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View Full Version : this welder look decent?



Derek33
06-02-2008, 12:17 PM
Im sure this is a beaten topic. again, im still a complete noob to welders.

would this welder be worth it?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=55525

I want a welder that i can teach myself with (all the classes around my area ended already) and a welder that will do most of the work i need on my jeep. ie: unibody brace, rear long arm brackets, rear roll cage when i decide to chop the back half off. etc

for the record, i do plan on doing alot of practice before touching a welder to my jeep.

if this welder will suffice, what else should i buy to run it properly?

thanks

derek

ArloGuthroJeep
06-02-2008, 12:31 PM
Get a tank, welding with flux core wire is going to suck. Helmet, gloves, clamps.

grandmaster
06-02-2008, 12:48 PM
Get a tank, welding with flux core wire is going to suck. Helmet, gloves, clamps.

Honestly, i really like the flux core wire. Its really nice, but if you weld over the same spot it needs to be wire brushed first.

Put it this way, if your going to be doing a lot of welding outside (like not in the garage) then use the flux core, if not the gas is just going to get blown away. If inside, either will work, i think its just preference.

ATL ZJ
06-02-2008, 12:51 PM
We're getting ahead of ourselves by jumping into the MIG vs. flux core discussion. In my experience, the HF welders have horribly brief duty cycles. Shielding gas is irrelevant when the machine is too overheated to strike an arc.

ArloGuthroJeep
06-02-2008, 12:56 PM
Good point ATL...what kind of welder do you think you're getting for $150? If you're looking for a cheaper welder to practice on hit up craigslist and find one on there. A lot of people will sell their entire set up (welder/tank/mask/etc...) so you can get it all at once from them. Getting a cheap welder makes it A LOT harder to learn welding IMHO. I practiced on a 110 flux core welder about a year ago and my welds were embaressingly horrible. I am using a Miller 212 now and right off the bat my welds are a million times better and is a ton easier to weld with.

Skyline
06-02-2008, 02:25 PM
No. It's Chinese junk. You really need to look for a 220v welder, and stick to a quality brand like Miller, Hobart, Lincoln or ESAB.

A good 110v welder will do certainly do sheet metal and other light gauge stuff, but it may not give proper penetration on anything beyond about 3/16". There are certain (very few) 110v welders that claim they can weld 1/4" steel, but that is at 20% duty cycle. That means: weld for a minute; let welder cool for 4 minutes. A decent 220v welder can weld 1/4" steel all day, (100% duty cycle). Whether 110v or 220v, MIG welders all have charts in the owners manuals that show amp output vs. duty cycle, and all tend to drop quite a bit (in terms of duty cycle) as they approach their rated capacity. Even if a 110v welder is rated for 3/16" steel, that is going to be at 20% duty cycle.

Another factor when looking for a welder is to make sure you are going to be able to power it sufficiently to do what you want to do. Few homes have 3 phase power available. In my house, my only 220 outlet is for my electric clothes dryer, and that is a 30A single phase outlet. Most of the newer welders use something called inverter technology, and at 30A, my Miller welder will put out close to 170A of output....more than enough for anything on the Jeep. Older welders take as much as double the power to produce a given output.

I found my welder on Craig's list at about 40% of new price. I would rather have a good used welder than a new Chinese junk welder. Just make sure it works....inverter based welders are often unrepairable (too expensive) if the main circuit board fails.

Derek33
06-02-2008, 03:50 PM
thanks for the advice, ill definatly put my money towards a better used setup.

you guys brought up another issue of mine. the only 220v outlets in my house are the washer/dryer and stove. is it hard to get another 220v outlet into my garage?

adam99wj
06-02-2008, 04:20 PM
shouldnt be hard to put a 220v outlet in your garage if you have a buddy that is an electrician.

Skyline
06-02-2008, 04:36 PM
thanks for the advice, ill definatly put my money towards a better used setup.

you guys brought up another issue of mine. the only 220v outlets in my house are the washer/dryer and stove. is it hard to get another 220v outlet into my garage?
I will do that eventually, but for me, this is a very difficult proposition, (requiring difficult routing within the house and excavation outside), due to the location of my detached garage vs. my circuit panel.

So I just made a 110 ft heavy duty extension chord, and this works fine.

