Welders

[Shaun]

I have searched and searched, and found nothing. I want to weld mainly steel brake line and tubing. I want it on the cheap under $250. I also want to get it from harbor freight. I'm just not sure what kind of welder I want. I would prefer to not have to mess with a whole lot of gas. and I definitely want a wire feed.

 

[Thorsteenster]

Did you search here? Theres been a few threads I can think of with people looking for cheap welders. Bottom line is, you buy a cheap welder, you get a cheap welder. Some things you shouldn't go cheap on.

 

[Shaun]

I expect to get a cheap welder. I know "you get what you pay for" But I don't have 500-800 to spend on a welder. I probably wont use it more than a couple times a month.

 

[Thorsteenster]

Even using it a couple of times a month, I've used my welder less that that but am very happy I spent the 400, I think, when I've gone and used it on a variety of welding chores I wouldn't have been able too with the cheaper one. Save another 100 or 2, better pay a little more now than have to buy another machine later.

 

[Coss71]

You might want to try looking at Northern Tool.
They have some decent stuff there at pretty fair prices.

And since you said you don't want to mess with gas, look at some of the flux core welders. I don't know how good of a welder you are. Flux core does have some drawbacks.

 

[Reflection]

IMHO,Miller is the best in the business. Miller makes the Hobarts welders. They are very nice units and a bit cheaper than an actual Miller.

If your doing little stuff,like you mentioned,welding without argon is a ROYAL pain the the butt. You'll have MORE cleanup and the welds will look like horse pucky.

MIG welding with the gas is IMHO,the best and easiest way to learn how to weld. I wouldn't settle for anything less than Hobarts smallest 110 welder. I think their small unit is a 145 amp now. Back when I bought mine,theior small one was a 135 amp. Small unit but can be VERY handy at fixing things and small projects. I welded nearly everything on my Toyota trail rig with it. Spring perches/hangers,cross members and everything up to the EXO cage and it worked great. A few things I built were made out of 1/2" and thicker and a buddy of mine welded those with his 300 amp Miller.

Lincoln welders,IMHO,are trash.






That being said,if you want to buy one for RC stuff,your better off brazing it....Unless you wanna buy a TIG machine. You'd be set then.

 

[Reflection]

And since you said you don't want to mess with gas, look at some of the flux core welders. I don't know how good of a welder you are. Flux core does have some drawbacks.

Flux core burns hotter......more heat with the little stuff is a bad thing"thumbsup"

 

[john alardin]

Shaun, I would have to agree with the majority of the postings above mine. I have a Century 100 fluxcore (gasless) welder, which is similar to what you can find at Harbor F., and while I love its simplicity, I have found that my welds do indeed (especially without a ton of practice) often look like 'horse puckey', but when I would weld on the same type/size of metal with a Miller MIG, it actually looked all right. The weld strength has been great on thick stuff, don't get me wrong, but on thin stuff, it has been iffy. Flux wire is harder to find in thinner diameters, which is what you want (and probably need) to weld thin stuff, like brake line. But, you don't have to worry about the wind blowing the gas off of the weld, leaving them vulnerable to contamination. I have heard of people having good results with welding torch sets and some practice. Go down to the welding shop of your local high school and try out both types, then see which one you like. I hope this was of help to you.

 

[Shaun]

What about this welder? I know its one of the cheapos, but I'm just looking at one that will last a few years and I can get the hang of welding.

 

[Thorsteenster]

No link.

Raptorman, what don't you like about the Lincolns? I got a Weld-Pak 100 and I love it, also got the gas kit for MIG welding. I've had it now for about 5 years I guess.

 

[Shaun]

Here is the link.


http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=94164

 

[Reflection]

No link.

Raptorman, what don't you like about the Lincolns? I got a Weld-Pak 100 and I love it, also got the gas kit for MIG welding. I've had it now for about 5 years I guess.

How many spools have you put through it?

