My Hanson welder just quit and looking at a Millermatic 211

[baymee]

I'm bummed. My trustworthy Hanson welder just quit without warning. If I touch the wire to the ground inside the welding box, nothing happens. If I touch the wire to the ground cable, I might see some tiny sparks, but not always. I've used this heavy for about 30 years.

So, I started looking at the Millermatic 211. It seems to do the same things I've been doing....sheet metal to 1/4" steel. What is it's reputation? How nice is it to use? It doesn't say if it has a cooling fan.

Any idea what could have gone wrong with my Hanson? I'm not thrilled about shelling out $1000, but I don't want to buy anything light duty.

[Diverdude]

love my 211, great machine that has done everything I have put to it. Had it about a year and a half. It does have a continuous fan on it, just not the fan on demand like the bigger units.

[arraflipper]

Great

A 211 is a great little machine, have had mine about a year. It works very well and is very portable if need be.

[wb4rt]

I have really enjoyed my MM211. I usually use the AutoSet feature as it dials it in close enough to do most work. Note the AutoSet is for .030 and .035, not .023. It is spool gun ready and if you shop around you can get a pretty good deal as a combo package.

Of course the dual voltage is a great feature. It makes it easy to take somewhere else and use the 110v if 220v is not available.

I think it sounds like a good fit for what you want to do.

[baymee]

I stopped by the Miller dealer today. They have a sale on these till the end of the year for $999, which seems pretty good. They said they'd look at my Hanson for $95, which I may do. Hoping for the best.

I'm going to look it over once more to see if I can find something simple that went wrong.

[JSFAB]

What's a Hanson, anyway?????? Never heard of it before????

[baymee]

It's Hansen, my mistake. I'm pretty sure that Hansen was first MIG welder ever made, if my memory serves me from 30 years ago.

I decided to wrap it up and let the shop look at it. I checked the windings and they are all 0 ohms, so I'm thinking it's a small control. I found the fuse and it's intact.

The problem is that it produces a tiny spark when shot to a ground, almost like a failed transformer, or a bad switch somewhere. Everything looks good inside, so I'm hoping for the best.

If not, I just wasted $90 and will get the Miller.

I can't believe how much I depend on the welder.

[mc17585]

It's Hansen, my mistake. I'm pretty sure that Hansen was first MIG welder ever made, if my memory serves me from 30 years ago.

I decided to wrap it up and let the shop look at it. I checked the windings and they are all 0 ohms, so I'm thinking it's a small control. I found the fuse and it's intact.

The problem is that it produces a tiny spark when shot to a ground, almost like a failed transformer, or a bad switch somewhere. Everything looks good inside, so I'm hoping for the best.

If not, I just wasted $90 and will get the Miller.

I can't believe how much I depend on the welder.

My 211 worked ok on steel, but don.t waste your money on the spool gun, they won't weld aluminum, argued with miller and finally returned machine

[Old Sporty]

My 211 worked ok on steel, but don.t waste your money on the spool gun, they won't weld aluminum, argued with miller and finally returned machine

I'm sorry you didn't have success with the Spoolgun. My experience has been just the opposite. I really enjoy welding steel with my 211, and my spoolgun just saved me several hundred dollars (more than the cost of the Spoolmate 100) on one aluminum repair.

However, using the spoolgun takes some getting used to. Pay attention to your speed and stickout as these are critical. On my first attempt, I welded the tip due to slow speed and short stickout. After some practice and playing around with the settings, I welded some .032 al. and have welded all the way up to 3/8 by beveling both sides and making passes on both sides.

You won't get welds as nice as TIG, but you'll be able to successfully join aluminum with some practice. In my case, it saved my bacon.

This has been my experience and doesn't necessarily reflect anyone elses.

[Sberry]

I am going to agree with issues with the spool gun, it should work very well. The dealer should have set it up maybe and give it a spin? I have HH210 and it has almost replaced tig for me. It does require some diligence about operating parameters though as was stated, stick out, speed, angles, etc and is not as forgiving as steel.

[baymee]

Well, I got the diagnosis. The gun is bad on my Hansen and they can't find repair parts. When the gun came apart in my hands, it stopped welding, so I guess it makes sense.

I put the gun back together and still no spark. The trigger feeds the wire, so what else could be wrong?

There are only two wires in the grip to feed the wire, so how does the high amperage come down the wire inside the sheath to cause the arc? I should be able to find something in the cable, no?

They claim there is nothing wrong with the welder itself, just the gun.

Any suggestions/knowledge appreciated.

[davedarragh]

Henning Hansen Welders

Well, I got the diagnosis. The gun is bad on my Hansen and they can't find repair parts. When the gun came apart in my hands, it stopped welding, so I guess it makes sense.

I put the gun back together and still no spark. The trigger feeds the wire, so what else could be wrong?

There are only two wires in the grip to feed the wire, so how does the high amperage come down the wire inside the sheath to cause the arc? I should be able to find something in the cable, no?

They claim there is nothing wrong with the welder itself, just the gun.

Any suggestions/knowledge appreciated.

You might want to check with Henning-Hansen Welders in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. Originally, they imported units from Denmark, and "Private Labled" them. They have since incorporated and manufacture MIG arms for the automotive industry.

Miller invented the first "All-In-One" MIG machine in 1971.

It would only be a matter of time, before other problems would surface with your Hansen, and parts availability would be little to none.

The MM-211 seems like a viable replacement for your needs.

[FusionKing]

Why jack around? If you really depend on it.... then go all out. Get a 350P.
Nothing cheap there except the ground clamp.
I haven't found anything close IMO

[baymee]

Thanks, I'm going to try Henning Hansen first.

[baymee]

I found some interesting information about how the gun works. It seems that the tip of the gun is what brings about the arc and I'm going to experiment in that area.