foney_email

First off, I don't care how the weld looks, just that it will hold metal together relatively well. I am doing floorboards, boxing control arms, and the panhard bar, and my alston sub frame connectors. Maybe some other light welding like that.

Will this be enough for me? Will it work to weld thin metal like my floorboard? I want to leave a good bead, not pinhole my weld. I need to patch up rust, a lot of it. I don't want anyone else to do it for me either.

I am a project guy, so I will use this for exhaust, fabing a strut tower bar, and body panels. I would do these things for a while though, untill after doing the floor, and other stuff I already mentioned.

I don't want to spend $200 on a welder. More to the point, I want a cheap welder that will work. I will not use gas either. I am not that serious about it. 110, 220, doesn't matter, I have plenty of each at my house.

The low duty cycle doesn't bother me either, I am patient.

Mainly I am cheap, and I don't want a pricey welder. I have several locations around here that has welding equipment, so I figure that tips shouldn't be a problem, but I don't know if they are the same.




it is

90 AMP FLUX WIRE WELDER



NO GAS REQUIRED
Specifically designed to use self-shielding flux-cored welding wire, eliminating any need for gas and regulators normal MIG welders require.

Self regulating feed control

Thermal protection with warning light
Carry handle on lid
Input: 115 volt, 15 amps, single phase
Welding current (2 settings) 63 to 68 amps (low), 79 to 90 amps (high)
Duty cycle: 12% @ 80 amps, 20% @ 60 amps
Wire capacity: 0.035'' or 0.030''
Shipping weight: 34-1/2 lbs.
Factory reconditioned. Factory perfect [may have a few scratches]



It is only $134 shipped to me...

Is this welder worth it, or do I have to go with something more expensive.

I want to go as cheap as possible. If this can only do sheetmetal, and suspension work, that is fine with me.

JeffW

looks like a good deal see if there is a kit for gas avalible. mig with flux works but i hear its not that great and with gass is alot smoother? im no welder but it looks like generic miller.

jeff

jay92,85,79

iTrader: (1)

that welder will work. But I would spend a few more bucks on one that u can hook up gas on. (co &argon) U might not want it now but after u weld with that for awhile u will want better welds. And not only that if u are welding on body panals the flux core wire is hotter. So in turn more warping. More money u will have to spend on bondo and time. My buddy had a welder looked allmost just like it. A pully in it broke about a year after he bought it. He could not gat the part so ended up buying a lincon. And tossed his in the can.

f_body_4_life

this is the one Im using http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=55167
it was $120 shipped and I couldn’t be happier with it
I think there both made Chicago electric

deadbird

Your mind is apparently made up to buy a p.o.s. welder because you don't want to spend money on something at least half-*** ($200+).

-First off, I don't care how the weld looks
-I don't want to spend $200 on a welder
-I will not use gas either
-The low duty cycle doesn't bother me either
-Mainly I am cheap, and I don't want a pricey welder

Why ask to justify if it's a good buy or not ?

The turd you're looking at (most any welder running flux really..) will never meet this criteria...
- I want to leave a good bead, not pinhole my weld. I need to patch up rust, a lot of it.

foney_email

deadbird,

I am still undecided on a welder yet. wanted to explain the reasons that I wanted this welder. If this one won't do what I want it to do, then I will buy one that does.



I have no idea how a wire feed welder works. I am under the impression that you can lay a bead because the wire feeds, and it makes a pool of metal. I don't know how that can burn a hole in the metal.

Here's the thing. If this welder will be able to do what I want it to do, then I will get it and be happy with it.

My needs are:

floorboards, alston sub frame connectors, boxed lca's, and boxed panhard, repairing metal around t-tops, etc.

I don't need to have low enough settings for aluminum, or enough power to weld 1/2 inch steel either. I need a hobby welder, I think.

But, that is why I posted here. I need opinions, facts, discussion. If this welder won't work, then I don't need it. I am not buying a welder just to own a welder. I plan on using it.

I really don't want to have to use gas if I can help it. Gas is another consumable, and another cost.

