Hi guys,

I saw a post by another member saying that these welders can be found on ebay for as low as $80-$120. I've never welded before and I hacen't really thought about doing my own welding. But how well would these types of welders do for a beginner like me that wants to fab up turbo exhausts, and some downpipe and dumptube work.

Will this type of welder be good enough to weld small wastegate flanges and O2 sensor bungs? I gotta go to work, but when I get back I'll see what you all have to say, and I'll also check out the recent topics and archives.

Here are the welders I'm looking at:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...&rd=1


Thanks

 

i have a harbor frieght m-100 (flux cored) welder that i use for exhausts. i basically use it to transport around to do exhausts. its fine for exhausts if you know how to weld. practice helps alot. but thats about all you can do with flux cored unless your very good. exhaust manifolds need a gas mig (or tig) with very, very good penitration so it lasts the heat cycles. i have done IC piping, and exhausts. as for the dump tube, if your fairly good it will work. but i HIGHLY suggest spending more money and get a gas mig. hell, a cheap gas mig is 180.00 at harbor frieght.

 

u get what u pay for.

in this case. crap.

i will never touch a ******* flux core ever again. welds have crap penetration, spatter, and look like ***.

 

90DALS,

I was talking to a coworker that knows a lot about welding (he has a degree in welding). We went over types of welders and stuff, and he bought up flux core and gas MIG's. When you say gas mig you are referring to the welders that use Co2 or Argon as a shielding gas right? And flux cores are different, because they dont use a shielding gas but instead use a wire feed with flux in it?

Anyways, time for me to check out the archives and see what I can learn. I might have my friend do my DP, DT and O2 sensor bung for me this time. But I might get my own prtable gas MIG and learn how to weld so I can maybe do my own full exhaust later on.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BlueShadow &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">90DALS,

I was talking to a coworker that knows a lot about welding (he has a degree in welding). We went over types of welders and stuff, and he bought up flux core and gas MIG's. When you say gas mig you are referring to the welders that use Co2 or Argon as a shielding gas right? And flux cores are different, because they dont use a shielding gas but instead use a wire feed with flux in it?

Anyways, time for me to check out the archives and see what I can learn. I might have my friend do my DP, DT and O2 sensor bung for me this time. But I might get my own prtable gas MIG and learn how to weld so I can maybe do my own full exhaust later on.</TD></TR></TABLE>

yea, flux core uses no gas

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by shortyz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i will never touch a ******* flux core ever again. welds have crap penetration, spatter, and look like ***.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Although the flux core on these small mig machines is pretty crappy, the dualshield type that uses flux and gas....it can look great. I wish I had thought to take pics of it on at least one of the many times I'd used it. For flat welding, it is hard to beat. It is even very easy to teach a beginner.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Engloid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Although the flux core on these small mig machines is pretty crappy, the dualshield type that uses flux and gas....it can look great. I wish I had thought to take pics of it on at least one of the many times I'd used it. For flat welding, it is hard to beat. It is even very easy to teach a beginner.</TD></TR></TABLE>

yes, that is the welder im buying in a couple months, its a dual gas/flux welder 180.00

 

sorry for the hijack but which welder are you guys talking about from harbor freight that costs 180?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 90DALS &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

yes, that is the welder im buying in a couple months, its a dual gas/flux welder 180.00</TD></TR></TABLE>
Just to make sure it's clear to everybody here...

There's 3 types of wire.
1) GMAW (MIG) - requires gas, but has no flux
2) FCAW- Has flux core, but requires no gas
3) another flux cored wire- requires gas. This is called dual shield. It benefits from flux and gas.

technically, the dual shield is still considered flux core....or at least it was in all the welding procedure specifications at every place I've ever worked.

 

Hey guys,

I might go to Harbor Frieght sometime soon and look at these flux wire and dual flux/gasMIG welders.

