Welder .

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Im going to pick up a welder this weekend over at harbor freight and i was wonder if this welder will do what i want . [ which is make frames ]
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=98871
Is it strong enough to weld frames ??

 

[Kenny_McCormic]

Just get a nice mask and good name brand fluxcore wire. It will work great for frames.

 

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Okay cool . So ill be picking this up maybe tomorrow . Next project : Mini chopper >=]

 

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Sorry for double posting but now im wondering . The arc and MIG is the same price which one is better ? I have never touched a welderin my life soo take that into consideration . heres the link for the MIG:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=98871
Heres the link for the ARC:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=98870

 

[newrider3]

MIG is a bit easier to learn to run. Also no worrying about rods sticking/going bad.

 

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Yeah i was leaning more towards MIG but i wasnt too sure and before i bought something i want to know what you guys would think

 

[rmkrider1]

That welder is not a "mig" welder. Mig stands for metal inert gas. I see they call it a mig 100 but thats just misleading. It's just a flux core wirefeed. I would say spend a little more money and get one that allows the use of gas. You may not need it right now but it's always nice to have the option

 

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I really didnt want to go with gas cause of our No space problem . If that wasnt the problem then i wouldve but i would like to stick with electric.

 

[rmkrider1]

The gas is a shielding gas for running different kinds of wire. You will find with the flux core wire that you get tons of spatter...Use solid wire and the proper shielding gas (with the same machine if the option is available) and voila no spatter (maybe a little

 

[rmkrider1]

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100596739

There is a good starter machine but you can find cheaper no name brands for less $$$$ Just wanted to show what I was talking about

If you're still set on getting a harbor freight machine look around online for coupons. There's usually a 15-20 percent off coupon available.

 

[rmkrider1]

Sorry, Just checked out the HF machine again 10% duty cycle If you're not familiar with that term it's rated in 10 min intervals. So in every 10 minutes you can weld for 1 minute and let the machine cool for 9 minutes. I think that rating was at 80 amps and the duty cycle goes up if you're running less amps

 

[Explicit Error]

Sorry, Just checked out the HF machine again 10% duty cycle If you're not familiar with that term it's rated in 10 min intervals. So in every 10 minutes you can weld for 1 minute and let the machine cool for 9 minutes. I think that rating was at 80 amps and the duty cycle goes up if you're running less amps

Thats badd . So what do you guys think i should go with . Can i see some links of what you think would be good for me .
Thank you for all your help guys i really appreciate it .

 

[modelengineer]

In your budget, and space restrictions, arc welding would be better. Arc welds are stronger than mig welds, but they require a lot more practice to get right. You will also need a wire brush and a chipping hammer (pointed hammer).

 

[Explicit Error]

In your budget, and space restrictions, arc welding would be better. Arc welds are stronger than mig welds, but they require a lot more practice to get right. You will also need a wire brush and a chipping hammer (pointed hammer).

Sounds good then . Thats what i would doo .

 

[Kenny_McCormic]

Those little arc welders wont run anywhere near full power on 110, you're better off buying a used 230amp buzzbox for the same price.

 

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You guys are confusing me . Half of you say buy em . Half of you say dont . Would the "MIG" do the job ? Weld frames ?

 

[rmkrider1]

In your budget, and space restrictions, arc welding would be better. Arc welds are stronger than mig welds, but they require a lot more practice to get right. You will also need a wire brush and a chipping hammer (pointed hammer).

This may be good advice to go with the arc welder but the comment about the welds being stronger is simply not true.
For instance a good easy stick rod to run is 6010,6011 and 6013 which are all 60,000 lbs tensile strength. The very common wire that most run in a mig machine is er70S-2 or er70S-6 both of which are 70,000 lbs. We won't even get into dual shield

There are stronger strength stick rods like 7018,8018 and 10018. 7018 is a common rod but even still the vague comment that arc weld are stronger then mig welds is misleading
If you decide to go with a stick welder I would make sure to get an ac/dc machine

 

[rmkrider1]

Whats your budget for a machine? Do you have 220 power available?

 

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220 power in not available and my budget : under $150

 

[rmkrider1]

If you can't find a good used machine on craigslist in your area and with your budget and proposed use in mind, I would say go with the "mig"