Jump to content
HybridZ

new welder, better than sex.


5foot2

Recommended Posts

I picked up a Lincoln pt185 Friday. Wow, clean spatter free welds are soooooo sexy. I've only run it dc- on mild steel so far, but the machine was bought with 1/8" aluminum in mind. I'm fab'n a cart for it, my mig and a pair of bottles this weekend. New tools rock.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hear ya'. I have the PT275 and it's a dream. I've done brackets on a couple of aluminum radiators, but I still need more practice. That AC is a whole different animal... Like yours, it sticks steel together unbelievably! I really like the PT185 that you got. Before I found mine on clearance that was the way I had decided to go features/$.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you get that 275 from Sears? About a year ago on this or another forum someone posted a super, super deal on the 275. It was a close out deal through Sears. I waited half a day to run the purchase past the wife before I spent the $$, and missed out. The extra heat of the 275 would be nice once in a while, but I think I'll be happy with the 185. Between my Lincoln sp175+ mig and thie pt185 tig, I feel I have all my bases covered.

 

I hear ya'. I have the PT275 and it's a dream. I've done brackets on a couple of aluminum radiators, but I still need more practice. That AC is a whole different animal... Like yours, it sticks steel together unbelievably! I really like the PT185 that you got. Before I found mine on clearance that was the way I had decided to go features/$.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, Mine came from the Sears closeout. I was the one that posted the sale on the board. When I found it, I tried to buy it right then, and our internet connection crashed! I was freakin' out! I jacked around with it for about an hour before I got the order in. Once I received shipping confirmation on mine, I posted the clearance here to share the wealth! Sorry you missed out. I had budgeted $2000 tops, and the $3500 average delivered cost was more than I could stomach, (Sears was $3999 + tax + shipping. No wonder they couldn't move them....) On clearance for $1599, mine was delivered to my door for $2049.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations on the new welder! I understand where you are coming from. I got my Dynasty 200DX last March and it has been great. I then got a MM210 last fall and went through the whole thing again. What a great feeling having a welder that works exceptionally well. I like the PT185 as well, and seriously considered it, but like all the transformer machines, they take too much power for me.

Joshua

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LINCOLN 185 IS DEAD SEXAY~!

 

I welded some 1/8 aluminum the other weekend, the trick is keep the amperage in check, and go for as much penetration as you can stand rather than letting it choose for you, I didn't quite understand why it was choosing to set the cleaning so high. Try it yoursef if you must, I'm glad it's manually adjustable though.

 

Then I forgot to turn it back to DC- for a steel wire rack and it worked so well I didn't notice till I was through 3 tack welds. I also could not tell the difference in weldability between pure tungsten and 2% thoriated.

 

Wait till you get tired and forget to sand off the scale and paint, it'll weld right through it, although I know it's not good practice. I did some penetration and strength checks and it was perfect. It tends to bring contaminants to the surface. Definately the right tool for the job. I recommend the thump amptrol, that way you can weld on your back under your car without any trouble at all.

 

Also, I go full Argon for everything and had no issues. Stainless was actually easier to weld than mild steel and welding high strength steel was a breeze too, although you no doubt lose all your strength at the weld so joint design is very important unless you re-heat treat properly.

 

Congrats! I wouldn't give mine up for anything!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...