Do rusty floor panels really justify, buying a welder, two or three tanks, filling the tanks, getting hoses, and gauges, as well as the gloves, mask, and everything else I already need.

Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for an expensive welder, but for my needs, I know that I can use a cheap one.

If this welder will fit my needs, then I am set. If this welder won't work, then I have to go searching again.

foney_email

Can someone explain why I would want a mig over an arc welder.
The sites say that arc is better for thin metals, is that true? I really don't know what I need, but I know I need to get some floors.

I have plenty of metal, and ambition to try it, I just need to know what kind of welder to get. I talked to welders around here and they are all pipeline guys. They didn't offer much help, because they don't really deal with thin metals.

Whatever. If I need gas to weld up my floor boards, then I guess I will have to get gas. All I want is to have the floor boards in one piece so I can sand seal and paint them. I don't want to have to do this again. What ever I need to do a good job ONE TIME! I have taken a few quick fixes in the past, and I don't want to do that again.

Thanks guys.

deadbird

Well.. first to say... I've been welding for quite some time but, I'm not schooled in it or even really care what wire does whatever... I don't weld any exotic materials. So, I can only tell you from a stupid person's perspective..

Arc, is a stick welder. Great for ship building but, not so forgiving to thin sheetmetal. The Flux that's on the rod (burns off for shielding gas) makes it nearly impossible to get clean tacks and just as hard to stitch.
A 'buzz box' (crappy 110v arc welder) is absolutely worthless for anything unless you're trying to weld together tin-foil or something.

Flux core wire is similar to Arc except for the whole wire feed process. It will makes a better all around tack/weld but, still burns flux for shield gas. I've done tons of crap with my flux but, it's still damm near impossible to not get pinholes (slag from the flux) when doing thin gauge metal. Welding on rusty metal tends to not agree with the flux very well either and usually tends to just melt anything you're trying to attach the patch panel to. Or, you get a nice sparkler display as the well puddle bubbles up.

Mig uses a solid core wire and a gas to shield the weld so nothing is really burning off and you get solid filler in the.joint you're welding.

As far as consumables. a 2lb spool of Flux wire is roughly $16 here, Mig, $6. I couldn't tell you the cost of gas but, I'd imagine isn't not too much more than the $10 offset to fill a small sized tank.

I bought a Clark 130a welder last x-mas when they had them on sale at Rural King. Not the best (not a linkcoln or hobart, miller, etc) but, a very nice welder for my purposes. It came with a (crappy) hood, a hand held sheild, slag/wire brush, cart & tank regulator for $350. Even came with a short video on how to weld. Out of the box it runs flux but, it's also pre-setup to run Mig, just add tank/gas, regulator & wire.

There are pleantly of nicer welder to be had out there but, you'll have to shovel out a few more coins to get them.

Patience is nice and all but, with a 12% duty cycle, it will test your patience faster than you think.
(That is, it's 12% of a 10 minute cycle... 1.2minutes weld... 8.8mins cool down)

Just my unprofessional opinion... don't take it to serious...

foney_email

Okay, this is all starting to come together now.

After doing some more research, I figure that I can get a mig with this paycheck today. I might have to wait to get a tank, but maybe I can swing it.

I figure that I might as well get one with gas shielding, because I do plan on doing body work, and that makes the weld much nicer, I am told. I am liking the idea of solid filler in the joint, rather than the flux bubbling up in my weld. I never quite understood what the difference was.

I was told that flux splattered, and that was the problem. The weld was suposed to be fine, but there was splatter around the area. I didn't really care about splatter, but if the weld's integrity is sacrificed, then gas shielded it is.

Okay, so what kind of gas shielded welder do I need?

Lets check ebay...

jay92,85,79

iTrader: (1)

Were i go i get argon co mix Thats what u want for body work. My tank is like 3 FT tall. I got a deal on the tank when i first bought it. I had some old oxygen tanks laying around. So they trade them for my tank.. Now i just take that in when I need more and they give me a full one. Thats like 17 bucks i think.. And I can do alot of welding before i need a refill.

