Ok welder for exhaust work?

[MegaHertz]

I've been looking for a mig setup and this unit seems to be the best fit between what I want to spend and what I wouldn't mind having just in case. Wouldn't mind a unit with a bit more power for heavier jobs down the road but I don't have anything in mind that would need more than 1/8". Thinking this with a co2/argon bottle rental & filling, mask, gloves and apron (IDK if apron is the word but I know there are protective welding clothes) should get me going.


http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...u=00920580000P

[bigbrian442]

Re: Ok welder for exhaust work?

They are junk. The duty cycle on those is like 20%. That means you can weld 2 minutes out of 10. If you don't let it cool down after 2 minutes, it starts welding like crap. The 220 volt version is a better choice.

[3.4grapeofwrath]

Re: Ok welder for exhaust work?

What are you planning on using it for?

[techsan23]

Re: Ok welder for exhaust work?

X2 on the 220. Much more consistency, and you can lay down a thick bead waay faster. Plan on getting a auto darkening helmet too; it helps alot more than you would think.

[MegaHertz]

Re: Ok welder for exhaust work?

Its primarily for exhaust and misc. repairs around the home. From what I was reading I thought exhaust really didn't need a lot of power. I figured with the %20 at 70A I would be using the lowest setting for exhaust and get a better duty cycle. Thing is I don't have 220 in the garage though I might be able to steal the line from when the stove was electric as the kitchen next to it.

[techsan23]

Re: Ok welder for exhaust work?

Yeah it doesnt take much to weld exhaust pipe. If you turn it up too high you'll blow a hole in the pipe. If your anything like me though after you get started pretty soon your putting extra handles and legs on all kinds of things. Then when you start building things the scraps you find and use are mostly 1/4" or thicker.

[Bonemaro]

Re: Ok welder for exhaust work?

Is it the best? Not by a long shot. This isn't going to handle any kind of heavy welding.

Will it work for your exhaust? Sure. You'll get the job done. That's a similar welder we did my exhaust with. It came out fine.

You might consider a beefer welder if you got the coin, but if not...

[cam98aro]

Re: Ok welder for exhaust work?

that welder will be able to handle exhaust no problem.

and a 20% duty cycle does NOT mean you can weld for 2 out of every 10 minutes.. thats a easy way to fry the welder.. i wouldnt weld for more than 3 seconds with that

[bigbrian442]

Re: Ok welder for exhaust work?

that welder will be able to handle exhaust no problem.

and a 20% duty cycle does NOT mean you can weld for 2 out of every 10 minutes.. thats a easy way to fry the welder.. i wouldnt weld for more than 3 seconds with that

Your wrong again.....

From http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc..._4YbFw&cad=rja
Use of term in equipment

In tools/equipment such as a welding power supply, the maximum duty cycle is defined as the percentage of time in a 10 minute period that it can be operated continuously before overheating.[1] Duty cycle is the time that a signal (DC) is ON, compared to its period. For example, let's say a DC signal of 1 volt starts at time t=0 seconds, and stays there for t=2 seconds, at which point the DC signal goes to 0 volts and stays there until t=10 seconds. At time t = 10 the signal goes back to 1 volt, and the process repeats over and over again. Based on this analysis the signal is 1 V for 0<t<2 and 0 V for 2<t<10, therefore the period is T = 10 seconds, and the duty cycle is then ON/Period of the signal i.e., 2/10 = 0.2, which gives a duty cycle of 20%.

[Bandit127]

Re: Ok welder for exhaust work?

Brian is right, same duty cycle mathematics used in measuring solenoids in automotive, such as injectors.

My opinion is that a welder is worth a decent investment, and the only way to go is with 220. That being said, I am a bit of a welding junky, but I have not had the cost of the welder put on me, nor the cost of running 220 anywhere. But my opinion still stands, if you want the welds to be consistent an worth the effort, as in, not redoing them 2000 miles down the road to due bubbles or corrosion, then I'd either get the biggest 110 or get a small 220.

[cam98aro]

Re: Ok welder for exhaust work?

Your wrong again.....

