuff over a 1/4" with multiple overlaps. I can only guess that this is a result of those that have made a living welding and doing an inch in 30 seconds would never do as opposed to those who simply do not know any better and tickled pink with it. All the same, as a former professional logger, I'd never recommend everyone simply getting at least a 70 cc saw to cut wood with because that's what I used most of the time. I like to know how they are using a chainsaw as well as their age and physical ability. Some people would totally be fine with a 40 cc saw. Just wondering if all these 115-220 welder debates run along the same lines.

 

[BukitCase]

Everlast has too few people like Mark, who does a LOT of the work you see on their site AND on you-tube - and they update their welders a LOT quicker than they do the site because of this.

This means that the manual you download may be one or two notches from the most current equipment being sold. I also downloaded the PA200 manual, and it claims to be only 240 volt as does their blurb on the website.

I bought their "power I-tig 200, which is a LOT different than their "power-tig 200", and the only manual is a "chinglish" joke Mark emailed to me. The welder itself is STILL not listed on their site, not sure if it ever will be. (This may depend on whether Mark decides he can do without sleep or family life entirely, or if they kill him off first.)

Still, good bang for the buck if you're not wanting/able to spend 2-3 times the cash for blue or red... Steve

 

[Shield Arc]

arrow my Everlast PowerArc 200 is the 220-volt only version. This is what it will do with ESAB's Atom Arc 7018, and ESAB's 10P-Plus 6010.

 

[arrow]

arrow my Everlast PowerArc 200 is the 220-volt only version. This is what it will do with ESAB's Atom Arc 7018, and ESAB's 10P-Plus 6010.

No Shield, this is what YOU can do with the PA-200. If I did this welding, I'd only make you hungry (or sick to your stomach) because depending on which, would remind you of spaghetti or worms.

 

[arrow]

Everlast has too few people like Mark, who does a LOT of the work you see on their site AND on you-tube - and they update their welders a LOT quicker than they do the site because of this.

This means that the manual you download may be one or two notches from the most current equipment being sold. I also downloaded the PA200 manual, and it claims to be only 240 volt as does their blurb on the website.

I bought their "power I-tig 200, which is a LOT different than their "power-tig 200", and the only manual is a "chinglish" joke Mark emailed to me. The welder itself is STILL not listed on their site, not sure if it ever will be. (This may depend on whether Mark decides he can do without sleep or family life entirely, or if they kill him off first.)

Still, good bang for the buck if you're not wanting/able to spend 2-3 times the cash for blue or red... Steve

Well if I'm understanding your post correctly Bukit, you may be saying that the PA -200 may exist as a dual voltage currently however it may not be on their website? If that may be the case, I bet this welder isn't still $349

 

[CNC Dan]

Dan , I ran the download for this welder and for the life of me I could not find that it is dual voltage. (If indeed we're talking about the Power ARC 200) As I do not trust my scanning skills and you obviously having the welder and running it on 115/120 volt circuit, I must be cockeyed. Everlast's website is half again better than Longevity's which seemingly they have about given up on. They state next to diddly about their welders which if you are relying on the internet for sales, makes less sense to me than Obama being re-elected. (not a political statement just a personal one) My biggest attraction to this welder is its price of $350 and as Yomax contributes the fact that inverters can run a larger rod than puny transformers, this could be a go.

I think they make a 220 only verision too. As well as a non-tig vertion. If you get one of these, be sure to contact Mark at Longevity to get the best price, and the version you want.

 

[Shield Arc]

No Shield, this is what YOU can do with the PA-200.

Well thank you arrow, but you're mistaken! It's all in the welding machine, next Tuesday will be my 2-week anniversary of welding.

Mark at Longevity to get the best price, and the version you want.

Mark at Everlast.

 

[CNC Dan]

Arrow: If you have to use 1/16 electrodes, cut them in half. I use my portaband with a fine tooth blade. First I cut through the flux all the way around, then cut through the wire core. That way I don't chip off too much flux. Then cut through the flux again, a little ways from the end, and remove the flux to make the second rod like the original.