Guest bang847 Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 Hey guys.. my question is about welders. first.. i dont know how to weld.. second... wanna learn.. anyways I saw harbor freight had some wire feed welders for cheap... it was like 140? for a flux core welder.. question is... are those chicago electric stuff any good? is that some thing good to learn on? any suggestions greatly appreciated... Oh also i bought a Sears 50 amp carbon Arc welder but I cant figure out how to use it... i seem to always plant that rod and short it... I wanna maybe start with some exhaust work?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeromio Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 Try a search on welder in Misc. Tech or maybe Non Tech. This has been discussed before and there are a few threads with lots of info and opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 I cannot stress enough how much BETTER mig welding with gas (75/25 Argon) is. Flux Core welders are OK for light duty sheetmetal work, but most people I know use a good gas mix for a proper burn and good penetration control. I use a Lincoln SP125 that I bought new for $500. It had NO bottle with it and that cost me an additional $115 filled with my gas preference. A couple of other companies make this same TYPE welder with the same features (Hobart is one) for less, around $375-425 through Northern Tools. My recommendation is to save up your money until you can do it right! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aaron Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 I absolutely agree that you want to go MIG with gas. I am a very amature welder, but I have used both a stick welder and a MIG, and cannot express how much easier it is to get a quality weld with a MIG. i seem to always plant that rod and short it... What I try to do when using a stick is lightly scrape the rod across the work until the arc starts. Then you have to hold the tip of the stick at a constant height from the work. If you get too close, the rod will stick like is happening to you. If you get to far away, it will get too hot. It takes time and patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 Bang, I have a Chicago Electric unit from HF. It has the capability to weld flux core or with gas. I haven't yet gotten the gas setup and have done ALL the welding so far with flux core wire. Mike is correct that welding with gas gives superior results, but I have had no problems with the gasless setup. It takes some finessing when welding thin (stock Z) material, but with practice it comes out ok. The Chicago Electric welder of mine has performed admirably. I only had one problem, the IC board blew when I was doing some very high amp welding on my subframe connectors. HF had the part in stock. The only issue may be when they don't have stock. The welders are made in Italy, so part orders can take forever!! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 Just don't get a Craftsman MIG welder! If you search back to last year or so, you'll see how mine died and how I waited 4 months for a part and then had it blow the IC board on me 3 days later. It may have still been under the second warranty but I was in a hurry to do my floors and cage so I fixed it myself, with a sledgehammer! I now have a Hobart using a gas setup, it's so much easier than using the flux core! As for learning, just sign up for a welding class at your local college, it's the easiest way to learn. You'll probably start with oxy gas welding, stick, and then to MIG. Owen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted February 26, 2002 Share Posted February 26, 2002 Owen, that`s hillarious I guess it/you couldn`t handle the pressure. When it comes to welders I feel the bigger the better. I picked up a snap on ya212 230 amp 230volt mig w/ the bottle for 700.bucks This thing will weld damn near anything. The cooling fan alone is bigger than the craftsman welder(pre-sledghammered) and for anything that can`t handle I have two lincoln 230 ac/dc stick welders, one for the farm and one for the garage. I do still have a 110 flux core welder that I use for small things at the farm. I think all of these welders have their place. But I`ll make any excuse to buy another tool "GOD I LOVE TOOLS" <and this guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZROSSA Posted February 26, 2002 Share Posted February 26, 2002 I'm with you Denny. Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 26, 2002 Share Posted February 26, 2002 Owen..... I am still laughing at your solution on a Craftsman welder.Congratulations ....give it a few more real hard blows for me I am reeeeeally wishing I had the courage to do that to My Craftsman. I did not think that it was possible to loathe a machine tool as much as I do that CRAFTSMAN!!!!!! There was quite a thread on welders before on this site and a lot of folks were bragging about their Chicagos. Lincon ,Hobart and Miller are good. I do not think much of core flux and really prefer the argon /carbon dioxide mix gas. I have night blindness which does present problems in welding. I have to use the lightest of eye shades to see but not too light to burn my eyes. I learned to weld on an old Airco arc welder (great old machine) which sent my electric bill up 300% amonth after I mastered that skill. The little wire welders are substantially cheaper on electricity and easier to weld than arc.My first wire welder was a Lincoln that got stolen and I am still mourning that loss. I suggest you get a good mixed gas wire welder and go to town welding scrap metal.When I fire up my Craftsman, I have to practice about an hour to ascertain how it wants to weld at that particular time and what new quirk that it has developed since the last time. It is always a mystery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted February 26, 2002 Share Posted February 26, 2002 Yeah, got no quals about my Hobart Handler. At first I thought I really sucked but after getting the Hobart, I was getting that sweet MIG sound that we all love Owen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 26, 2002 Share Posted February 26, 2002 u might want to check out www.usaweld.com they seem to have a good price on there mig 120 it sells for 409.00 on sale plus u canget a auto darkening helmet for an extra 50 buck and a video on welding. the price i quoted was a sale price so u might want to email them to find a new price. it also comes with the gas regulator. and there email response was less than 24 hours. hope this helps u dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 26, 2002 Share Posted February 26, 2002 i have bought the craftsman MIG setup as well as you guys. i can't really say wether it is a good machine opr not since the weather has kept me from being able to play with it yet. even if it is a crappy macine at least i won't be out too much since i got it from a pawnshop for $125. i figure it will be a good lesson to start off learning on a crappy welder that way when i can afford a nice one i will be able to appreciate it that much more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 27, 2002 Share Posted February 27, 2002 I can only weld with the smallest diameter (.o23 ?) wire available on my Craftsman because the duty cycle is so limited that it cannot handle the "big stuff" (wire) and the temperature range is limited to only HIGH or LOW (not enuff or toooooo much) I found out they even make a worse model than mine. That engineering feat defies all imagination. I want to be A Kraftsman KIllER like "Owen" , my hero for this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted February 27, 2002 Share Posted February 27, 2002 I`ve run as big as .045 in my ya212 , but it came with some.100 tips. So apparently the guy I got it from was doing some serious welding with it. Before his divorce , He had a body shop and built e-mod and sprint car frames, I`m pretty sure this is the welder he used. I only use .023 wire for sheet metal it takes less heat,so there`s less chance off warping and burn through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JAMIE T Posted February 28, 2002 Share Posted February 28, 2002 I am a welder/metal fabricater. I use a Millermatic 250 at work and a Millermatic 130 at home. Miller has a good reputation, and more importantly, parts are available at every welding supply store in existance. I picked up my 130 welder at a discount when Miller started making the Millermatic 135(which I believe is a Hobart Handler 135 that has been dressed up in blue paint and now has more heat range adjustment) I've seen Mikelly's welds with his Lincoln, very nice welds. I would buy either Hobart, Miller, or Lincoln, these welders have the best customer support and parts availability Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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