ok, i have been interested in this for over a year now and have decided to go for it and take the classes at college. but that wont be until next semester. i cant wait that long. i was looking at this welder on harbor freight tools. it is the 90 amp flux wire welder. it doesnt require gas and it says a lot of other stuff i dont understand. here's the site: http://www.harborfreight.com/c...44567 is this a good welder so i can start practicing? i dont got that much money that is why i am looking to buy this one. i am really obsessed with exhaust. i have gone through 18 exhausts on my ef and i dont want to spend money on muffler shops and do it myself will this be a good welder for that or will i be making holes on the pipe all the time. you help will be greatly appreciated. thanks
julio

 

oh yeah i saw this one too easy mig http://www.harborfreight.com/c...33244
let me know if that one would be better.

 

bump
i wanna know too

 

hobbart mig is pretty good, it's practically miller.

 

anybody else???

 

bump

 

I have the Mig-100 right now. It is easy to use but very very messy. Although I'm a beginner, I find it difficult to make a weld look half decent. It does get the job done though. This is the welder I used to shave the door handles on my own car (not a civic) and it worked well.

 

well i want to make my own exhaust, for my buddies, strutbars you know little **** like that. i dont want to spend a **** load on something that i could have done with that machine you know? how fast would i have to weld on exhaust piping so i wont go through it and make a hole on it? i am really eager to learn how to weld and i thought this would be a good machine to start with.

 

Dude, me and brother have a welder. Mostly his, its a hobart basicly the same think you are talking about. Fluxcore wire sounds nice and stuff but the welds are not nearly as clean as those welds with wire and gas. Just my .02

 

One thing I noticed with the Mig-100 is that I can't really go fast or it won't weld anything, it will just throw splatter all over. I am not talented in the least with welding so I know I am wrong but I just haven't found the right settings for it. The heat only has 2 settings, min and max and for the wire speed it's a dial 1-10. I usually leave it on around 4-7 speed and the heat on min.

 

so the welds will never get nice? even if i practice all the time?

 

I assume after alot of practice the might be able to make some nice welds, just don't expect to pick it up and be making professional grade welds within a week.

 

nah i know, more like a year, lol. ill get one and post my progress. thanks for all your help. i am gonna go with the easy mig.

 

You might as well forget exhaust and body work with a flux core. The only thing stick welders are good for is welding thick sheets of plate. Save your money and get a millermatic. gas/wire feed. Sticks will just melt sheet metal and stainless is not really an option. Plus with hondas there are soo many bolt on options that theres no point in welding an exhaust. As for door filler. Just tacking little beads on the absolute lowest setting might work, then grind em flat and bondo them. If theres anything with welding I can help you with let me know. I've done alot, Im no pro, but I know my way around.

~Xris~

 

to get your weld looking better,just move back and forth in a 1/2 moon shape from start point to end point.

 

In regards to a PM I got that I "do not have permission to respond to" yet...


To be honost, there really isnt a way to get cheap with welders. If you sacrafice upfront you'll pay in the end. The wire feeders jam quickly. If you already have access to a stick, you can get smaller sticks but I dont know how they'll work for anything less then 10guage. The welding supply store would be best able to tell you what specific rods you'll need. Just remember that you cannot get them wet OR HUMID! Go for used. Also what I didnt realize earlier. Most welders require a 240 volt high amp feed. Circa clothing drier. Cost comparatively you'd be better off buying something then trying to make headers. buying exhaust pipe and screwing it up gets up to 15 dollars a foot for practice. If you need more specific details I can do some research for you, I hope my ramblings were somwhat of help and if you need more you can AOL me at "whowants2tuchme"

regards
~Xris~

 

its cuz my unc has a muffler shop in mexico and he does it with the old school welders, like the ones that you use a rod and he said he would get me scrap pipes he throws away so i can practice until i get good a it. he said that he could also teach me a thing or too on flux core. that is all i really wanted it for for my own exhaust and not drop a **** load of money on a welder.

 

your unc has a soft hand with the welder man. You can usually pic up cheap stick welders. practice makes perfect bro