I have a Chicago 132T 110V Dual F/C Mig welder that I bought on sale about 6 months ago... I have been trying to weld the hell hole with the flux core, and I am having all kinds of problems, so I want to convert my welder to MIG, using argon..
Hoping to get better, cleaner welds, and no burn through -
The welder is supposedly set up for this, but no instructions on how to do this, or what parts needed, are given..
I need some help in regard to what parts I need...(Size of tank recomended, type of regulator, etc..) (an 80CF tank is only twice the cost of a 20CF)
One thing that concerns me is the hose on the back of the welder for the Argon is tiny... about an 1/8" in diamator - tops
The model that replaced the one I bought has a hose that looks like it is 3/8"...
Please help me out here guys...and don't flame me for having a cheap ass 110v welder...Please?

I have a similar welder, it has the tiny hose but came with an adapter hose that fits a standard regulator hose. You'll need an argon bottle and a regulator. Also, get the non-flux-core wire, and tip to match if it's a different size than the flux core wire was. You'll also need to reverse the polarty. I forget which is which, but flux core is the reverse of MIG.

Yup. You need to make sure you get the right nozzle, one that allows the gas to flow around the wire as it comes out.

Ok, so I should find an adapter to fit from the regulator to the small hose...
Am I going to get enough flow of argon through that hose?
Should I get a PSI type regulator, or a flow type regulator? and how much PSI should I run when welding?
I knew I needed to switch the polarity, and the wire, but I did not know about the
tips...
How big of a tank do you guys recommend? I am concerned about moving the 80CF around, and running out all the time with the smaller bottles...
After I get all this done, am I really going to be able to weld this thinner sheet metal
in the hell hole?

Thanks - Thom

If it's made to do both mig and flux core, it SHOULD have the holes in the nozzle for the gas flow. The tip I was talking about is the one that makes the electrical contact to the wire, and has to be sized for the wire you're using to get a good contact.

Bondo -
There are holes in the nozzle -
Thanks

I'm not sure how much my tank holds, but it's about waist high and 7" in diameter.. Kind of a pain to handle by itself, but now I have it strapped to my welding cart, and it rolls around quite nicely. The small hose should flow just fine, for the speed of welding you can do with a small welder. The only problem you might have is trying to weld someplace windy. Get a flow type regulator.. I typically run mine at about 30 CFH, more if it's windy. Hell hole welding should be no problem as long as your welder has a variable wire feed speed, and all the rust has been removed or cut away.

I've got a 40cf. I'd like to have bigger, but this size just fits the cart and my garage space better.

Cool -
Thanks for the help guys!
So, if I got a 40CF tank, and ran the argon @30CFH, it would last little more than an hour?

No, it'll last longer. The gas is only on when you pull the trigger. A small welder can't cope with more than a 60% duty cycle or so. If you welded as fast as the welder would go it'd probably do 2 hours. In reality it'll probably last a few full days of welding because a lot of time is spent prepping joints and stuff.

I've got that same size gas hose on mine. your gonna need one of these adapters for the regulator.

oops.

Your gonna love the welder once you convert it to Inert Gas Bottle.

You're wasting your time with the flux wire no matter whose machine you use... I picked up a returned used Lincoln 220v Mig Welder up near cash register at the local Home Depot a couple of years ago. Welding with it was just frustrating as hell and the welds were terrible.

I bough a conversion set up and picked up the CO2 bottle at a local welding supply house.... get the bottle that is about 30-35" tall.... not the smallest one...

You don't actually need argon.... over the years, they have perfected systems that utilize basically CO2 with about 15% or so of an inert gas like argon or one of the other gases at the extreme right on the periodic chart of elements (help me here chemistry guys).. the 30" tall cylinder last us about six months of moderate use and cost about $ 38.00 to refill.

Check out which welding supply house in your area is open saturday morning because man that's when you're probably gonna need to refill it. Other shops do not generally refill competitors Bottles.

rob wellner

Remil,
Where did you find the adapters, and are there any Special
connectors for this application?
Thanks,
Thom

Noble gasses! What do I win?

The pic shows the adaptor you'll need, it's a push to connect connector. here's the link to it.

http://www.weldingdirect.com/sinstagflowg.html

Remil,
Thanks for the link.. That sure does make things easy!!!