Get the mig u will like it much much more

foney_email

yeah after the advice you guys have given me, I am totally set on getting a mig. Now which one is another story. I am trying to find one that comes with the gas hardware with the welder, instead of having to buy it separately.

I have been told that brazing is more effective, and better for what I am going for. Is that true? Should I just rivet and braze my floorboard? I don't think that would last as long as a weld, but I don't really understand what brazing is.

Do you guys have any experience with brazing?

Thanks.

jay92,85,79

iTrader: (1)

No brazing is not as good as welding it. And when u braze something u need a torch. Brazeing = alot of heat... I got my weld from home depot its a lincon sp100 got it as a open box for 300 bucks. But had to buy the tank for it. But its a little small for some of the stuff i do so I'm looking at get the sp135.

Hobart has on i think it 425. comes with everything.. Go to hobart.com.. I like lincon welders don't care for millers or how much they cost.. But thats just me

crazyn8

As stated before, be carefull on what you are buying. One problem I see is that you might be getting yourself into a corner buying a small mig (110v). 110v migs work excellent at small welding, low gauge metals. Best buy for doing floor pans and body metal work. However, if you are going to be welding in roll bars, subframe connectors, or other "frame" or "structure" reinforcement, you are going to have to buy a 220v mig. The 110v just does not have the penitration you need to properly (and safely) weld that larger stuff together.

My advise: buy a 110v mig (gas shielded) and do your body work welding. If you want frame connectors/roll bars, get it welded in by a welding shop or rent a 220v mig. Oh, and stay away from that no-name welder you originally have pictured. I know someone who bought that from harbor-frieght. It is a piece of junk.

foney_email

I just found a 130 amp 220 volt tig/arc welder.

Would that work?

It is more expensive, but I really like it. If that would work, then I am sold.



...NEW...

240 VOLT

90 AMP ARC DC 130 AMPS TIG / ARGON WELDING WELDER

Not Dropped shipped, the welders are in stock, no need to wait!





Welder is designed for TIG and Arc welding applications. Includes TIG torch, ARC torch, ARC welding electrode holder, grounding clamp, gas hose, shoulder strap and carrying handle.



Overheat LED light
Adjustable control ****
Input voltage: 220 volt , 18 amps, single phase, DC output amperage: 130 (TIG), 90 (ARC), Rated duty cycle: 35% @ 130 amps, 6 ft. 2 in. TIG torch, 9 ft. 1 in. ARC torch, Overall dimensions: 14-3/4" L x 5-1/8" W x 6-7/8" H;

SHIPPING....

I will ship this day I receive payment, PayPal, I'm looking forward to selling a few things, so I'll be sure and do everything right on my end!

I will just charge a flat $49.00 for shipping.

Can't ship to HI, AK, FPO, APO, POB. or Canada

No reconditioned stuff here, it’s brand new in the box never been used!!


so only $271 and I have an arc welder. After getting a bottle, mask, regulator, rods, etc. I will have a tig.

Do you guys think that this tig is worth a crap? It looks promising.

Let me know if you think it is worth it.

I could get a nice mig for this, but tig would work better, right?

askulte

The TIG welder above is a completely different style of welder. If your local co-op ed school has a welding class, it might be worth taking it to learn the different techniques for welding. MIG/FCAW (wire fed style) isn't too difficult to learn on your own, but TIG will take lots of practice to get competent with it, especially on rusty, poor fitting sheetmetal. The TIG has an electric torch, which creates an arc against the base metal (your unibody). You can make the arc more/less powerfull with a foot pedal or hand control that should be included w/ the welder. With your other hand, you feed in electrodes - 3' lengths of steel. The TIG method gives you much more control over how the welds come out, but will take 5x longer than MIG. If a basic TIG from Lincoln is $1000, I wonder what the above TIG is leaving out. I don't see the regulator included w/ the Lincoln/Miller, or foot/hand control. It'll be pretty difficult to modulate your welding if you can ease up or add more power as you go. I'd hate to see you buy something like this, and after trying it out, realizing it won't work as well as you hoped. If you want to save $, just get an oxy acetylene gas welding kit, and gas weld it all, or the MIG, IMHO. I'm sure someone local to you probably has a welder that can be borrowed or rented, so you can practice. If you're welding in funny positions under the car, and auto-darkening mask makes it much easier, especially with TIG where you need much better control. Expect $125-$250 for that alone.

