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20 vs 30 amp 110 volt welding power supply

RunningProblem

RunningProblem

Red Skull Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2020
Member Number
2860
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2,523
I had a 220 welder I’m trying to make mobile using my Harbor Freight 3500 inverter generator. The current project is to weld some grade 8 bolts to a shipping container to hold up forks for a tractor.

Will I notice a big power difference making an adapter to use the twist lock 30 amp outlet vs the 20 amp outlet?
 
No because you'll burn the 20amp outlet first







But seriously, weld that shit with a 110V stick welder and it'll be fine. You're over thinking it.
 
Your machine will pull the same load regardless. You could plug it into a 1000 amp receptacle and it would pull the same current.
 
Bebop said:
No because you'll burn the 20amp outlet first







But seriously, weld that shit with a 110V stick welder and it'll be fine. You're over thinking it.
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I don’t have a stick welder available.

I’m trying to use my mig welder with as much power as I can to weld some 1/2” bolts to piece of metal. The cheap Lincoln flux core welder wasn’t powerful enough according to the guy I’m trying to help out. I have a 180 amp welder I could bring and if 30 amp power gets me a better weld than 20 I’ll use it. If 20 amp power gets me as much as I can I’ll use that. Either way, now that I think about it I need an adapter because I don’t have a 220 to 110 adapter.
 
Dude,

Welding a 1/2 bolt will take seconds. You will be fine with whatever plug you elect to use. Don't overthink it.

Also, why are you listening to the dude who told you the flux core welder wouldn't be powerful enough but doesn't have a welder himself to do it ?
 
RunningProblem said:
I don’t have a stick welder available.

I’m trying to use my mig welder with as much power as I can to weld some 1/2” bolts to piece of metal. The cheap Lincoln flux core welder wasn’t powerful enough according to the guy I’m trying to help out. I have a 180 amp welder I could bring and if 30 amp power gets me a better weld than 20 I’ll use it. If 20 amp power gets me as much as I can I’ll use that. Either way, now that I think about it I need an adapter because I don’t have a 220 to 110 adapter.
Click to expand...

Uh, you can't run a 240v welder on 120v unless it's one of those multi-voltage deals...which would have come with a plug for it anyway.
 
Bebop said:
Dude,

Welding a 1/2 bolt will take seconds. You will be fine with whatever plug you elect to use. Don't overthink it.

Also, why are you listening to the dude who told you the flux core welder wouldn't be powerful enough but doesn't have a welder himself to do it ?
Click to expand...
He is my step-father who said he tried it and it didn’t work. I don’t know what settings he used.
 
RunningProblem said:
I don’t have a stick welder available.

I’m trying to use my mig welder with as much power as I can to weld some 1/2” bolts to piece of metal. The cheap Lincoln flux core welder wasn’t powerful enough according to the guy I’m trying to help out. I have a 180 amp welder I could bring and if 30 amp power gets me a better weld than 20 I’ll use it. If 20 amp power gets me as much as I can I’ll use that. Either way, now that I think about it I need an adapter because I don’t have a 220 to 110 adapter.
Click to expand...
I use my YesWelder 165amp inverter on 120v 30a sometimes. IMO it is the only way to half ass run 3/32" rod and not really enough to run 1/8".
It wants more current... or double the voltage.

My 140amp mig welder seems hotter 20a 120v than this stick welder does, likely due to rod size.

In short you will see a big difference running a 120/220v machine on 120v 30a vs 20a because this style of machine doesn't change anything when switching voltage, its twice as powerful on 220v as it is on 120v.
1693362817124.png
 
also, $79 for this is a pretty good deal IMO, weighs nothing so I started bringing it on SXS trips as a real poor mans camp welder.

1693363471650.png
 
CarterKraft said:
also, $79 for this is a pretty good deal IMO, weighs nothing so I started bringing it on SXS trips as a real poor mans camp welder.

1693363471650.png
Click to expand...
:eek:
$80 for a stick welder??!?!??

What is the thickest you’ve welded with it? I might buy it just because it’s so cheap and if it can put 90 amps out it would weld whatever is necessary.
 
RunningProblem said:
:eek:
$80 for a stick welder??!?!??

What is the thickest you’ve welded with it? I might buy it just because it’s so cheap and if it can put 90 amps out it would weld whatever is necessary.
Click to expand...

Watch the this old tony video on those cheap chinese welders...


They will NEVER hit specs and are dangerous AF.
 
Bebop said:
Dude,

Welding a 1/2 bolt will take seconds. You will be fine with whatever plug you elect to use. Don't overthink it.