ArloGuthroJeep
06-02-2008, 05:11 PM
Just make a 220v extension cord. I made a 50ft one and ended up costing around $90 for some 6 gauge...PLENTY beefy:)

Derek33
06-04-2008, 03:05 PM
what about arc welders.

they appear to be overall cheaper then mig welders. i see 220v arc welders in good condition for around 200.

is arc welding reletivly the same? easier, harder? still make a strong weld?

CrawlerReady
06-04-2008, 03:15 PM
ARC welding is harder to get the hang of, but once you know what you're doing, then there's nothing to it. I would recommend a MIG/Flux welder to anyone who is starting out. ARC welding (depending on the welder/rod you use) will also usually penetrate deeper into the metal (making a stronger weld), but if you are just going to be using this welder to be building bumpers/sliders etc. then a MIG/Flux would suit you best.

piku303
06-04-2008, 03:17 PM
save you money to buy a powerful enough welder. this is way underpowered for 3/16 or 1/4. i wish i had bought a more powerful one to begin with.

CrawlerReady
06-04-2008, 03:29 PM
http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentdatasheet.aspx?p=42422

This one is the MIG/Flux welder I use....works great. I think I paid around $650 for it after taxes and all.

Derek33
06-04-2008, 05:21 PM
do you use gas when you weld with that lincoln? ive heard mixed reviews about gas vs non gas.

CrawlerReady
06-04-2008, 05:31 PM
I mostly just use flux cored wire. Mostly because I weld outside a lot and I wire brush the welds before I paint anyways. When I weld exhaust I use the gas, along with when I welded my cage in. But everything else (ie bumpers, sliders) I just use flux wire. When it comes to welding on the d-ring tabs on bumpers, I always ARC those and the frame mounts because I want the deeper penetration.

CurtP
06-05-2008, 07:53 AM
In my experience, the HF welders have horribly brief duty cycles.

10% - 15% duty cycle, depending on model. That's what they list as their duty cycles, but they're being overly generous. I think they're generous on their amperage too.

K2
06-08-2008, 10:28 AM
do you use gas when you weld with that lincoln? ive heard mixed reviews about gas vs non gas.

You use different gas for different metals not welders. I am guessing you are only doing steel so 90% argon 10% CO2 will work fine. 100% argon should do to.

CrawlerReady
06-08-2008, 01:26 PM
I'd recommend 75/25 mix. 75% argon and 25% CO2. It's even what my Lincoln welder recommends ;)

Derek33
08-13-2008, 11:32 AM
Instead of making a new thread i figured I'd bring this one back up.

My buddy bought a 120amp 110volt lincoln welder from sears and I've been practicing on that using flux core wire. So far I'm pretty happy with a flux core setup for the time being, I can always get a tank later.

I'm still aiming at a 220v welder so I don't have to worry about duty cycle or strength.

The question i have is still about the 110-115 volt welders. In the 115 volt category, whats the difference between say a Lincoln 120amp vs the 140 amp besides the 20 amps and the 200 bucks or so.

BLK97ZJ
08-13-2008, 09:57 PM
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=256723-1703-K2481-1&lpage=none
I have the older 175 220v and it works fine for everything i've ever had to do. I use flux-core a lot more then mig, it just seems like it burns in better.

Mtn WJ
08-28-2008, 11:34 AM
Instead of making a new thread i figured I'd bring this one back up.

My buddy bought a 120amp 110volt lincoln welder from sears and I've been practicing on that using flux core wire. So far I'm pretty happy with a flux core setup for the time being, I can always get a tank later.

I'm still aiming at a 220v welder so I don't have to worry about duty cycle or strength.

The question i have is still about the 110-115 volt welders. In the 115 volt category, whats the difference between say a Lincoln 120amp vs the 140 amp besides the 20 amps and the 200 bucks or so.


The 135/140 Lincolns are much better than the 100/120s and worth the 200 bucks if you want to stay with 110. I have had both sizes and think the smaller one is a toy compared to the 135s. I still have the 135 and got it to work on my old truck in garages away from my own home. No guarantees of 220 v in other words. It does pretty good up to 1/4 inch and is a great welder for body work as the tips are smaller. There are a lot of guys that like this series because of the tip size. Many guys that do inside cages use these for that very reason.