Thinking I'm gonna pull the trigger

[Bent]

New welder; thinking I'm gonna pull the trigger

"My" Millermatic 210 is moving to Idaho for an indeterminate period of time. Who am I kidding, it likely won't ever come back.

After looking around for a while for a new, and upgraded replacement I believe I've decided on this: Millermatic 252


It's a little more than I "need " but so was the 210 at the time. For the most part I won't have to contend with duty cycle. I've researched and looked at comparable Lincoln and Hobart that are a little cheaper but kept coming back to the Miller. This particular package I bought came with another hood for the same price as the other 252 units, so why not. I'll need to get a new 250 cf bottle but that's ok. The one on the 210 is almost empty and needs hydro certified again.

As they say, speak now or forever hold your breath. I may even be able to pull this off without mama noticing.

 

[Bent]

Well, I couldn't resist 24 months at 0%.
I did learn its not a good idea to buy the bottle off Ebay though. All I could find were UN/ISO approved for the US; not DOT 3aa approved. After calling around locally most didn't want to touch them. Local prices are about the same w/ half off the first fill. Glad I looked into it.

 

[Anak]

Re: New welder; thinking I'm gonna pull the trigger

"My" Millermatic 210 is moving to Idaho for an indeterminate period of time. Who am I kidding, it likely won't ever come back.

Sweet!!

Where can I go to borrow it?

:greensmok

 

[Bent]

This makes me glad to have 18 year old triplet boys living next door.

That and I think the motorcycle jack I just picked up will come in handy for getting the wheels on. I had it on Craigslist but deleted it for the time being.

Need to finish straightening that bumper too...yet again.

 

[Bent]

I also need to get over to Riverside and pick up a gas cylinder of MIG blend, Also need a roll of .035 wire. I have a new roll of .023 or .025; cant remember which but I've never needed it...yet.

I've never tried .030; any thoughts.

Anybody make a particularly good wire? The last 33lb spool I bought from the local steel yard was Washington Alloys. I don't know that I had any complaints with it but I'm always up for improvement.

 

[Bent]

So purdy but not so much that I'd pay $140 for a vinyl cover. An old sheet or table cloth will do just fine; and they wont trap moisture under them.

And it fits right where the old 210 did.

Now if I can only get those shelves on the left dealt with...

 

[Heavyopp]

Lincoln L56 for wire is great for general use — no reason to use anything else unless you have a specific need for something special

Wire diameter really depends on what you’re working on — having a spool of .030 and .035 certainly doesn’t hurt — you can interchange these without the need to change the liner

 

[Bent]

Spool is on but no room for the spring.
I would swear there was room on the 210. Maybe I put an 11 Lb. in it at the time. :dunno:

Got the wire fed and the rollers adjusted.

Ready th fire it up. I'm holding off for a little bit. There is something with how the output setting is configured that I haven't got my head around yet.

Then there's the whole gotta clean out, clear out and make room for stuff I have less than a month to get out of my son's storage. Those shelves in the background of the top pic are my nemesis.

 

[Anak]

Ooh. Nice and shiny. Very pretty.

I built a small shed in order to get out of my storage unit.

 

[Bent]

Ooh. Nice and shiny. Very pretty.

I built a small shed in order to get out of my storage unit.

In a shed I'd make sure that I had a nice sized bag of desiccant inside with the wire and feed rollers. Mine is in the garage and I still do it.

 

[Anak]

You don't put the welder in the shed.

The shed is for all those priceless assets you keep in storage and on those shelves. You know, the ones you can't part with, yet you haven't touched in several years (or decades). Those go in the shed, and the stuff you actually use stays close at hand in the garage.

The tip about the dessicant is a good one. Humidity here is kind of non-existent though. I am more worried that some of my wood and furniture may end up splitting for lack of humidity. Nothing has happened yet. I should go check on my slab of cocobolo to see how it is doing.

 

[David_Bricker]

The tip about the dessicant is a good one. Humidity here is kind of non-existent though. I am more worried that some of my wood and furniture may end up splitting for lack of humidity. Nothing has happened yet. I should go check on my slab of cocobolo to see how it is doing.

I'm learning VERY quickly about desiccant in Hawaii. There, my shoes mold if not worn for a month. There's a reason houses don't have closet doors. Anyway, Amazon has desiccant in massive quantities. I found 50, 200 and 400 gram packages (the 400 gram packages are BIG). The brand I got was Dry & Dry. Nicely packaged; double zipper closure bags to keep dry until you need it, sturdy packaging.



Everything we store in the garage between visits now goes in plastic tubs that have foam seals on the lids. Not weathertight, but a start. For clothes, I toss in a 400 gram package. Even things that "shouldn't" mold get at least a 50 gram package. I had a dive bag with nylon zippers corrode so bad I had to cut it open. Another backpack appears to have met the same fate.


Funny story about wood and expansion/contraction. A friend who moved to San HoseMe to our area in Hawaii brought a dining table he made. The ends are capped perpendicular to the rest of the table. Now, in Hawaii, the table had expanded nearly 1/4", such that the ends are shorter than the table.


David Bricker / SYR

 

[tm8chris]

That's a nice looking tool. Post a review about it when you can.

 

[Bent]

Quarter inch huh? Well it appears as though he did The Joint correctly. If he hadn't the table boards would be splitting.

 

[David_Bricker]

Quarter inch huh? Well it appears as though he did The Joint correctly. If he hadn't the table boards would be splitting.

Yes, the joint was a slip joint, slotted within the end boards. The stuff he makes is top notch. We may ask him to build a couple of pieces. Cool thing is that he's already offered for me to come over and use his equipment anytime I want. That may save me some big bucks on woodworking gear, and he's only 10 minutes from the house.


David Bricker / SYR

 

[Anak]

Not only the big bucks, but the where to put it as well.

Access to someone else's woodshop is a major win.