welder help

[JCR]

looking at getting a good deal from a freind of mine

but I nave never heard of this brand

he got it for xmas one year and thought he could weld but comes to find out it is not as easy as it looks

help me out ...anyone ever heard of this brand or seen one in action

he said it is a Pro-Arc Mig Welder

it runs on household current (this i wanted)

and it has a gas bottle and hook up (also what I wanted)

and priced to sell

basically it is buy the bottle get the machine for free ...not really but that is how good the price is

 

thanks for the help

[Zeusimo]

I'd Reccomend Just Getting A Miller 110,

Their Cheap,

User-Friendly,

Standard Plug,

And Most Stores Throw In A Free Tank Of Gas

 

They Last Forever...

And When You're Done Just Sell It

Miller's Don't Go Down In Value

[kiznook]

Go Blue! You can't go wrong with a Miller machine. Their 110v MIG boxes are a great bang for the buck.

 

As for your friend's, it's likely that the cheap welder is the very reason he was having trouble. Those types of welders (harbor freight special) have a very low duty cycle and power output. You're better off saving a little money and buying something that you won't outgrow quite as easily.

 

Of course you never specified how much he's asking for it, and what size the bottle is, and if it's full.

[merlin]

I have a hobart 140. Awesome! It has a miller trigger and im pretty sure they are actually owned by miller. Go with a real name brand and save you some frustration.

 

[JCR]

well i did jump on the cheaper machine but with everything that came with it the machine was really a free-be

2 auto darkening helmets, new pair of welding gloves, extra tips and nozzles (new) , a regulator and bottle, 3 rolls of wire

all that should be worth the 75 bones i talked him down to

then the welder itself

didnt think i did a bad job

will have some shots of the results as soon as i can get to the gas store to get the bottled filled

[]2eDeYe]

$75 is a good introductory price. You might outgrow the machine, for the price though...nice job :)

[fj40dave]

I'd get it for that price....good starter, and you can keep the bottle after it wears out.

 

I've wore out one 110v Lincoln Mig-Pac 10......now I'm on my second Lincoln, it's a 110v model (the 140). It took ten years of solid heavy use before the first Lincoln died....well worth the $$$!!!

[JCR]

that was my thought

that at least the bottle was worth the price

[kiznook]

Yea, for that price you can't go wrong

[wayno]

I put a 521 kingcab together with a harbor freight tools 220V mig welder, it still works to this day, it's at least 10 years old now.

I now have a miller "passport plus", as it is way more convenient, as it will work on 110V or 220V, and I can buy parts at any of the local welding store outlets.

It also is like a heavy suitcase, I can throw it in the truck and use it just about anywhere there is an outlet.

The only issue I have with the harbor freight welder is you have to order replacement parts from harbor freight, that is a pain, as they are the only place that has them.

I think you will be just fine with what you have purchased, though I had never used anything but flux-core wire till I bought the miller, and I still mostly use flux-core wire, it's just easier for me.

[JCR]

reason i was searching for the gas mig was the welding on sheet metal

kept hearing that flux core would blow through the metal

going to try using .023 wire solid with 75/25 gas mix

see how that works

[]2eDeYe]

Should work fantastic. Best to tack ever inch or so and the repeat the line.

[datzenmike]

I'd get it for that price....good starter, and you can keep the bottle after it wears out.

 

I've wore out one 110v Lincoln Mig-Pac 10......now I'm on my second Lincoln, it's a 110v model (the 140). It took ten years of solid heavy use before the first Lincoln died....well worth the $$!!!

 

I got this one on sale locally. It was one of those buys you could never make and justify but I just happened to have the money. Had it a year before I used it the first time.

 

[JCR]

that is nice i would LOVE to have scored a lincoln

[Rhapakatui]

75/25 will work, but it's really made for dual shield flux core wire. With solid core, it's best to use 95/5 or higher.

 

With the 75/25 your welds should still look okay, and you're not going to get porrosity, but you will have a lot more buckshot than with better gas.

 

I definitely agree though that solid core is the way to go on thin metals.

[datzenmike]

My neighbor got a 110 volt stick welder. I can't believe they sell them. I tried and tried to get it to weld and gave up. Just way too light. I think maybe the 110 MIG would work a lot better, specially for welding body metal but when you need it for something thicker like a MM or tranny mount it would be too light. This is my compromise and the couple of times I used it, it has just blown me away. For X-mass I got an auto dark helmet and gloves so I can learn to do it even better.

[JCR]

Rhapakatui : you think i would be better off running straight argon ?

always thought unmixed gas like that burned too hot needed the mix to cool it down a bit ...never mig'ed w/ straight argon

tig welder use to run straight argon

[Rhapakatui]

Sorry took so long to reply. We deal with much thicker steel in my industry. Thinnest thing ive ever worked with was 1/16" plate about 4 years ago. We bought .035 sollid core for that. We normally run .045 dual shield flux core with 75/25 mix gas. We had a hell of a time fighting buckshot until my uncle suggested trying 95/5. Still mixed, but very little CO2. Worked great. Welds looked perfect.

 

I've only had that one experience with it, but the gas made a huge difference.

[JCR]

local welding supply company had a bottle of 75/25 so traded out my empty for one of those

got a spool of .023 wireand the carnage has begun

 

pulled the cowl and welded the passenger hood hinge and working on the passenger side bed holes

couple hours into it and going pretty good

pictures to come