Getting the right welder

loudhvx wrote:

Has anyone tried to weld aluminum with DC? How bad is it?

The Hobart claims aluminum MIG capability on the Handler 140, but most reviews I've read said to stick with steel or stainless on the Handler.

ive never tried welding anything but steel with mine anyway.i used to tig weld lots of stainless in my younger days,never tried welding aluminum

anyone have a harbor freight ? with the 20% off coupon its like 159.00 for 220v gas/flux set up. infinite wire speed 4 burn settings.

I buy my 4.5" grinder and shock spring compressor type tools at HF, but I've never had enough faith to buy anything there that cost more than 30.00. About that point, and if I want to keep/use it for a while I'll pay more to get a decent product. Others experiences may vary.

yep i know what you mean the only thing prior to this that i bought there was a hard wood floor nailer (139$) worked great and less than the rental for a "good" one.
just wondering if any one else took the plunge.

I picked up the HF 80-amp inverter stick welder, and I've been happy with it so far (understanding, of course, it's inherent limitations). It welds up to 1/4" steel, runs off 110V, weighs 8 pounds and came with a 2-year no questions asked warranty.

I thought about getting their MIG/flux welder, but was a little worried about quality problems when it came to all the parts associated with wire feed. Stick's kind of a pain, but it's a very simple technology compared to MIG.

Also, you can't TIG weld aluminum with DC. Wire feed welders are strictly DC, but you'll need Argon and should probably use a spool gun.

There was some talk about the wall plug that you are using for your welder. I live in a very old house that still uses screw-in type glass fuses, and all of my receptacles are the very common two parrallel blades with a ground (like on a lamp), which I think are rated at 15amps. How dangerous will it be to try using a small welder that draws 24amps?

Also, all the welders sold at my local Harbor Freight are made by Chicago Electric. I searched the web to try and get some reviews of these welders, but found nothing. Are they any good?

Chicago Electric is their house brand. You get what you pay for with them. Some have luck with them, others toss them.

with any thing from harbor freight never buy it till you need it because if it is gonna go bad it will in the first month- I took the risk though i have only used the mig welder from there once and it worked well(220v) but it is a gamble.

The only product that Harbor Freight sells that is worth the money is their product insurance. Don't purchase anything over $50.00 without it!!!

Everything else they got is Chinie Trash!!!!!

Bill

i buy a lot of stuff there.....you are not going to make a living with it, but for the weekend garage warrior, it works......i bought one of their grinder/buffer combos and worked the shit out of it......still going.......

Well, can't fully agree that their stuff is all junk. Like I said, I have one of their angle grinders, some micrometers, drills, telescoping inside measurers, sockets...all of which I've had a few years and is still working fine. Sure...it's the McDonalds of tool stores, but at their prices I think the gamble is often worth it.

I posted in the Chit Chat section before I saw this post. I bought a combination machine from www.longevity-inc.com I have the 160-P Its a 160amp tig and stick with a 50amp plasma cutter. It does tig AC/DC with pulse and AC/DC stick. The machine is a great little machine and the customer service from longevity cant be beat. Yes it is an import machine but before anyone goes off on the import welders, go find out how many of the same chinese parts are in Loncolns and Millers as well as parts from Mexico and everywhere else. My machine was around $900 and a comparative name brand machine would be around $2500. If anyone is in the NWGA area and would like to test out a Longevity machine then drop me a PM.