ArlyA
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The OP was asking about getting a welder and getting into the process. Lets not over complicate it for him.
Welder Recommendations
- Thread starter tstex
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paulsharvey
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I believe about 2/3rds down, he got his brother's Linclon 140 wire feed machine. It should be a functional, if limited, machine. Nice thing, parts should be readily available, from Amazon, welding supply places, and even your TSC/Rural King/Home Depot.
Get some 0.030 Flux core, a hood, and start playing.
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I was just about out of hardfacing wire so I bought a 30 pound spool of Blue Demon ground contact wire the other day. Set me back almost 450 bucks. While I've ran 75-25 with the Lincoln wire, BD recommends 100% Argon for even single pass but no preheat. Will see how well it withstands abrasion from ground contact. Lincoln wire went through the roof. Over 600 bucks for a spool now.
paulsharvey
Elite Member
I'm divided on, "if I could only have one welding process". I'm tempted to say AC/DC stick, because it is so good in less than perfect situations, but now that I have a MIG, I almost never use the stick....
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I have them all and I use them all. The situation is what predicates what I or my employees use. You are dorrect to a point and that is, not every process is ideal for everything and I still enjoy burning rod with my Lincoln ac-dc engine drive. Something about that sound always intrigued me.
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The issue with SMAW, like flux cored wire is it's spatter intensive and that requires a lot of post weld cleanup, something we don't like to do simply because time is money and out finished products have to not only be properly welded but look good as well.
Have no issue with any process and again I like burning sticks, but again it's messy. In shop it will always be MIG or pulsed MIG or TIG. Actually, I like O/A more, but O/A welding requires skill just like TIG, whereas 90% of MIG requires little to no skill and why MIG is referred to as Glue Gun Welding. Get you heat and wire speed right and zip away. Of course MIG does require proper fit up. just like all disciplines do. With the correct settings, your only limiting factor is the welders duty cycle, the amount of wire and gas available and of course how hot the gun gets and why most all production welding today is MIG and if you really want to push the duty cycle parameters, you can buy water cooled MIG guns.
In essence, you can hire a flunky off the street and so long as the pre prep and fitup is correct and sufficient amperage and wire speed is employed, even that flunky can produce acceptable welds.
Happens to be what RV manufacturers do. They offer a bit more than fast food places and employ flunkie welders. Their welding skill is really zip, but the 'Glue Gun' makes them look 'professional'
Why RV builders have continuing frame failure issues as their flunkie welders don't have a clue what acceptable penetration is and don't really care. If it's 'commercially acceptable' it's all good and their supervisors don't know either.
The advent of Pulsed MIG makes a poor join up look even better. I own an ESAB pulsed MIG (REBEL) and I will say the weld looks just like a TIG weld at 3 times the speed. Even a flunkie can obtain the 'stacked dimes' look.
Have no issue with any process and again I like burning sticks, but again it's messy. In shop it will always be MIG or pulsed MIG or TIG. Actually, I like O/A more, but O/A welding requires skill just like TIG, whereas 90% of MIG requires little to no skill and why MIG is referred to as Glue Gun Welding. Get you heat and wire speed right and zip away. Of course MIG does require proper fit up. just like all disciplines do. With the correct settings, your only limiting factor is the welders duty cycle, the amount of wire and gas available and of course how hot the gun gets and why most all production welding today is MIG and if you really want to push the duty cycle parameters, you can buy water cooled MIG guns.
In essence, you can hire a flunky off the street and so long as the pre prep and fitup is correct and sufficient amperage and wire speed is employed, even that flunky can produce acceptable welds.
Happens to be what RV manufacturers do. They offer a bit more than fast food places and employ flunkie welders. Their welding skill is really zip, but the 'Glue Gun' makes them look 'professional'
Why RV builders have continuing frame failure issues as their flunkie welders don't have a clue what acceptable penetration is and don't really care. If it's 'commercially acceptable' it's all good and their supervisors don't know either.
The advent of Pulsed MIG makes a poor join up look even better. I own an ESAB pulsed MIG (REBEL) and I will say the weld looks just like a TIG weld at 3 times the speed. Even a flunkie can obtain the 'stacked dimes' look.
California
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Several steps below the quality of those RV welds, turn over a piece of steel China furniture and see some really crappy welds.
I'm convinced the welders widely used there 20 years ago were the same as the HF's 90 amp AC flux transformer welder that I expected would be a step up from my first welder, a $50 AC-230 antique stick welder.
Nope. The Harbor Freight AC flux welds looked as bad as the trash under the Chinese furniture. I went back to using the stick welder. Then eventually bought a used Century 130A 120V wire welder that did nice work. More recently two more welders, one is dual voltage.
I'm convinced the welders widely used there 20 years ago were the same as the HF's 90 amp AC flux transformer welder that I expected would be a step up from my first welder, a $50 AC-230 antique stick welder.
Nope. The Harbor Freight AC flux welds looked as bad as the trash under the Chinese furniture. I went back to using the stick welder. Then eventually bought a used Century 130A 120V wire welder that did nice work. More recently two more welders, one is dual voltage.
MinnesotaEric
Super Member
Buy a Harbor Freight multi process, start out with 75/25 gas mig welding, learn how to stick weld with 6013 then 6010 rods. Make sure you have 220V power.
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Again, no matter what welder you buy today, regardless of brand or process, they will all be 100% solid state machines (IGBT) and while they are very user friendly with built in pre sets and intuitive programming, if they fail, you cannot repair them. Consequently, always buy a machine with a good guarantee and one you can return with little hassle. I'd suggest starting out to buy a used transformer machine as you can bugger things up and they will still work. Once an IGBT machine fails, it becomes an expensive rock.
Because I have employees using my machines daily, I went with HF machines simply because of their guarantee and ease of replacement. So far, so good as none have puked due to user abuse yet... But if one does, replacement is easy and painless.
Read a lot of posts on Welding Web concerning failed IGBT machines and the grief associated with repairs or replacement. Because mine are related to a business, I cannot afford the long term loss of a machine due to failure.
Because I have employees using my machines daily, I went with HF machines simply because of their guarantee and ease of replacement. So far, so good as none have puked due to user abuse yet... But if one does, replacement is easy and painless.
Read a lot of posts on Welding Web concerning failed IGBT machines and the grief associated with repairs or replacement. Because mine are related to a business, I cannot afford the long term loss of a machine due to failure.
California
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This is why I've emphasized the third-party warranty listed alongside the purchase price on Amazon's cheap beginner welders. (And the expensive ones too). For an amateur, down for a while while you wait for that 100% purchase cost reimbursement should be an acceptable tradeoff for a cheap purchase price.
But I like your advice that HF's immediate exchange warranty is the best possible warranty for a welder in pro use where downtime is unacceptable. That sounds more practical than a backup spare expensive welder standing by 'just in case'.
There's near nothing inside a transformer welder that's delicate. Or easily damaged. Or difficult to repair. Just massive near-indestructible components. At least in the old machines that were sold for professional use.
Yup. Looking at this from the cheapskate end of the spectrum (occasional farm repairs and nothing time-critical), IGBT is great for convenience. While an elderly $100 transformer welder is a great backup. As well, its something to learn on that a beginner can't damage.