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Old 09-15-2020, 09:25 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Welder Question

My wife and I a preparing to take the skoolie plunge and we've decided on a roof raise. I can weld but I have a welder friend that is super worrisome and he is of the mind that you should NEVER use a 110v welder for anything. Do you guys think using a 110v welder will be adequate for roof raise kinda stuff?

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Old 09-15-2020, 09:35 PM   #2
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Your welder friend might not be aware of how a bus is constructed. All of the stuff you need to weld with a roof raise is relatively thin sheet metal (around 16 ga. or 1/16" thick, sometimes a bit thicker) for which a 110V welder is actually best-suited. The ribs (often called "hat channels" because of the material they're made out of) may look like beefier stuff, but they're formed from bent sheet metal.
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Old 09-15-2020, 09:48 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by KenandDeb View Post
My wife and I a preparing to take the skoolie plunge and we've decided on a roof raise. I can weld but I have a welder friend that is super worrisome and he is of the mind that you should NEVER use a 110v welder for anything. Do you guys think using a 110v welder will be adequate for roof raise kinda stuff?
My whole roof raise was done with my Hobart 140. Why would you need more welder for 18-14ga?
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Old 09-16-2020, 07:53 AM   #4
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Thanks guys.
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Old 09-16-2020, 10:00 AM   #5
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There is nothing wrong with a 110V welder. Even the cheapo-HF welder has it's place. What you have to be careful of is that you are not trying to weld things you shouldn't with a welder that isn't capable of what you are asking of it. As long as you get good penetration and come out with a cohesive weld, you will be fine. I used the cheap HF welder for a few years until my needs became more. Now I have one made by Miller, but with the no-name label. It was much cheaper.
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Old 09-30-2020, 09:23 AM   #6
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I run a fab shop and would not hesitate at all to weld the hat channels and sheet metal for a roof raise with a 110v welder. If I were doing a roof raise at home I'd be using my Hobart 140 as well. Weld away my friend.
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Old 09-30-2020, 10:05 AM   #7
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Just one more to say the Hobart 140 or one similer would be great for a roof raise. I have one in my shop just for light work like that.
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Old 09-30-2020, 10:46 AM   #8
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Just one more to say the Hobart 140 or one similer would be great for a roof raise. I have one in my shop just for light work like that.
I think most people wont consider a roof raise light work ahaha.

i also used a hobart 140 to do my roof raise and all the other sheet metal welding on my bus. I just run the harbor freight flux core wire. Its fine for rusty, and galvanized metal you find on an old bus. I find if you use the 0.035 when doing sheet metal its to heavy. hot enough to melt the wire and your sheet blows away. Going to buy a small spool of 0.030 at some point
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Old 10-01-2020, 09:02 PM   #9
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I'm gonna guess your friend has been a welder a very long time. I learned to weld in school back in 1979. Back in the early 80s there are not many 110V welders that were very usefull.
A lot has changed over the years. THere are quite a few good 110V welders that work just fine.
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Old 10-02-2020, 06:48 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by Mekanic View Post
I'm gonna guess your friend has been a welder a very long time. I learned to weld in school back in 1979. Back in the early 80s there are not many 110V welders that were very usefull.
A lot has changed over the years. THere are quite a few good 110V welders that work just fine.
I was thinking this as well. Its pretty cool what you can do with inverter technology now. We have a couple of the Miller Multimatics that are 110/220v and can run MIG/TIG/Stick all in the same machine. Our newest Multimatic 220 does AC and DC TIG. Awesome machines for field welding.
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Old 10-03-2020, 09:04 AM   #11
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A 110V Welder will do fine, I used mine a lot on my bus project.
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Old 10-03-2020, 10:10 PM   #12
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.024 wire, and make sure the metal is clean, sand any corrosion, dirt, paint etc, off, any contaminates will make it hard to lay down a good weld. Be careful not to get the metal too hot, it will start to blow out, weld a bit, then let it cool, welding another area while it cools. Have fun!
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Old 10-04-2020, 07:13 AM   #13
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i used a 110 volt lincoln on my 16 inch raise worked great. i been welding since 1978
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