Also, why are you listening to the dude who told you the flux core welder wouldn't be powerful enough but doesn't have a welder himself to do it ?
Click to expand...
Hello, MCFly:lmao:

Oh and after this one tldr...
110 buzbox ftw
Quotes the ragin cajin
"Youuuuu cannnn do etttttt"
Or fail:flipoff2:
 
The big question is what is the cost of failure if the weld breaks?

This is 110v .025 flux core doing exactly what you are wanting to do. Was on an extension cord plugged into a 20a outlet, didn't trip the breaker doing 4 of these both sides. You will be fine.

1693394046520.png
 
Twankie said:
Shittier results?

You suck at stick welding. 3/32" 7018 at 90 amps will look better than your mig weld.
Click to expand...
On a 220v transformer machine sure. The 120v machines don't have the balls to run an honest 85-90 amps though. Or maybe they do and the voltage fluctuates or something. IDK. Point is that the same settings on the 120v machine will suck.

I will be the first person to sing the praises of 120v flux core boxes. I put over 100lb through a Tractor Supply one that I traded a Windows tablet for. They're great for what they are. The stick equivalents suck.

SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
He is a pro, just wait he will tell you
Click to expand...

You sound like an entitled firefighter. Maybe you should make like one and get cancer. If anyone here is gonna know from experience what a 120v POS Chinese welder can and can't do who's it gonna be?

I bought one of those cheapo stick welders when we had a thread about them 6mo-1yr ago. I returned it because it wasn't satisfactory.

The 120v MIG/Flux core is tolerable. You do not want a 120v stick welder. Even if you have 6ga wiring to the outlet the welders themselves aren't capable of drawing enough amps to be satisfactory on 120v unless you seek out the extra small electrodes that are below 3/32. The stick welders simply don't have enough power to keep that much metal liquid in a worthwhile way and it winds up taking more care and more skill and more frustration to get equivalent results.



mjlogan88 said:
The big question is what is the cost of failure if the weld breaks?

This is 110v .025 flux core doing exactly what you are wanting to do. Was on an extension cord plugged into a 20a outlet, didn't trip the breaker doing 4 of these both sides. You will be fine.
Click to expand...
120v flux core (or mig if availible) is exactly the tool I would recommend for this job.
 
arse_sidewards said:
Maybe you should make like one and get cancer.
Click to expand...
The first time you used this line, I got a chuckle.

Now any time someone disagrees with you, you use it. I've seen it 5 or 6 times in a weeks span, I'm sure there's more.

Stop acting like the typical try hard 4chan user.
 
posford said:
The first time you used this line, I got a chuckle.

Now any time someone disagrees with you, you use it. I've seen it 5 or 6 times in a weeks span, I'm sure there's more.

Stop acting like the typical try hard 4chan user.
Click to expand...
So you're saying you want more diversity? :flipoff2:
 
arse_sidewards said:
120v flux core (or mig if availible) is exactly the tool I would recommend for this job.
Click to expand...
Maybe its just my imagination, but I feel like flux core digs in and burns hotter at a given setting than solid core MIG.

I spent a lot of time trying to make undergunned cheap wire feed machines punch over their weight class and the best success I had was with the smallest flux core wire (.023 or .025)
 
RunningProblem said:
:eek:
$80 for a stick welder??!?!??

What is the thickest you’ve welded with it? I might buy it just because it’s so cheap and if it can put 90 amps out it would weld whatever is necessary.
Click to expand...
On 240v it will weld 1/8" 7018 on what ever you want, welds like a "normal" stick welder you have used.
it says it will run 5/32" but I haven't tried.
 
arse_sidewards said:
Yup. Fucking amazing for the price. Just don't expect it to have enough power to do anything other than annoy you when running 120.
Click to expand...
A bunch of the on site fab welds in my gate thread were with this rig off my 3500 powerhorse inverter generator.

I did buy a 11k watt 240v generator to run it in the future but it did work fine off the 120v 30 amp plug on 3/32 rods. I want the "unlimited" power of the 240v and to not end up fucking up my RV generator.

My son tried to use it on the side of the highway off a Honda 2.2k and wasn't able to get a bead worth a shit, he's a 18 year old flat position welder so...

1000006439.jpg
 
gt1guy said:
My Maxstar 150 will burn 3/32 rods just fine plugged into a 15amp 120v wall outlet
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Interesting, 7018 or 60xx rods?
I tried 3/32" 7014 and 7018 on a outlet and there wasn't enough power for my liking.
 
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