First off,
if you are here to bash on the welder, please leave.

im tryin to be informative and help people out, constructive critism is welcome, but please dont hate
thanks


first off let me say,
i know this isnt the nicest welder out.
i know it wont do anything real heavy.
but,
i bought this welder to make myself a downpipe, and to weld my Kteller.com exhaust i will be ordering tomorrow, not to build a cage, or build a tube chasis.


here is the deal:

ok, so i got a pretty good deal on a harbor frieght welder.
i got the 115 volt version (since my townhouse doesnt have 220 .. even in the garage... yet )
here is a link to the one i have:
http://www.harborfreight.com/c...=6098

i have added a 55 cu. ft. tank of 75% argon/25% C02
with the regulator set at ~ 15
a 12 lb spool of .023 wire (not sure what kind. i told the guy i would be doin mostly mild steel and this is what he brought me)

so far here is my total:
welder - $150 with a 2 year warranty (dont ask )
bottle plus first fill - $105
regulator - $75
wire - $38


i hooked everything up and tested it out on a piece of 1/8 flat stock from home depot.
i grinded it down to try and clean it off alittle, not even sure if im doin that right
then i went to town

i decided to do a few tests, maybe it will help someone out
but, to my defense, this is my second time welding IN MY LIFE (the first time my friend stopped me and took over

here is what i did:


here are a few different angles if it helps:






once i get some old piping, i will practice on that and post it up


i was wondering what some of the more experienced weldors thought about this welder so far.
do you think it is good enough to build myself a DP and maybe redo my charge piping?
is there any other tests that i can do to help anyone out?

thanks in advance

 

You will be able to make a downpipe and exhaust with the welder, might not be the prettiest but def. will work. My advice buy a grinding wheel, tools along this nature to help make the finished product better look better done. Just play around with it and practice welding pipes together. Good luck.

 

I built my downpipe and charge piping using a hf mig welder and is still holding together fine. Make sure you use a flexpipe though.

For the price, the harbor freight mig is perfect for small projects.

 

thanks for your input.

i have a 4" grinder,
i used it to "prep" the piece above.

are you talking about grinding down the weld once it is finished?
i would have done this but i would have defeted what i was tryin to do

also, i know it isnt gonna look like a full race, or peak boost tig weld. i just want it to do its job and hols stuff together

i would rather have a ugly down pipe built by me then pay someone $300 for a prefabed one

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TurBros &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> might not be the prettiest but def. will work.</TD></TR></TABLE>

are you sayin that the welds look bad compared to other migs, or they look bad compared to a TIG weld?
i think the later isnt a fare comparison.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by llewsirc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
so far here is my total:
welder - $150 with a 2 year warranty (dont ask )
bottle plus first fill - $105
regulator - $75
wire - $38
</TD></TR></TABLE>

total $368. personally, i would have gotten a used lincoln 100 for 100-200 (or 350$ new), and 100$ tank, so 200-300$ total used, or $450 new. it's the reliability in the long run i would be paying for.

well it seems to be working for you and for others, not sure for how long, but good luck. how much was the extra warranty?

 

Does the "C" motion help at all with making the weld better/stronger? If nothing else, it's a good start at mocking a TIG weld in appearance

 

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

total $368. personally, i would have gotten a used lincoln 100 for 100-200 (or 350$ new), and 100$ tank, so 200-300$ total used, or $450 new. it's the reliability in the long run i would be paying for.

well it seems to be working for you and for others, not sure for how long, but good luck. how much was the extra warranty?</TD></TR></TABLE>

i wasnt able to find anything used in my area.

i believe the extra warranty was ~ $25.00 for 2 years.
worst case scenerio i bring it in and get a new one every 2 years.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by FastCougar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Does the "C" motion help at all with making the weld better/stronger? If nothing else, it's a good start at mocking a TIG weld in appearance </TD></TR></TABLE>

i was reading somewhere that you can use a "C" motion and it is supposed to make it stronger.
especailly since i am using .023 wire.

i should be getting so odl pipe this week,
ill cut it up and weld it back together, maybe post pics...