Just a quick question though, for the ones that use gas how much does it cost on average to refill these things with gas (whichever gas is most common). Also how long would a typical tank last? I guess there are different sizes, but just a quick guesstimate is all I'm looking for. And where can I get these things refilled at? other welder shops, ACE hardware, etc?

TIA

 

Hey again guys,

I think in a few days I'm gonna pick up this welder that is in stock at my loca Harbor Freight. It's not a name brand that I hear you guys mentioning all the time like Miller or Lincoln. But I'm hoping that I can use this one to do my DP and exhaust work

So what do you guys think of THIS ONE?

Also from the looks of it it has everything I need except for the gas tanks. I dont know what size tanks they have but I want one that I can transport in my CRX. The tank would have to have enough gas to allow me to weld up say a full exhaust system without refilling. This probably will depend on somebodies skill level but lets assume the person doing the welding is of average skill level. What size tank would I want to get?

Thanks

 

Cheap FCAW welders do make crappy welds, but I used one for over a year and it gave me its money worth. The trick is just to weld away from the wire, so that the burnt flux doesn't seriously contaminate the weld. I upgraded to a GMAW welder and like it a lot more, but I would still recommend that anyone who wants to weld together an exhaust, but doesn't have a lot of money, go ahead and use a cheap FCAW welder.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by shortyz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">u get what u pay for.

in this case. crap.

i will never touch a ******* flux core ever again. welds have crap penetration, spatter, and look like ***.

</TD></TR></TABLE>
ummmm.. yeah, I agree...

However, if you have ever tried the "dualshield" fluxcore, that uses gas and flux core wire, it can put some really nice welds down. I don't know if they make that type of wire for these small mig machines though.

It's noticable that the machines in the ebay auctions posted, doesn't even mention a duty cycle. Odds are it's very low, or they'd want to put it in the ad.

Guys....think about it. Just try getting a shop to bend up the metal that machine is housed in, and you will be in more than the cost of those complete machines!!! Surely you don't expect to get much of a machine inside it.

I also would reccomend comming off the extra cash for the Hobart with gas ability. You will not regret it.

 

Wassup guys,

I was planning on going to Harbor Freight this afternoon, but I changed my mind at teh last minute. So I didn't pick up that dual MIG welder, so I just browsed the HF catalogs instead. I found this other Chicago Electrics welder which says it can do both Flux and MIg welding, but it looks like it's not a dual MIG. From my understanding the dual MIG can be Flux/ gas or both correct? and the other one listed can only do flux or gas and not both.

So I guess if I could get your guys opinion on which one would be suited for me that would be great. The Flux/MIG is about $30-$40 less then the dual MIG, so that's a plus. Also keep in mind that Ive never welded before so I would want a rig that is pretty easy to figure out. The dual MIG isn't that much harder to use right? to weld with the dual MIG with gas and flux wire, it's jus a matter of using flux core wire instead of regular wire right?

Here are the two Chicago Electric systems I'm looking at. I also need to know which one can be used at home. I believe both of these are 110V systems which can be plugged into any household outlet right?

DUAL MIG
http://www.harborfreight.com/c...=6271

FLUX AND MIG
http://www.harborfreight.com/c...=6098

 

The first one is a 220v and is cabable of 120 amps versus 87 of the regular 110v welder. I would like to hear the review of someone who has actually used one of these harbor freight welders WITH GAS. I have heard plenty of review on their cheap flux cores but not on any of the true migs. I need a welder for just a few projects and its definatley not worth spending 400 plus to me, if that was the case I would just rent one or something. But if one of these would get the job done okay I would be happy. I have used a buddys hobart handler 135 and with flux it was not much if any better than a cheap fluxcore, but with gas it did 10 times better, I have never used a cheap gas so but if can come halfway close I would be happy.

 

Hey guys,


I went ahead and picked up THIS welder. I didn't bother with getting a Chicago Electric dual MIG or flux/mig setup. Hopefully the flux core rig will be good enough to weld up my downpipe and dumptube. If I want to get serious about welding then maybe I'll pick up a Hobart handler 135 from Harbor Freight.

