New Welder!!

forgeblast · Nov 5, 2010

After looking at mig welders for a while, and watching prices I finally bought my welder.
its the
Item# 628575
Sale $161.99
Northern Industrial 125 Flux Core Welder
with free shipping.
(from northern tool)

My reasons for this model.
1. I know what i will be welding, 1/8'' angle iron. Will I ever weld 1/4'' not sure.
but I could afford this one, along with the spool of flux core, I just dont have the cash for a more powerful unit...that I may never use. so to me its better to have a unit for what i will be welding then no unit.
2. I will be welding outside or in my barn with the doors open, which means that I will be using flux core, To add the tank to a unit cost about $100, so its an expense I do not need.
3. 26 4-5 star reviews with no negative reviews, I know I am more likely to leave a negative so this is a good sign.
4. It comes with the spindle attachment to use the 10lb spool.
5. free shipping, and on sale for less then a referbushed hobart, that did not come with the attchment.

once i get it and start using it I will let you know how it handles.

Just wanted to list it incase anyone else is looking.

jayste · Nov 5, 2010

Sounds good! :thumbsup::thumbsup: Post some pics of the unit and some projects when you get it going.

gauthier · Nov 5, 2010

Yeah,hope it works for what you need it to do,but many times you get what you pay for[and you didn't pay for much]

forgeblast · Nov 5, 2010

Its funny you said this, because I did check out the harbor freight ones. I wasnt too impressed with the quality. I know there are a ton of mods out there to make it run right/better but I want one that works out of the box. I am really excited to run this one.

tglass · Nov 5, 2010

forgeblast said:
After looking at mig welders for a while, and watching prices I finally bought my welder.
its the
Item# 628575
Sale $161.99
Northern Industrial 125 Flux Core Welder
with free shipping.
(from northern tool)

My reasons for this model.
1. I know what i will be welding, 1/8'' angle iron. Will I ever weld 1/4'' not sure.
but I could afford this one, along with the spool of flux core, I just dont have the cash for a more powerful unit...that I may never use. so to me its better to have a unit for what i will be welding then no unit.
2. I will be welding outside or in my barn with the doors open, which means that I will be using flux core, To add the tank to a unit cost about $100, so its an expense I do not need.
3. 26 4-5 star reviews with no negative reviews, I know I am more likely to leave a negative so this is a good sign.
4. It comes with the spindle attachment to use the 10lb spool.
5. free shipping, and on sale for less then a referbushed hobart, that did not come with the attchment.

once i get it and start using it I will let you know how it handles.

Just wanted to list it incase anyone else is looking.

have one of these. can't get a good weld with it and talked to other people who say it can't be beat for the price and get a good weld. I'm used to a stick welder so maybe it takes some getting used to or the wire is old or not any good any more on mine.

turbo660 · Nov 5, 2010

tglass said:
have one of these. can't get a good weld with it and talked to other people who say it can't be beat for the price and get a good weld. I'm used to a stick welder so maybe it takes some getting used to or the wire is old or not any good any more on mine.

It's funny you say that, it reminds me of my father. He's used stick welders for years with good results, but when he tries to weld with my Hobart 140 MIG welder, it's nothin' but "swiss cheese" and "bubble gum"

Now with me having no welding experince I've never really had any trouble getting good welds in anything from 22ga to 1/2" steel.

And when I've tried the stick, not so good.:ashamed:

Just goes to show it has more to do with the operator then the machine.
Any welder is capable of doing a decent job in the hands of a good operator.:thumbsup:

forgeblast · Nov 5, 2010

I did buy the hobart flux core. I plan on trying a couple of different varities to find which one works best.

FredH · Nov 5, 2010

I was shopping around for a welder a few years ago and was talking to one of my brothers , ( he works on a large farm with his own shop ) and he offered a Lincoln SP135 to me .

Me , I never even thought of 110/120 volt machines , heck at that time I was thinking a stick welder . He used it once , just never had the need to use it again .

Me , I have been using it more than I ever thought possible . From 1/16'th all the way to 1/2" . Mounted it onto one the Harbor Freight welding carts that I also modified by cutting off the rear area were you can put a tank , then welded the cart to a hand truck , facing forward . With my plasma cutter on the bottom shelf and tips , wire , brushes , clamps , etc.... , on the middle shelf , it makes for a easily movable metal working tool carry all .

Although Flux core leaves more clean-up , being able to weld outside in the wind or ???? , it is awesome .

