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Century 80 mig welder

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trevor

04-20-2003 13:04:42




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Anybody know much about a Century 80 wire feed welder. Very small. very low duty cycle but can it do quality welds or is ti just a piece of junk? There is a Lincoln 225 buzz box for sale wondering if I should get one and learn to stick weld. Just hobby stuff3/16- 1/4 stuff




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Fred OH

04-21-2003 08:40:38




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 Re: century 80 mig welder in reply to trevor, 04-20-2003 13:04:42  
Trevor...one of the things that one must do when getting into something like welding is THINKING. I'm not criticizing your intelligence or anything like that...I'm trying to get your mind going in the proper direction. Your question: how do I know if I'm getting good penetration? If in thinking about it your mind should come up with...well, if I weld some scrap metal together that is the same thickness as the metal that I'm going to weld and take the test piece to the vice and break the weld over backwards and look at it or saw it down the weld and look...that will tell me...you see??? When you have a problem in front of you, size it up by thinking first...you know...measure twice and cut once. As far as your welder choice: there should be no choice to it...mig welders are for production welding because they're fast and require less than skilled labor to use, they will weld down to thin metal smoothly. The smaller units find favor with body shop type welds...thin stuff...and necessary if you are going to make a good looking weld on thin stuff. The stick welder is more favored for the novice welder...in my opinion...so much more it will do, weld thick or fairly thin with good results,do carbon arcing, gouging out old welds, thaw frozen pipes, and do heating and bending or straightening with the carbon arc torch attachment or tig welding with a high frequency generator. The transformer rectifier type welder or AC-DC welder will weld thinner stuff smoother and better than a straight AC welder. This stuff you should know before asking what kind of welder you should have...because you thought it all through and know which one will fit the type of welding you want to do. Your only questions should be toward what brand are most guys favoring and does anyone close by me know where a good used one is for sale that hasn't had over use if your budget requires that. One last comment...look at the price per pound of stick welding rod and look at the rolls of mig wire the same way. (and gas)Most any of the old used stick welders such as Hobart, Lincoln and miller can be had (if you look in the right places) for around $100 to $150. Again, think, ask questions and try it out good. Hopefully you are armed a little better now. L8R....Fred OH

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Wayne

04-21-2003 21:46:50




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 Re: Re: century 80 mig welder in reply to Fred OH, 04-21-2003 08:40:38  
When you compare the price of stick rods to MIG wire, your not getting a even comparison of them weight wise. When you stick weld, your only getting about a 50% deposition weight. In plainer terms,for every 10lb of rod you burn your only actually putting down 5lb of weld material while the remainder is used up in the weight of the coating. With MIG welding, you get around 95-98% deposition rate, depending on wire type (ie flux core-vs solid-vs whatever). That's one of the reasons MIG is so much faster, you can put down almost twice as much material in any given time. There is a misconception that MIG is only a production process, it doesn't get good penetration, etc etc. These are all myths. The main difference between MIG and stick is the speed. Pretty much any rod you can get for stick work, you can get a comparable wire for MIG, be it gas shielded or flux cored. With the flux cored variety, you have basically the same field capabilities as you do with a stick, and I can tell you from experience that you can also use gas shielded, in the field, as long as you have something to block the drafts on a windy day. As for penetration, the same thing applies for any welding process, if you get your settings right, one will penetrate and hold just as good as the next using a comparable and proper type of filler material. If your just starting out, there are alot of good welding books available that will explain all the processes, the rod/wire types, the coating types, etc, etc, etc. Personally I believe the best training is OJT, but you have to know a little about what your doing before you start, and a good book is the best way to go. Just another .02.....Wayne

