Howdy,
On Mon, 13 Sep 2004, Patton Dickson wrote:
> I want to learn to weld and I want a welder. I don't have much money to
> get into this. Harbor Freight has just put one of their MIG welders on
> sale for $174.99. That is in my range! I also know that their stuff
> can be junk.
>
> Here is the info...
>
> 87 AMP, 115 VOLT FLUX AND MIG WELDER
> For mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. Weld with gas or perform flux
> cored gasless operations.
>
> * Welding current range: 25 to 87 amps
> * Input: single phase 115 volts, 60 Hz
> * Open voltage: 19 to 30
> * Duty cycle: 20% @ 75 amps, 45% @ 50 amps
> * Draws 21 amps @ 120 volts
> * Weldable wires: 0.023'' to 0.035'' steel and stainless steel, 0.030''
> to 0.035'' aluminum, 0.030'' flux-cored
>
> Includes: 2 lb. spool of flux cored wire, handheld face shield, brush
> hammer, fuse power line; Weight: 55.8 lbs.
>
> I know that a certain percent of people on this list will say, this is about
> the best I can afford, is this "pile of junk" worth the risk?
My advice, if you want to learn to weld primarily, would be to get a
decent set of O/A torches instead. That welder's specs, even if you
believe them, read as "suitable only for very thin guage sheet metal" to
me...
A set of O/A torches, on the other hand, are quite a bit cheaper
comparatively (a good set will probably cost about what that crap MIG
would), will teach you to weld just as well (perhaps better), can weld a
wider range of thicknesses along with being able to do metal cutting, and
will remain useful even after your financial situation improves and you
get a 'real' MIG.
MHO.
Mark
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