Project 1 from Rambozo. Category: Shop Improvements

140ST saves the day. I needed to turn a bunch of recycled pool fencing into a temporary dog run around an old shipping container in the back of the yard. It was pretty windy so stick was my best option. Except there is no power anywhere near there. 240V was out, but I could run a 100' 12ga. cord to get some 120V out there. It was that or drag out the SA200, figure a way to get it back to that part of the yard and no doubt have to go get some fuel and such. A big PITA. But with the little 140ST I could put it, a grinder, and a sawzall on a small service cart and roll right over. The fence was all cut into 7 foot sections and had different length feet on it, as it came from a stepped installation. I also found that a lot of it was full of water, when I cut off the feet, and most was rusted paper thin in places. But it was what it was and this didn't have to be pretty just functional for some new boxer pups that need a place to hang out for a while. I had a gate section from some other remodeling and just flipped one section to make the hinges line up. No idea how long this will be here, so I just ran a few beads to tie it to the container here and there. Easy to grind off later, but strong enough to hold it up. The heavier stuff went up fine with 3/32" 6011, burning right through the years of rust and paint. But when I got to the really thin stuff, it was a bit too much. I think the original wall was .049" or .065" but it was quite a bit thinner where the rust had worked on it. I had some 1/16" 7014 that was really old, but I gave it a try. It was a perfect match for this. Cranked it up to about 45 or 50 amps for the thick areas and down as low as 30 for the really thin sections. One thing that did stand out is that even an amp or two can make a lot more difference than it does on a transformer. At such low settings the hot start feature was very obvious and a real help. Even in places where I was welding .030" to the half inch thick corners, it was not that hard to control. This was the first time I really got a chance to use it much. The best thing is no one can believe something this small can really weld and had to come over to see for themselves. I expect there will be a few more of these being sold soon. By the time I remembered to grab a few pics, it was getting dark. I'm expecting another section with another gate to finish it off tomorrow, so I'll get a better pic of the whole thing when it's finished.

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140ST saves the day! Portability and dual voltage come in handy more often than one thinks. I love this little unit and this is a fine example of what it was made to do. Jobs like these outside in the rough so to speak.

I wish there was more to see with this unit and stick welding in general. But tig is the high fashion model that get's the attention and stick is the hard working wife. Doesn't look as polished but does it all and some.

Anyways good job on the fence. Maybe they'll be more projects to come for this unit.

Nice work! This kinda validates my plan to get a 140ST as a way to learn to weld for a pretty low cost, but get a capable machine that will be worth keeping around once I 'upgrade' to something bigger and fancier. It seems like a whole bunch of folks are getting one of these little gems, and everybody seems to love them! Bigger isn't always better, eh?

One of my to-do project involves pool fencing around an irregular area. It won't be rusty, but it's good to know my little 140ST is perfectly suited to the task!

Thanks for making day (so early, too!), rambozo!

That little machine is So Good!

I performed a similar task a while ago, but went the other way...

I had a shipping container used for a storage shed that kept getting locks and chains vandalized, and I installed a heavy steel cover over the new lock. Ran 125' 12ga primary cord from a 20a 120v RV outlet out to it and ran the 140 from 95 to 115 amps, (per the panel).

Great machine, and a Great deal with the TIG gear. I really do use it more often than my Maxstar 150STH. btw, Jody recently did a comparison of the 140ST and the Maxstar 150STL, 'nuff said.

Nice project Rambozo, thanks for the tour.

Muttonhawg - The last job I took the 140 out on WAS a pool fence repair, so it'll do 'em.

Jim

Making the display read correctly on 120V and supplying longer leads corrected the only two shortcomings, in my mind, for this little machine. Of course at the same time, they switched from the clamp to the twister type stinger, which I don't care for, but I know some people love them.

Nice, makes me think about getting a multi voltage machine along with the bigger machines.

I kept forgetting to catch this while the sun was out. So of course the day I remember the camera, it's raining. I did get the little gate, but again ended up hanging it upside down due to the direction it was hinged, and the way the posts were. No big deal, I'm sure the dogs won't complain. This used to be a steel yard and there are all kinds of combination layers of asphalt and dirt, so getting something to anchor to was iffy. So I just drove a few 3/8" x 10" spikes through the mounting feet into whatever was under them. It seems strong enough and if need be I can always add an over the gate support to the container if it becomes loose.

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