Welders....

[belundy]

Seeing a thread about someone welding on their car reminded me of a hobby I'd like to pursue...this seemed to be the best place to post this and to get some fellow advanced DIY's to comment.

I get Harbor Freight ads all the time with various electric welders in it. I've never owned one (but have used one a half dozen times). If one were to pick one (from Harbor Freight as a low cost threshold towards dabbling in welding world) that I could use to say re-tack an exhaust hanger, make helper jigs, do around the garage general purpose stuff; what *electric* welder would you choose and why? I have access to 120 and 240v supply.

Thx!

[mclairmo]

I have a small portable Cebora Pocket Mig that runs off 120v and uses Argon. Works great for sheet metal and exhaust work. The gas makes for much better welds. Not a fan a flux wire. What size welder to buy depends on what gauge you want to weld.

[gewf631]

mclairmo is right, what size depends on the metal you'll be welding, and how much space you have. You can get some 110 machines that will weld 1/4", but with a short duty-cycle (say 20%).
Flux machines are easy, but the weld isn't as pretty (lots of slag). If you're doing exhaust hangers, it probably doesn't matter.
The machines from Harbor Freight and Northern Tool are imported from China. They may be perfectly fine for your purpose, but check your local Craigslist. You should be able to find a Lincoln, Hobart, or Miller, that will be a better investment over time.
Having said that, I've had great luck with Harbor Freight's flux wire - it's from Italy, not China, and has worked really well for me. Also, I picked-up one of Harbor Freight's auto-darkening helmets (about $35). It's not professional grade, but it works really well, and simplifies the whole process.
Finally, if you've serious, check your local community college. They usually have classes on welding. Understanding what you're doing is first and foremost, with technique a close second. Any decent class will get you further along the path, much quicker (and cheaper), than hours of trial-and-error.

[jcantanixon]

I agree with everything here. The HF welders just doesn't work as well. Better to get a quality brand off CL. Lots of guys sell their 110v when they upgrade to a 220v, so there's lots of good condition units on the secondary market. I recommend getting a 110v that has an option for adding gas like mclairmo's setup.