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Wayne

04-20-2003 23:07:02




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 Re: century 80 mig welder in reply to trevor, 04-20-2003 13:04:42  
I always see posts wondering asking about what machines to buy, MIG, Stick, or whatever. If you really want to do it, do it right. Get yourself a good multi-process machine, like a newer Miller or Lincoln engine drive. You can get a machine a few years old for a reasonable price, and right off you have not only a stick machine but also, with most, at least a 8-10Kw generator. Then you can spend a little extra and get a wire feed attachment that, at least for the Miller, you simply hook up a 14 pin connection and a hot leg, and your ready to MIG either with Gas shielded or Flux-core wire. Later, if the need arises, you can also hook up a TIG torch. Not to mention some of the Mfgs have Plasma cutters sized to match up with the power output of the generator. My point is that if you go out and buy a brand new MIG or stick machine, it still probably won't do everything you want to do, and your still gonna spend a good bit of money. Also as your skill increases and you find yourself wanting to do more, your only choice then is to spend more money for another machine. With a good multi-process engine drive you might spend a little more in the beginning, but you have the capability to do just about anything you want to do now or in the future. Just think when something breaks on the back 40, that machine plugged in back in the shop isn't gonna do a bit of good, but with an engine drive on a small trailer, or in the bed of your truck, you always have what you need where you need it. If your not worried about mobility, then go for and electric powered multiprocess unit for the shop. You can often find these machines on E-bay that aren't that old and already have a feeder with them for less than just the power source if you were to buy one new. Either choice engine drive or electric, multi-process is the way to go because one power supply takes the place of three, and therefore is easily expanded to meet whatever challanges you need to meet. Just my .02..... Wayne

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Bill 52 8n

04-20-2003 20:53:53




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 Re: century 80 mig welder in reply to trevor, 04-20-2003 13:04:42  
There is nothing wrong with the welds your century can make. The drawback is the material size, 1/8" is about all it will handle. Stick welding is not hard, just try to weld everything flat at first and you'll be ok. Get some 6012 or 6013 rods and practice. Once you get good, you can weld thin metal and sheetmetal downhand and you'll forget about your mig welder ;)

Bill



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Van(WA)

04-20-2003 17:04:57




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 Re: century 80 mig welder in reply to trevor, 04-20-2003 13:04:42  
Trevor; Take a look at the "Linxoln SP-1-135T, will weld quarter inch material very nice, will do thicker material, may take more then one pass. They are not cheap $400+, but a good machine, and works on 120Volts, use anywhere! Century is a "cheap" welder. The Lincoln buzz box is good , but not for "light stuff", also takes 220V.



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trevor

04-20-2003 17:42:26




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 Re: Re: century 80 mig welder in reply to Van(WA), 04-20-2003 17:04:57  
WellI already have the century 80. Taught myself, last year made someracks to haul canoes around on gravel roads. everything kept together. Now I want to build a flatdeck on my ford Ranger and Chainsaw sawmill. Debating on getting the Lincoln 225 as it is on sale for a few more days. Never stick welding so wondering if I will pick it up as easy of it I am better off to spenda bit more and get a 220 volt mig welder. I do most of my welding outside. I want to make sure my welds are strong and I'll worry about pretty as learn. I was thinking my Century 80 did an ok job- mostly welding 1/8 and alittle 3/16. How do I really tell if I am getting good pentereation? Thanks for your help

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john

04-20-2003 15:23:43




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 Re: century 80 mig welder in reply to trevor, 04-20-2003 13:04:42  
Trevor,

IMHO the Century units are low end low quality low duty cycle units. I'd save my money and invest in a brand name..

As for what you need...what do you plan to do ?? If you plan to do mostly projects with sheet metal 1/8" and less... I'd recommend a wire welder... like a Hobart or Miller 135 to 175.. easy to learn, good light guage machines.. If your projects tend to be on the heavy side 1/4" and up plate... you can still go with a wire machine but a 220 volt 200 amp or better... still in the brand names Lincoln, Miller, Hobart...like a Miller 225 or something in that range... Check with some of the welding supply houses...they sometimes have lease units they take back and sell at a bargain.

I've got two wire machines. A Hobart 100 'suitcase' welder and a Hobart handler 200 for larger stuff. Also have a Lincoln AC/DC 225 stick machine that a very rarely use.. Wire is so much better and for me anyway produces better looking welds... you'll also find that a good machine will not birdnest as often as a cheaper unit...

hope it helps

john

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hay

04-20-2003 14:50:09




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 Re: century 80 mig welder in reply to trevor, 04-20-2003 13:04:42  
i have a century 80 welder. only good for very light duty such as 16 gauge to 1/8". i had to up grade to a miller 225 stick welder. that would be about the size as the lincoln buzzbox you mentioned. a world of difference between the century 80 and the big 220 volt stick welders. go with the stick welder. you will have much more capability and more fun too. the wire feeders seem to give me a lot of trouble with the wire "birdnesting". no such trouble with stick welders. be safe!

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