Every commercial welder and each industrial welder is tested for MIG welding.  The test is known as the 115 volt field test. There is a special 115 MIG welding machine, which is a good option for the welder who wants to weld with shielding gas. This machine is welding with a 3/16"" thick tee joint with multiple passes, where the machine is plugged into a 10 amp 30 foot reel extension cord. This is not a very good practice as the commercial welder should not use a light duty extension cord with a MIG welder, but it can happen in reality.

So, what happened? The result was a small 20 inches straight sputter after welding. The welding could be fine when it is used a self-shielded flux core Lincoln nr211. In other words, the tests proved that the commercial welder cannot predict how a MIG welding machine will behave and weld just by looking at it, without trying. The MIG AHp welder that has been used did not have brass connectors and gun connector, but it has a lot of power and results in a smoother arc.

How can the commercial welders make most of the 115 volt MIG welder? Quite often, the MIG torches are done in such a way as for the contact tip to be recessed back up in the MIG nozzle. This is ok when thin sheet metal welding is being done, but is not the best decision for welding a thicker metal. The 115 volt MIG welding is limited to how thick it can safely weld, and thus using a shorter stick out is important as it helps to increase penetration on the thicker steel. When there is a tee joint, the nozzle will touch and prevent the commercial welder from achieving a short stick out in case the contact tip is recessed too much.

In general, it is wide for the commercial welder to use two nozzles – one nozzle in cases of thin metal welding with the contact tip being recessed and one nozzle that will allow the contact tip to protrude in a slight way. It should further be mentioned that the 115 volt MIG welding machine will sputter if there is no good ground. The possible sputtering can be eliminated by using bare copper wire between the table and the clamp.