Advice on welders

[MEP001]

If anyone here has advice on this, I'm not looking into getting into professional welding or anything structural rated, I just need to get a few things done and if I can do it at minimal cost, and it doesn't have to look good. Harbor Freight has a MIG welder that can be used without gas and with stainless flux core wire. If anyone has solid advice on welding stainless with such a setup, or can recommend a forum with better help, it would be appreciated. FWIW, I know more than the basics about welding, I know about chamfering and filling, etc. I already have a Lincoln 225 stick welder but I know I'm just going to burn through with it. I've considered TIG but I don't have room in these boxes for two hands to weld and fill. A MIG/TIG unit would be ideal, and if there's a good unit that isn't too expensive I'd be willing to spend the money, but the $209 unit from Harbor Freight is tempting.

 

[HeyVern]

I'd avoid the Harbor Freight stuff, especially for stainless, Miller and Lincoln both make pretty nice portable 110 units. I've never used flux core wire with stainless,I suppose, if it isn't structural and doesn't need to look pretty, it would be okay. A small gas bottle wouldn't cost much though.

 

[MEP001]

I'd avoid the Harbor Freight stuff, especially for stainless, Miller and Lincoln both make pretty nice portable 110 units. I've never used flux core wire with stainless,I suppose, if it isn't structural and doesn't need to look pretty, it would be okay. A small gas bottle wouldn't cost much though.

I've seen a number of video reviews of Harbor Freight welders and most people say they work well enough. I figure at $200/hr or more to get someone to come out, it's worth buying a cheap one for a few quick welds and maybe some practice later.

 

[Don B.]

If anyone here has advice on this, I'm not looking into getting into professional welding or anything structural rated, I just need to get a few things done and if I can do it at minimal cost, and it doesn't have to look good. Harbor Freight has a MIG welder that can be used without gas and with stainless flux core wire. If anyone has solid advice on welding stainless with such a setup, or can recommend a forum with better help, it would be appreciated. FWIW, I know more than the basics about welding, I know about chamfering and filling, etc. I already have a Lincoln 225 stick welder but I know I'm just going to burn through with it. I've considered TIG but I don't have room in these boxes for two hands to weld and fill. A MIG/TIG unit would be ideal, and if there's a good unit that isn't too expensive I'd be willing to spend the money, but the $209 unit from Harbor Freight is tempting.

I can’t attest to the harbor freight welder as I’ve never owned one. I do have a Miller mig welder. I have welded leaks on stainless steel pipe and the stainless spray arch on my automatic with it, using the flux core stainless steel wire. It worked pretty well. Just need to practice with it on a scrap piece and get the settings right. There are usually two settings on a wire welder, wire feed speed and power setting.

 

[Greg Pack]

I've got what I call a "toaster welder" from Northern tool. II think its the st80i model It's literally the size of a toaster and weighs maybe ten pounds. It even has a shoulder strap where you could carry it up a ladder and weld. Its a 120V powered DC inverter stick welder and will work with stainless rods. I've never done any heavy stuff with it but its very handy and portable. It works fine on the water wizard to repair thin stainless, vacuum repair, and used it to tack a changer in place. My welds look like crap but they tend to hold, and my brother can make a pretty nice looking weld with it. It was around $200 a few Years ago but I can't find it on their website now. I use the 1/16" stainless blue demon rods I buy on amazon and they seem to work OK. I would think the harbor freight models would work fine for occasional use.

Side note, I recently bought a cheap plasma cutter ($140)off amazon and it did what I needed it to do to cut new door holes in a coleman vacuum. I wouldn't be afraid to try a highly rated welder from them. They are so inexpensive they can pay for themselves after a couple of repairs.

 

[MEP001]

This has the same basic description as the Klutch ST80i.