The drive system in those especially,IMHO,is garbage. My old boss bought one to fix thing with on the job site. Since I was the only employee that could weld,I did all the repairs. I spent more time working on the piece of junk than I did welding with it.

Dads got a old school Lincoln arc welder. I'll have to admit,other than making allot of noise,it works pretty good. Lincoln MIG welders,are IMHO....garbage.

I've known several guys to buy Lincoln MIGs only to take them back or sell them and buy a Miller.

 

[Reflection]

Here is the link.


http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=94164

I wouldn't buy it. IMHO,a welder like that is for the guy that wants to weld a shovel back together once a year and maybe weld some rebar together to jerry rig a gate or something. If it's used a few times a year,it might last a while. It's probably only rated up to 3/16" stuff at most. Nearly all the little 110 welders will only weld up to 3/16" on a single pass.

Although it may work....How long is the question.

Who builds the drive system for it? Can you get parts for it when the rollers wear and things start giving out? If you buy a Hobart or a Miller,your getting good quality stuff and parts are easily had.

IMHO,a welder is an investment. Buy a good'n and you'll have it the rest of your life.

 

[NeoNeoN]

I would have to agree that Miller makes the better MIG welder, but I have to lean towards the Lincoln for arc. I do alot of repair work in different manufacturing plants that MIG heavy weldments and I see alot more blue than red. When it comes to getting a welder also consider the availability of consumables. It may cost more now, but it may pay for itself in the long run.

 

[Thorsteenster]

How many spools have you put through it?
The drive system in those especially,IMHO,is garbage. My old boss bought one to fix thing with on the job site. Since I was the only employee that could weld,I did all the repairs. I spent more time working on the piece of junk than I did welding with it.
Dads got a old school Lincoln arc welder. I'll have to admit,other than making allot of noise,it works pretty good. Lincoln MIG welders,are IMHO....garbage.
I've known several guys to buy Lincoln MIGs only to take them back or sell them and buy a Miller.

Great, I guess I haven't use it enough then, it hasn't even seen 3 pounds yet. Oh well, I guess as long as I never use a Miller I won't know.
:lol:
Really though I rarely use it so it may not make much of a difference. I've had it now for about 6 years.

 

[Reflection]

Great, I guess I haven't use it enough then, it hasn't even seen 3 pounds yet. Oh well, I guess as long as I never use a Miller I won't know.
:lol:
Really though I rarely use it so it may not make much of a difference. I've had it now for about 6 years.

:lol: not even 3 pounds .....in 6 years? :lol:

I haven't welded as much in the last 6-8 months,probably 15-20 pounds of wire total. Before then,I'd use up 5-6 pounds of wire per month. During the year and a half I was building my Toyota,I probably went through 7-8 pounds plus a month.:lol:

I've done allot of side work with it. Building things for my boss and things to work with,building things for friends and family,a few trailers and countless bumpers and stuff for trail rigs.

I've owned it for nearly 8 years and it still works like a champ. Like any MIG welder will need though,I've replaced the liner a few times. It's even been struck by lightning.:lol: That blew one of the relays on the board...fixed that and it's like new.

 

[Thorsteenster]

:lol: not even 3 pounds .....in 6 years? :lol:

What can I say, I'm an SOB, not an SOW.
Son Of a Brick layer. :lol:
Now that I have a small shed/shop, I want to start playing with making scale frames, roll bars, cages, and a tuber or two. If I start using it more I'll probably look at a better unit if it starts being too much of a pain. I like that mine is 110 and easily portable but still handles a range of jobs, although I'm sure Miller has a comparable model.

 

[Reflection]

I've been a brick/block mason for the last 8 years. BTW,I'm a SOT.(Son of a truckdriver):lol:

 

[Chris Madden]

get a miller it will out live you with welders you get what you pay. make sure if you get a mig you can run 75/25 not just flux core!

 

[Chris Madden]

this is what I run

Me TIG welding