Anything welding

Gf is asking what i want for christmas and im kind of stumped. Dont really need anything as i buy it as i need it but shes insisting. Whats a new tool youve recently got you probably couldnt live without now.

 

Battery powered heated vest. And not the Milwaukee craptastics version.

 

Recently added more shelves in the garage. These are awesome for the price. Maybe not strictly welding but ya gotta have a place for all yer stuff, right?

https://www.samsclub.com/p/seville-commercial-industrial-shelving-6-ct/152201

 

im really open to anything/tool fabrication related. I had a good list of stuff i wanted but now i cant find it and the main tools i want right now cost an arm and a leg.... (ironworker, tig welder, plasma table...)

 

I may be over thinking this but (I think, if I remember correctly from a circuits class I took a while ago) a larger gauge wire will carry more current with less voltage loss, your welder may actually be performing better.

Fun fact, high power wires ran across the country carries AC power since at high voltage, there’s less voltage loss with AC vs DC.

 

MultiTool 36" x 2" Belt Grinding Attachment

$296 MultiTool 36" x 2" Belt Grinding Attachment

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BNBAQ90/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_H4XZFbV9HKZWH

 

got one of those a month ago for myself hahaha good investment so far.

 

Maybe it is not all in your head.

Input cord able to conduct better a New Plug . I could see a increase in output from what you have.

I get complaints all the time from customers running sub standard input power for one reason or the other blaming the machine.

 

Yes - larger gauge wire will carry more current with less voltage drop / internal resistance. Plus, if I remember correctly, stranded wire carries less current than solid wire of the same gauge. Depending on what the device came with, rewiring with a larger gauge SOOW cord may well improve things if it was getting limited.

Couple links of interest:
https://electricalengineering123.com/common-us-wire-gauges-awg-gauges-vs-current-ratings/
https://www.stayonline.com/product-resources/reference-circuit-ampacity.asp

Yep. And in the early says there was a bit of a fracas regarding whether AC or DC would be the standard. See https://www.history.com/news/what-was-the-war-of-the-currents

 

Then ask her for an arm and/or leg.

 

I recently got a rivnut tool. Now some of the metal projects have more options for bolting/fastening things wherever I want them. I got this one,

https://tinyurl.com/y5opztkv

but there are others around. I have probably set 40 or 50 nuts so far without any issues.

 

BTW, if you start using one, I suggest you locate where you will install them BEFORE you weld things together. Go ahead before welding pieces together and set the ones which will be in tight places. Occasionally the tool won't fit in where you need it to.

 

Thanks for all the replies everyone.
I did jump up two sizes in the wire. I went from a 14ga wire, to a 12ga wire. I had to mod the welder slightly since the original hole where the wire went into the welder was too small for the grommet and the new wire.
its a nice skookum cable if I do say so myself. Nice thick rubber coating, really flexable, and has some sort of intergraded strain relief ( looks like cardboard ) wrapped tightly in it.

I knew it would not make things "worse" but when I looked in the welder, I seen that the connections were smaller gauge wire, and blade terminals etc.. so when I fired it back up after the change and prayed that the blue smoke stayed inside the case, I was surprised that my "Butt Dyno" was tingling. I never thought the factory wiring could have been a limitation. I mean its only a Lincoln mig pack 140 ( 120V ) welder. the only reason I have the 20A outlet is because I wanted to make sure the outlet was not limiting the welder knowing full well that a welder designed to run on a 15A circuit *should* preform up to its max on that circuit. I also used it as a excuse to dedicate one plug for my "big" power draw stuff so I don't trip breakers by accidently forgetting to turn off my compressor and having it kick in during a weld.


my setup is pretty simple, I only have 4 circuits in the garage, Left side plugs (15A) Right side Plugs ( 15A ) lights ( 10A ) and my "big boy" plug (20A)
I had to steal 5 amps from one of the circuits to get the 20 since the main breaker on the panel is a 60A breaker. Plus the lights are fluorescent and hardly take and power to run, so why not

you can see by the way I've re-wired it that I've left myself in the dark on more then on occasion by tripping breakers . Separating the lights into their own circuit was a no brainer for me when I re-did the wiring. now I can run 3 power hungy things at the same time just by using each side of the garage and my new 20A plug. Will I ever do this? nah, I'm just one guy, but its nice to know that its all separated out and I don't have to think about it.

I rambled on way more then usual!

TLR - My Butt Dyno tingled

 

Nicely done! Good job not letting the smoke out, funny how these electronics stop working when the smoke leaks.

I need to get off my butt and wire in a dedicated 220 in my garage. I’ve been running an extension cord from my laundry room using an adapter for the dryer outlet. It works well but it’s a pain in the rear.

 

OMG, had a chance to unbox this new toy from Black Friday and give it a whirl on some scrap.



Wasn't cheap, but super happy I chose to pull the trigger.

@malburg114 how much does your gf consider an arm and a leg to be worth?
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200660083_200660083

 

Same here, I plan to wire up a dedicated circuit for the plasma cutter I just got. Right now it's sharing the 30A plug for the welder, but I'll be putting in 6 gauge wire and reusing the 50 amp breaker left over when I converted the electric stove to gas. I don't think I'll ever use the full 60 amp capacity of the machine, but if I ever trip the 50 amp breaker, it's an easy swap for a 60 amp one.

Edit: I just checked and a 60 amp breaker is only $10, so I'll probably just pick one up next time I'm at Lowes and be done with it!

 

My welder, plasma cutter and compressor are all on 1 30 amp breaker with 10 gauge wire. I've never tripped the breaker.

 

Are the welder and plasma cutter both 30 amp units? I could run an experiment with the plasma cutter on the 30 amp plug and turn up the juice and see if and when it trips the CB. If it doesn't, I could just wire in another receptacle next to the one for the welder. I don't have any experience yet with pushing the these machines to their limits, but I suspect the PC will eventually trip the breaker since the welder is 30 amp and the PC is 60 amp.

 

Ya know, this kinda makes me think I can kill two birds with one stone. I can wire a 40-50 amp (220v) circuit to my garage and use that lead to run a single 110v plug off of it as well. This way I can have a dedicated circuit for my big tools.

Anyone ever use a 220 line to run 110? Meaning, 220 has 2 110v hot wires and a ground. I can use the two 110 hots for the 220 outlet and tap one of the 110 hots for a 110 outlet with both outlets sharing a common ground. I’ve never heard of home electrical being done this way, I know it can work but is this a bad way of doing this?

 

Don't send the return current back on the ground wire!

That's what the Neutral wire is meant to carry. You risk someone getting hurt.

If you want to pull 120 off a 240 run, you need to use a four conductor cable so you have a neutral wire as well as ground. Best practice (speaking as someone who isn't officially an electrician) would probably be to put a small subpanel in the garage from which you then take off the 240V three wire circuit for the welder/PC and also 120V circuit for the other stuff. Each with its own breaker in the sub panel.