Ironton ARC80 Stick Welder with TIG function Inverter, 120 Volt, 2080 Amp Output | Northern Tool

This Ironton® ARC80 Stick Welder with TIG function is a super compact, lightweight, single-phase inverter stick/TIG welder that ma...

www.northerntool.com

I should be able to do what I need with stainless sticks, at least I won't have to worry about the weld rusting, and if it works I can try TIG welding. The price seems too good to be true, but it's cheap enough that if it doesn't work at all I can sell it on Craigslist for $20 and not be too upset. If it does what I need for the one job, I'm already ahead vs getting a welder to come on-site.

 

[cbchevy4x4]

I just bought this one to tig thin aluminum with so far so good.

TIG 200™ Professional AC/DC TIG Welder with 120/240V Input

Amazing deals on this Tig 200 Inverter Tig Welder at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[MEP001]

I just bought this one to tig thin aluminum with so far so good.

Yeah, I didn't want to spend that much, and as I mentioned I won't have the room to get two hands in the box to weld and feed.

 

[MC3033]

every area is different but I’ve been able to get mobile welders out for $85-$105/hr range with no trip charge. Could just be in the right spot but I’ve used 4 different welders in those price ranges

I've seen a number of video reviews of Harbor Freight welders and most people say they work well enough. I figure at $200/hr or more to get someone to come out, it's worth buying a cheap one for a few quick welds and maybe some practice later.

 

[MEP001]

Welders who can TIG stainless charge a premium. Anyway I ordered a stick/TIG unit.

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

I have a miller 211 with a spool gun at each site. Indispensable .

 

[Greg Pack]

OK MEP, any updates?

 

[MEP001]

I haven't had a chance to test it. I ordered the sticks you recommended, got 'em Friday, been trying to get over what I hope is a bad cold.

 

[edredtop]

I haven't had a chance to test it. I ordered the sticks you recommended, got 'em Friday, been trying to get over what I hope is a bad cold.

I've had great success with the Harbor 'Fright' approach
If I can buy a tool on the cheap and perform 1 or 2 tasks with it, all while gaining experience, then the tool can literally be thrown away and still be ahead. If the tool performs well, all the better. Then with that knowledge, an informed decision can be made on a more expensive (and effective) purchase if needed.
Additionally, I've never been afraid of calling somebody to do a job that they do all day long, just to watch their technique and hopefully apply it at a later date.

Some of the best money and time I ever spent was signing up for an Adult-Ed class on welding. Being able to spend 4 hours a session, for 9 Saturdays trying several different machines and techniques was just enough to learn how to make an effective weld when needed.
I ended up getting the same Lincoln "doghouse" 225 welder.

-I'll be honest here and admit my welds will never date a pretty girl, because they're ugly, but they do work.
In my defense they are mostly made under stressful circumstances, such as a customer accident, break-in attempt, vandalism, (if it's an ugly weld or a closed cleaning station, a homely weld will appear every time until a proper repair can made.)

Hope you feel better, sir!

 

[MEP001]

I tried it today, certainly the easiest way to make a hole in thin material, and it won't bridge a gap, but it's easy enough to make a strong weld. I tried 3/32" rod, pretty sure it's too small. Reviews of the welder also recommended 1/8".

 

[Greg Pack]

Let us know what rod you find that works best. Also, what thickness metal are you welding?

 

[MEP001]

I don't know, it was pretty thin, maybe 14-16 gauge? It was an old Coleman boom arm I kept just for this. It was pretty easy to lay a bead on top of an existing weld. I ground a gap to try and bridge and managed to mostly close it, but I basically had to dab weld on each side. I deliberately ran the welder on an undersize cord and nothing got warm, so there's that.

 

[Meckiesm]

I've heard this base model Harbor Freight models are hit and miss. My Hobart Handler 140 has been doing what you have listed for the past 10 years.
There are now some higher end welders available at Harbor Freight, but I haven't used them yet.

 

[MEP001]

The higher end ones aren't enough cheaper than a good one to get me to buy one. The little Ironton welder does a good enough job with the stainless sticks to do rough repairs.