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I'm not a highly experienced welder, but I don't think it would be enough. My understanding is that 120V mig machines are OK for welding pieces together that are 1/8" thick and not structurally significant. But anything else and it might not hold so well. I would look for a 220V stick welder, as they are cheaper then a comparable mig machine. You can usually find a 220 AC Lincoln buzz box for anywhere from 75-150 on craigslist. I personally use a 220 AC/DC Lincoln buzz box. The DC just provides a smoother arc.
 
It's not a great welder, but as long as it's in good condition, the price is right. It'll be just fine for welding a brew sculpture. I've welded plenty of square tube with a 120VAC flux core machine, and it works well.

RC, if you're getting a full penetration weld on 1/8" steel, it's pretty structurally significant!

Also, don't bother with a stick welder unless you want to do farm/industrial type repairs on relatively thick (1/8" or thicker) and/or rusty metal.

For your single tier system, I recommend some thin wall (at least 18 ga wall thickness, no more than about 1/16") steel square tube. 1-1/4" is sufficient, but you can use 2" if you want a little more surface area. If you want a very cheap solution, angle iron will work, and some folks have even used scrap bed frames!
 
Skip it, no way that can handle a 1/4" The problem with mig welders and that with very little practice, anyone can lay down a nice looking bead, even with that unit. The problem, is that good looks don't translate to a solid weld when using a MIG welder, something i think you might want if its responsible for holding 100lbs of boiling water.

Get a stick welder, some scrap steel and practice. It will take some serious time behind the hood to lay a nice bead with a stick, but the good news is that its pretty easy to make a crappy looking structurally sound weld with a stick.

For $150 you can find a nice used Stick.
 
bkwudz said:
Skip it, no way that can handle a 1/4"
It doesn't need to handle 1/4" material to make a brew sculpture. That welder will do just fine for his purposes. A stick machine is overkill for anything other than big pieces of angle and plate, and it's very hard to control on thin wall tubing.

If you're worried about the structural integrity of your welds, suspend the piece a few inches off the ground and jump up and down on it.. If you break it, you didn't weld it strong enough to hold your brew.
 
I've got a 120v flux core and it does the job. Granted it takes quite a while and you will use more wire than with a 240v system but it will do it. I've made repairs to my brothers landscaping trailer many time, especially the gate. He drives an 800lb dixie chopper up and down the thing all day and the welds hold just fine.
 
Yuri_Rage said:
It doesn't need to handle 1/4" material to make a brew sculpture. That welder will do just fine for his purposes. A stick machine is overkill for anything other than big pieces of angle and plate, and it's very hard to control on thin wall tubing.

If you're worried about the structural integrity of your welds, suspend the piece a few inches off the ground and jump up and down on it.. If you break it, you didn't weld it strong enough to hold your brew.

:thumbs:
I was referring to the spec he posted.

Simple, one-button operation.
Two heat settings for easy operations.
Thermal overload protection.
Welds steel up to 1/4-inch thick.
Self adjusting wire speed.
UL Listed, CSA and ISO-9001 approved
 
You must also note that it is NOT a MIG welder it is a flux core welder which can weld thicker materials then a MIG welder.
.035" flux core can weld up to 1/4"
 
The stand on the right side of this picture was welded with a 120VAC MIG unit very similar in capability to the flux core machine you're looking at. The material is 1-1/4" square tube with .065 walls. That stand regularly holds a full 20 gallon kettle AND a full 15.5 gallon keggle. I'd be willing to bet that I could add my weight to it, along with the 35 gallons of water, without fear of collapsing.

4688-mockup.jpg


wihophead said:
You must also note that it is NOT a MIG welder it is a flux core welder which can weld thicker materials then a MIG welder.
.035" flux core can weld up to 1/4"
True, flux core can usually handle a little thicker material than solid core + gas at a given setting, but I wouldn't want to tackle 1/4" steel with the unit posted above (those factory ratings are usually a little overstated). It'd be slow going, I'd probably use multiple passes, and the duty cycle probably isn't 100% at full capacity. If the plan is to use really big, beefy pieces of angle, this isn't the machine to get. However, if the plan is to use 1/4" thick angle iron, I'd rethink the plan before hesitating to buy this welder.
 
Yuri_Rage said:
The stand on the right side of this picture was welded with a 120VAC MIG unit very similar in capability to the flux core machine you're looking at. The material is 1-1/4" square tube with .065 walls. That stand regularly holds a full 20 gallon kettle AND a full 15.5 gallon keggle. I'd be willing to bet that I could add my weight to it, along with the 35 gallons of water, without fear of collapsing.

Man thanks for that tidbit, I was getting ready to order 1 1/2" @ 1/8" box tubing. Gonna chage my order to some 1 1/4" 14g(0.0747) now. Thanks for saving me some cash :ban:
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
Is the only thing that causes me to raise an eybrow about this thread.:confused:

How so? All the repairs have been to remove rusted out hinges, replace plate metal on the drop gate with expanded metal, and a couple of other odds and ends.
 
I say good luck to the OP.
I'm researching welders as well and it's a relief to learn the MIG welders are a good starting point for a total newb like me, the OP and others.
 
I think I have to agree w/ Yuri... that welder is more than enough for your needs...I have a little 120 VAC Hobart Handler and it kicks a$$ on small stuff. Buy it, Build it, Brew it... Good luck.
Cheers
JJ
 
Jaybird said:
I think I have to agree w/ Yuri... that welder is more than enough for your needs...I have a little 120 VAC Hobart Handler and it kicks a$$ on small stuff. Buy it, Build it, Brew it... Good luck.
Cheers
JJ

And I also agree with Yuri. A decent 120vac MIG will get plenty of penetration on 1/8 (11guage)clean steel. It will also be a lot easier for a newbie to learn. A stick welder on any thinner material would be rough for a beginner without instruction. 90 amps will be plenty and if you think the weld is weak, triple pass weld. You can google triple pass, but you weld your first bead, then weld each side of that weld again overlapping slightly in the middle.
Practice first on flat butt welds and after you get your technique down move onto lap then acute and obtuse angle welds.
 
This is a fine welder for most home users. Great for building a brew rig. I have a Lincoln HandyMIG 100amp 120V welder, and it was been fine for up to 1/8" welding (with practice, and mind the duty cycle).

Flux Core is veyr nice for most people. I use gas, because I also use the welder for body work on my classic cars, so I like the clean weld. Flux is real nice for heavier stuff, that you don't mind using a wire brush on afterwards, or if you need to weld where it's windy.
 
www.cyberweld.com have the best prices around with the Millermatic 140 at $635. Output of 50 amps with 65% duty cycle with inifite adjustments vs limited click adjustments cheaper brands offer. You'll be glad you stepped up. Nothing worse than hating a piece of equipment like a welder that you will use for many years.
Check into the www.millerwelds.com forum for their product specs. Don't let their prices scare you shop around. To play costs money, buying quality once is cheaper than buying twice besides the limits cheaper brands offer. There is a a reason why off brands cost less.
 
Back to what the OP asked, the welder you asked about will work for your brewstand. If you have plans to work with thicker than 1/8" in the future, you may want to do some homework. Good luck and make sure to post pics of your creation.
 

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