I could have sworn I already made a post asking about this:
My apartment has no power to the garage, so I run an extension cord out there.
When funding permits, I'd like to get a small welder to make repairs on my trailer, motorcycle, etc.
Can I do this with a normal 110 outlet/extension cord?
For a 110 welder, yes (get the heavy gauge extension cord). If you want a 220 welder, you'll need to run the extension cord to the dryer plug.
What the max penetration 
of a 110 welder?
I'm thinking of welding frames, 1/8" plate or something like that would be maximum that I'd work with.
This thread is relevant to my interests.
A decent 110 welder will handle that. Hobart, Lincoln, Miller, no problems. They are rated at 130 amps. Just invest in a big, heavy gauge cord.
You shouldn't have any problem welding light duty stuff with a 110v unit, particularly if you keep the duty cycle below 50%. Like Dave says, get the biggest gauge extension cord you can because voltage drop is not your friend.
I can get really nice penetration on 3/16" in a single pass with my Miller 140 and .030 wire - I have done 1/4" but it it right at the limit of having to do 2 passes.
It thrives on 1/8", .120 and .095 wall roll cage tubing though.
I'm just thinking of welding little brackets and making trailer repairs, not an oil tanker.
What kind of average fix in your garage kind of stuff is thicker than 1/4"?
Can you weld an exhaust with a 110 MIG?
I did that with a 110v welder. Brakes are still on the car after 60 track days.
I also built the entire exhaust from mandrel bent tubing with the same welder.
Thought this was going to be how do I weld in my apartment and still get my deposit back kind of thread..
When you're getting that heavy-gauge cord, only get it as long as you need to reach where you can reasonably weld. In this situation, shorter is better.
slantvaliant wrote:When you're getting that heavy-gauge cord, only get it as long as you need to reach where you can reasonably weld. In this situation, shorter is better.
Surely you don't mean "Long and thin will get it in, but short and fat is where it's at?"
I run my Lincoln 125 110v MIG on short fat extension cord in my shop all the time. and I make brackets, fix lawnmowers and generally stick any steel I have any business messing with. If it needs steel that's to thick for my welder, I'm probably not qualified to weld it anyway! I actually ran a 2 plug box on the end where I plug it in so that I don't have to keep unplugging it to plug in my grinder. Works great.
this brings up a good point. I CAN'T weld at my garage due to power constrants. (power is shared with other tenets.. if I am alone, no problem...) Has anybody ever used a generator to run a welder?
In reply to mad_machine:
Yes, but it need to be a fairly large one depending on what you are welding. My 10kw diesel generator is good to about 130 welding amps on a 220V machine. Anything over that and it starts rolling the black smoke and looses frequency or trips the circuit breaker.
In reply to mad_machine:
I've seen it done at the track but haven't done it myself.
Most 110v will weld up to 3/16 so exhaust will be no problem. I use a pretty thick 50 foot cord to run mine all the time.
My only .02 is if you are shopping for a welder to meet your needs, skip the flux cored and go straight to a bottle set up. You will save yourself a lot of headache later on.
Also unless you plan on doing custom suspension or frame work you won't really see too much need to have a welder that does anything larger than 3/16 anyway.
mad_machine wrote:this brings up a good point. I CAN'T weld at my garage due to power constrants. (power is shared with other tenets.. if I am alone, no problem...) Has anybody ever used a generator to run a welder?
My brother visits me a couple times a year, and he usually brings his welder to help me with the Chevy II. On one such visit a year or two ago, the power went out as we were prepping to weld. Not to be discouraged, I dragged out my Coleman generator. I think it's like 6500 watts, and has a 230-volt outlet. My brother's MIG is a 230-volt Hobart. He wanted to try it to see how it did. It was fine.
So yes, you can use a generator to run a welder, so long as it's sized properly.
GrantMLS wrote:Thought this was going to be how do I weld in my apartment and still get my deposit back kind of thread..
haha
Look into getting a gas mig- the gas helps to shield the arc and provides cleaner welds.
Or get a welder than you can always add that onto later when funds allow.
I have built 5/16" thick brackets, repaired broken 3/8" plate (beveled and ran multiple passes on both sides), welded countless pieces of 1/4" and 1/8" whatever and built several .095 and .134 wall cages, all using a 110v Lincoln with flux core wire running on a 20 amp circuit breaker. But for some reason everyone tells me it sucks and couldn't possibly work? 
Dayumn. I must be doing something wrong.
In reply to Curmudgeon:
You are. Get over it.
The only thing about a MIG is that any sort of breeze can affect the cloud of gas and screw with your weld. You can weld outside with a mig, but they're much more sensitive to weather.
DILYSI Dave wrote:For a 110 welder, yes (get the heavy gauge extension cord). If you want a 220 welder, you'll need to run the extension cord to the dryer plug.
This. I don't know anything about welding, but I know enough about houses to say that most of them have a 220 outlet in the "laundry room". Buy an extension cord with enough insulation to take the heat.
GrantMLS wrote:Thought this was going to be how do I weld in my apartment and still get my deposit back kind of thread..
Weld on the stove top and run the exhaust fan. Sparks don't hurt the finish on the stove, and the fan sucks out the fumes.
Got a light in the garage?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001ATG0JU/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/175-1751698-6959534