He uses a Miller 211 ( 212 ??? ) , had it a couple of years , cannot remember the model , but welding / repairing equipment in the field , requires him and his co mechanic to usually set-up a windscreen . Kind of sucks when you are both in the mud trying to block the wind just to fix something that a DS broke .

Although I dont know the brand , thinking that you will really like your new toy .

Fred H.

P.S.
Just seen post about wire . Last 10# spool I bought at Home Depot , Lincoln Wire , some $20+ cheaper than Harbor Freight . Seems to be good wire , although it is strange , old spool you could bend wire back on itself and it would not break , the Lincoln Wire does breaks , almost like its brittle ??????

FredH · Nov 6, 2010

One of these :

Mig - Flux Welding Cart

Minus the platform / area at back were tank is pictured .

Welded to one of these

Heavy Duty Hand Truck

Equals what I described earlier .

Will post a picture Sunday of what the whole package looks like .

Fred H.

crazyal · Nov 6, 2010

I wasn't sure about a wire welder but did a little body work and didn't like brazing. Costco started selling the Lincoln WeldPak 100. My neighbor and I split the cost and bought one. It didn't have the gas option and for the first year or so we never upgraded to the 10# spool. I bet I put more time on that welder than I ever did my stick.

All it needed was a good ground and quallity wire and you were all set. A quick pass with a wire wheel and you could make a second pass to build up the weld if needed. 1/4" was about the thickest I'd weld with it but next to never had to.

I bet you'll get years of life out of that little welder. Just make sure you have a good ground and that you try to not have tight bends in the cable. And most of all have fun.

RPW · Nov 6, 2010

I have purchased several welders over the last several years from a low end HF 120A wire feed a lincoln MP140, Miller econotig and a Miller bobcat 225nt. And for the most part I have been using the HF unit the most. What matters most IMO is the wire. The best wire I've used is the Lincoln flux then the hobart and then last is the HF wire. The hobart wire welds well but has a fair amount of splatter. The HF wire is nothing but trash IMO. My welding is mostly outside also. I have found that I have a wide variety of welding tasks so that's my reason for many machines. Like hand tools the right tool for the job at hand. I think you made a good purchase and if you find you need something better at a later time go for it. One of the next things I want to get is a spool gun for aluminum.

Good luck

forgeblast · Nov 7, 2010

Is there a particular model of lincoln flux i went to Browser Level Verification
to see what they have and they have a ton listed.
thanks
the link says browser level verification but it links to my lincoln electric .com

RPW · Nov 8, 2010

For GP welding (mild steel) I've found that .030 works very well and it's whatever is on the shelf. There are a ton of different variations but for common use I've found the NP-21 (I think as I'm not where I can look at the wire) is what I use.

Good luck.

forgeblast · Nov 8, 2010

Thank you, I went with the .030 also, Ill check out the lincoln one too. Appreciate it.

Shield Arc · Nov 8, 2010

I like Hobart's 21-B, has a lot of yield to it.

But then again Lincoln's NR-212 is nice too. :laughing:

Interlaux · Nov 8, 2010

FredH said:
Although Flux core leaves more clean-up , being able to weld outside in the wind or ???? , it is awesome .

both in the mud trying to block the wind just to fix something that a DS broke .

Although I dont know the brand , thinking that you will really like your new toy .

Yep everyone needs one of these 120V flux wire feeds. Great place to start and never loses its utility. We have an old "farmhand 125" from TSC bought in '02 when they phased out the brand. Built lots of stuff with it. Take the time to get your set up right and its like a super hot glue gun:laughing:
Keep your new/spare roll of wire in the house so it stays dry.

forgeblast · Nov 14, 2010

I was able to get out and do some welding today. Set up was very easy, two screws for a handle, and the 10lb spool adapter was already in place, so it was just feeding the wire into the handle.
I am still working on getting the wire feed vs voltage right. I have been just running beads on an old shovel(doesnt have a wooden handle so i can ground it easy and i can flip it to see what kind of depth i am getting on the weld.) first starting out i burnt through a couple of times, and then went too close and got the wire stuck in the opening. after that i stayed back a bit and practiced push and pull welding. All in all im very happy with its preformance. Once i build something ill post some pics. thanks all.

Mark @ Everlast · Nov 15, 2010

Flux core doesn/t work real well on thin materials like a shovel. It will over penetrate. You will have problems on metal this thin, especially as a novice.