From http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc..._4YbFw&cad=rja
Use of term in equipment

In tools/equipment such as a welding power supply, the maximum duty cycle is defined as the percentage of time in a 10 minute period that it can be operated continuously before overheating.[1] Duty cycle is the time that a signal (DC) is ON, compared to its period. For example, let's say a DC signal of 1 volt starts at time t=0 seconds, and stays there for t=2 seconds, at which point the DC signal goes to 0 volts and stays there until t=10 seconds. At time t = 10 the signal goes back to 1 volt, and the process repeats over and over again. Based on this analysis the signal is 1 V for 0<t<2 and 0 V for 2<t<10, therefore the period is T = 10 seconds, and the duty cycle is then ON/Period of the signal i.e., 2/10 = 0.2, which gives a duty cycle of 20%.

no, im not wrong.

that is how duty cycle is measured, but welding for 2 minutes straight will overheat the welder, i guarantee it.

hell, my friends snapon welder has a 100% duty cycle, and he can weld beads about 3 feet long before he has to let it cool off, a 3' weld is less than 2 minutes of continuous welding depending on what you are welding.

[cam98aro]

Re: Ok welder for exhaust work?

Brian is right, same duty cycle mathematics used in measuring solenoids in automotive, such as injectors.

My opinion is that a welder is worth a decent investment, and the only way to go is with 220. That being said, I am a bit of a welding junky, but I have not had the cost of the welder put on me, nor the cost of running 220 anywhere. But my opinion still stands, if you want the welds to be consistent an worth the effort, as in, not redoing them 2000 miles down the road to due bubbles or corrosion, then I'd either get the biggest 110 or get a small 220.

i understand exactly what duty cycle is, but you just cannot weld for 2 continuous minutes with a welder like that, it just simply cannot keep up with it. when i first started welding i talked to a ton of people and the duty cycle doesnt really mean much, if anything when it comes to welding.

for instance, doing spot or plug welding puts so much strain on a welder, if you were to do 2 minutes worth spot welding in a 10 minute time frame, that welder would not last very long.

if i were to purchase the welder in the first post, i would not weld for more than 10 seconds at a time without letting it cool off for a minute or so.

i also think the general consensus in this thread is wrong, the thread starter looks like he wants a small welder to do some exhaust work, and other minor welding jobs, he doesnt need an $800 220v welder to do that. and i personally think that welder is more than enough for the average homeowner

[MegaHertz]

Re: Ok welder for exhaust work?

I get that running a welder with a low duty cycle means taking breaks. I don't anticipate running a bead for a straight 2 minutes. Maybe 30sec on - 2mins off type of cycle. I could be the %20 rating is based on shorter periods. I get that the 110 welders put more stress on the transformers and will warm up reducing efficiency. Do people ever add active cooling to the transformers in welders? . Duty cycles seem to be rated at a specific amperage and I anticipate to be using a lower setting for the thin exhaust piping.

If i'm using a mig setup, why would it matter if I had a welder that has a duty cycle that would allow longer welds, or one that I had to rest between sections? I understand that If i overheat it the welds will suffer but will that still be the case if I am patient and allow proper cooldown time? I plan on painting the whole thing once its together to help resist corrosion anyways I just want it to be structurally sound.

[cam98aro]

Re: Ok welder for exhaust work?

I get that running a welder with a low duty cycle means taking breaks. I don't anticipate running a bead for a straight 2 minutes. Maybe 30sec on - 2mins off type of cycle. I could be the %20 rating is based on shorter periods. I get that the 110 welders put more stress on the transformers and will warm up reducing efficiency. Do people ever add active cooling to the transformers in welders? . Duty cycles seem to be rated at a specific amperage and I anticipate to be using a lower setting for the thin exhaust piping.

If i'm using a mig setup, why would it matter if I had a welder that has a duty cycle that would allow longer welds, or one that I had to rest between sections? I understand that If i overheat it the welds will suffer but will that still be the case if I am patient and allow proper cooldown time? I plan on painting the whole thing once its together to help resist corrosion anyways I just want it to be structurally sound.

before i purchased my first welder i did a ton of research, and i was told that especially on the lower end and cheaper welders the duty cycle means nothing.

30 sec on still seems like way too much IMO, I dont really know what you could possibly weld for 30 seconds straight, because it sure doesnt take that long to weld an exhaust together, at least it never has for me, but I always split it and put 4 spot welds on and connect the spot welds together with a bead.

getting a good weld really deals with how clean the surface is, if you are using gas or fluxcore, and how good your ground is. Everything has to be really clean or your welds will look like crap and eventually fail. flux core will allow you to make welds without as much prep work, but you wont get the quality of weld as using gas.