creepingdeath

TIG is for aluminum and stainless steel and exotic metals, you needa mig for body work every mig welder works just as good as eatchothter its just how you set it and how good of a welder you are arc and tig and oxy acetyline wil like like **** and wouldnt be very good to use mig is the best and only good way to weld autobody. youll want to set it to about like maybe 65-70 maybe a bit higher depending on welder youll also need to adjust wire speed to a good speed or your weld be be really ****ty. if you havnt welded before you hould get someone to teatch you or something. plus on auto body you dont just striaght up weld it you have to tack weld it perpndicular to every other weld so the metal doesnt warp its very hard to fix a warped peice of metal. i know from expeireince

deadbird

Other than that... it's a complete pile of... eh.. I'll save my dislike for Harbor Freight equipment.

That TIG above is the same turd you can get from Harbor Freight $10 cheaper ($300+9s/h opposed to $271+49s/h)

Anything Chicago Electric or derivitive of is the Yugo of tools.
One company in China (or PRC now ) makes the p.o.s. and just adds different stickers to sell it to places like Harbor Freight, Northern Tool, TSC, Rurual King, etc.

Find a descent, budget priced MIG (Hobart, Clarke, Cambell Hausfield - aka Farm Hand), Buy something non-critical like the regulator from Harbor Freight (if not supplied), tank, a modest $40 Jackson hood (shield), watch a video, get some scrap sheet from your local fab shop and start burning wire.

It doesn't take much to get good at MIG... just $$ to buy a descent machine to make it look like you know what the hell you're doing

Get descent enough and you can make a little side $$ from friends doing odd jobs which will help you recoup the initial cost of your equipment in the long run.

If you thiink.. I've seen people pay up to $400 for custom dual exaust from a shop that have done a horrid job... the price of a welder & some supplies right there.....

Just more opinoin though...

laiky

http://store.cyberweld.com/hoha125migwe.html

Z28ricer

iTrader: (2)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ory=45032&rd=1

$430, 140 amps, everything but a bottle and shield, should get you started, I wouldnt go with much smaller if I was you.

laiky

cyberweld price includes shipping

Z28ricer

iTrader: (2)

So does the one I linked and its got more amperage and I believe a newer model.

laiky

I checked it out after i posted, looks like a good site.

foney_email

Okay guys...

I got an unfavorable welder. I picked up an old lincoln 270 amp ac arc welder. It was a gift from my girlfriend's dad.

I know that it is really hard, if not impossible to weld what I want with this stick/arc welder. It goes down to 40 amps, and I am told if I reverse the polarity, I might be able to get it to weld the thin stuff.

Can you guys offer me any advice on how to get this welder to work. I know it is a step backward, but it was free, and I can afford that. I plan on practicing plenty, and hopefully this will work for me. I really need to know what I am doing though. What rods should I get for this? I don't use gas with this welder, so does that matter? I know the rods have the flux and I have to chisel off the slag, or use a grinder to clean up the welds afterward.

I know I should have taken a welding class, and I would know a lot more, but with 9-5 workdays, I don't have that luxury.

Anything that you can tell me would help. The welder is a 220 outlet. I know not to weld where it is wet, so I don't die. I don't really know much else. I guess practice, until I figure it out.

By the way... What does reversing the polarity mean? Instead of welding with the hot, I put the stick in the ground, and weld with that, right? I know that this is simple basic welding stuff, but I don't know the basics.

Long sleves, good gloves, and a mask. That is all I know.

Thanks for the help so far guys. I am still buying a mig, but now I can save up for a nice one. Right now, I just need to get my car on the road. The cancer is killing my T/A, and I just won't let it die like that. You know what I am talking about.

Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it.

Jay