That should get a 'conversation'
started!
I hope to buy something better someday, but for now it was a cheap way to try MIG welding and make some repairs. I feel it has already paid for itself.That should get a 'conversation'
Actually I have the 120V/90amp HF mig and I've done a few decent repair projects with it. After a little experience I'm convinced this model is what they use in China to cobble together all the sloppy-welded bookshelves etc for Walmart and Target. It is sufficient for this kind of work but only within a limited range of projects. It seemed to have a very narrow range between insufficient penetration and burn-through. Aside from the limitation of low power, its AC arc and flux-only operation will always spatter more than a DC shielded-gas welder.
Then more recently I bought a used 120V Century 135 mig welder, and use it with flux wire. It adjusts through a broader range than the HF welder did, and the DC spatters less. I like it a lot better than the HF welder. It feels like I can tune it in better to match what I need, a lot better than the HF's hi/lo heat adjustment that never matched the project.
I'm still curious how the Clarke/Forney 110v welder compares to this Century.
That should get a 'conversation'
Actually I have the 120V/90amp HF mig and I've done a few decent repair projects with it. After a little experience I'm convinced this model is what they use in China to cobble together all the sloppy-welded bookshelves etc for Walmart and Target. It is sufficient for this kind of work but only within a limited range of projects. It seemed to have a very narrow range between insufficient penetration and burn-through. Aside from the limitation of low power, its AC arc and flux-only operation will always spatter more than a DC shielded-gas welder.
Then more recently I bought a used 120V Century 135 mig welder, and use it with flux wire. It adjusts through a broader range than the HF welder did, and the DC spatters less. I like it a lot better than the HF welder. It feels like I can tune it in better to match what I need, a lot better than the HF's hi/lo heat adjustment that never matched the project.
I'm still curious how the Clarke/Forney 110v welder compares to this Century.
That should get a 'conversation'
Actually I have the 120V/90amp HF mig and I've done a few decent repair projects with it. After a little experience I'm convinced this model is what they use in China to cobble together all the sloppy-welded bookshelves etc for Walmart and Target. It is sufficient for this kind of work but only within a limited range of projects. It seemed to have a very narrow range between insufficient penetration and burn-through. Aside from the limitation of low power, its AC arc and flux-only operation will always spatter more than a DC shielded-gas welder.
Then more recently I bought a used 120V Century 135 mig welder, and use it with flux wire. It adjusts through a broader range than the HF welder did, and the DC spatters less. I like it a lot better than the HF welder. It feels like I can tune it in better to match what I need, a lot better than the HF's hi/lo heat adjustment that never matched the project.
I'm still curious how the Clarke/Forney 110v welder compares to this Century.
That must be what PG&E used for their San Bruno gas main.
Bob, I am really hoping you were just kidding about that!
Yeah James...just trying to stir things back up....LOL
Give us some details on wire size, feed, speed, technique, etc... please. Looks pretty **** good to me but I know, pretty isn't what we are after.Boy I leave for a few days and the forum grinds to a halt. This is no good for the forum advertisers. I'll do what I can to stir things up.
Here's a 120volt weld on 3/8" steel, 60 degree bevel. It's two passes. That's a 1/4" bolt for scale.
I have a 20T press but don't have any fixtures to bend it. Probably can whip something up, but do you think a guy with a 120V welder can actually construct a bending fixture that won't injure forum members in 3 adjacent counties?
Thanks Sodo... that is pretty much what I was looking for. As I understand it, reducing wire speed makes the joint 'hotter' as well as increasing voltage.