I wanna start learning how to weld right away. I have a spare piece of 2.5" SS pipe laying here. I figure I could use that instead of buying some SS plates to practice on. When I first practice should I try to make beads on the surface without breaking through? I'll also read the manual to learn the basics of welding like how to hold the torch and stuff.

One last thing too, when I weld do you guys have any advice on safety? like what footwear, and what type material gloves I should get clothes and stuff? I'll probably have to get a leather apron and a full face auto-tinting welding helmet, but I want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

EDIT: also, what type of flux wire do I need to weld mild steel to SS? THIS is what came with my welder. Will it also work for SS to mild steel?

thanks

 

hey guys,

Just posting to say that I hooked up my flux core welder and spent about 5 minutes going nuts on a piece of pipe. I wasn't really trying to lay a bead or anything. I just wanted to get a feel for it. This will be my first time welding so I have a lot of practice ahead of me. I just wanted to hook it up and spend a few minutes playing with it.

It was pretty funny...when I first turned it on and tried creating an arc I flinched. It took me two tries to make an arc that lasted. When the arc stayed continous I just sat there laughing and grinning like a fool and going back and forth with the torch.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BlueShadow &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hey guys,

Just posting to say that I hooked up my flux core welder and spent about 5 minutes going nuts on a piece of pipe. I wasn't really trying to lay a bead or anything. I just wanted to get a feel for it. This will be my first time welding so I have a lot of practice ahead of me. I just wanted to hook it up and spend a few minutes playing with it.

It was pretty funny...when I first turned it on and tried creating an arc I flinched. It took me two tries to make an arc that lasted. When the arc stayed continous I just sat there laughing and grinning like a fool and going back and forth with the torch.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

I dunno what your trying to do, but start cutting stuff apart and try welding that together. Pratice for the job you are trying to do

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PhatAcuraIntegra &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I dunno what your trying to do, but start cutting stuff apart and try welding that together. Pratice for the job you are trying to do</TD></TR></TABLE>

That post is over two months old. I have since returned the Harbor Freight flux core welder and replced it with a Hobart Handler 140. After a little practicing I managed to lay down some nice beads with the HH140.

 

lol

 

even if it is two months old, I could probably **** a bead that comes out cleaner than that.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PhatAcuraIntegra &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">even if it is two months old, I could probably **** a bead that comes out cleaner than that.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I was not even attempting to make a bead, so why were you even critiquing it? Nowhere in that post do you see me asking what people thought about the welds in the pic? I didn't ask anyone to tell me what they thought about the welds? I was just "showing off". But anyways, thanks for the advice about practicing for the job I'm doing. Unfortunately a friend if mine already gave me that same advice two months ago...which was roughly the same time that picture was posted.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hey guys,

Just posting to say that I hooked up my flux core welder and spent about 5 minutes going nuts on a piece of pipe.<FONT SIZE="5"> I wasn't really trying to lay a bead or anything. I just wanted to get a feel for it.</FONT> This will be my first time welding so I have a lot of practice ahead of me. I just wanted to hook it up and spend a few minutes playing with it.

It was pretty funny...when I first turned it on and tried creating an arc I flinched. It took me two tries to make an arc that lasted. When the arc stayed continous I just sat there laughing and grinning like a fool and going back and forth with the torch.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

I looking to learn to weld. Can I ask why you chose the hobart 140 over 135?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by shortyz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
i will never touch a ******* flux core ever again. welds have crap penetration, spatter, and look like ***.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

You can get good penetration out of a flux core machine, you just gotta know how to weld with it. And yes you can get some decent welds also with a flux core welder.

 

this is a good post by the way i've been looking through this welding fab forum for some time now and been trying to investigate what kind or what is best for a first timer welding machine to get i. i bought a Lincoln welding with + / - about 1 month ago and its welding nothing compare to what i heard the mig or tigs. please need some advise on a new mig or tig machine to buy.