HF 90 A welder

[moon161]

The HF 90 Amp flux core welder is $99 w/ coupon this month. Anyone have experience using it or could speak to it's use in doing body work? I'd be patching rust and replacing the aft 6" of a W123. How bout the 230V welder? I took 2 welding classes at BOCES, but the fact that I used to rush home to catch Twin Peaks after class will tell you about when.

[TheDon]

I've heard they are ok for melting two pieces of metal together but not anything delicate

[mach4]

I'm a Harbor Freight fan, but I would stick with a name brand welder with gas. You probably won't be happy with flux core. I went with Lincoln and am very happy with it - just wish I'd gone 220v

[dude99]

I have the Chicago electric 90 amp flux wire welder that I think HF sells. (we don't have HF in canada but I'm 99% sure its the same welder) For welding up tubing and exhaust systems its alright but don't plan on doing any nice body work with it. I did a patch on my old ford f250 last year and while it did weld it in, I burned through a number of times with it and none were particularly clean looking welds. If you want to do any sort of nice body work I'd suggest you get a MIG or a tig welder.

Also, if your a beginner, using a cheap welder is extremely frustrating. I learned on a big industrial miller stick welder at work that practically felt like it welded for you. Nice smooth beads, you just had to think about it and it would strike an ark. Until I bought the flux core welder I had never used a wire feed unit and I think that had I not already been a decent welder I would have found the 90 amp flux core to be a challenge.

[dude99]

If I was seriously going to repair a car and do it nicely I'd be tempted to buy one of those cheap Chinese Tig welders you see on ebay for $300.

[Diesel911]

I have one I bought last year to Weld up My rusted through cracked Rear Cross Member.

I did not have time to learn to use if properly and did a whole lot of grinding and re-welding but that Welder saved the Car from the Junk Yard.
I could not have done the job with My Lincoln ARC Welder.

Since then I have used it to make to Weld a small Fence made of Electrical Conduit.

In My particular case what I leaned is that I can weld OK with it as long as the object is laying below me and I can see the arc clearly.

In cramped quarters where you cannot see the tiny arc and over head welding were extremely difficult for me. Being more used to the ARC Welder I have trouble getting used to the wire automatically coming out and the coordination needed to do a good job.

So while this particular welder has limited uses it has more than paid for itself and I like it because it is convent and it plugs into your normal House Hold Current.
My ARC Welder is 220 Volt and that means I have to bring the Work to the Welder. With that little Flux Core Welder I have used Extension Cords and can work anywhere on My Property.

Assuming it keeps working for a reasonable amount of time I am happy with the purchase.

[Rogviler]

I have a (almost as cheap) Lincoln flux welder and have done just about everything with it. Sure, it's easy to tell someone they need to go out and spend ten grand on a professional machine, but some of us have to live in the real world...

I can pretty much guarantee that it will make you a better welder than you would be if you started with MIG or TIG. I remember getting frustrated at first, but it didn't take long to become one with the machine. You can do sheet metal work as long as you go very slow. I find it also helps to turn the heat up slightly so that you're spending less time trying to get a good melt going, and thus putting less heat into the surrounding metal.

On the other hand, if I was going to go for a fairly cheap way to do a lot of body work and also have a more versatile piece of equipment, I would go oxy-acetylene. I've never seen better sheet metal welds with anything else. And you can cut with it, braze, and free up sticky bolts and such.

-Rog

[Dan Stokes]

NOT what you want for body work. I have a small Lincoln 110VAC unit (100 amp) and the Eastwood (Chinese) 175 amp, both gas shielded MIG. Either do a nice job on sheetmetal - the Lincoln is plenty big enough for that. I know it's a LOT more money but it's well worth it.

My suggestion - if this is a one-time deal, fit the panels and have someone (maybe a welding shop or body shop) weld them in for you. If you plan to do much of this, go with one of the Eastwood gas-shielded welders. They're a great bargain for the money. Be aware that you'll need about another $200 or more at the welding store for a tank and supplies. If you get the 220VAC unit plan to spend BIG for an extension cord! I did that and it allows for much more flexibility as I can move it around the shop.

Dan

[barry12345]

I like the quality of using a gas shield. No slag and I seem to do a much better job. Flux core is a simular method to stick welding with a smaller rod.

Sheilding gas is a lot cheaper in the usa than up here in Canada but I still preffer it.

[97 SL320]

Run away from the $ 99 welder!!! It's hard enough for a skilled welder to use these machines let alone a new person. The wire feeder isn't smooth enough to make good welds.

Get a lower end gas MIG Lincoln, Miller or Hobart ( Hobart is the consumer version of the Miller ). Esab is a good brand you might come across, they invented stick welding. Figure on spending ~ $ 600 minimum

For super smooth welding use 75% argon 25% CO2, for welding slightly rusty metal , metal slightly too thick for your machine or when you don't care so much about spatter use 100% CO2. CO2 is a reactive gas and has good dig.

Miller and Hobart have good message boards, your question has been asked many times, do a search.

As for voltage , 110 V welders have limited output but are enough for sheetmetal. If you do use a 110V welder, make sure the wiring feeding the outlet is 12 gauge and has nothing else on that line so you get maximum output. Adding a 220V outlet is no big deal so don't let that hold you back.

See the attached pic for what a good 220 V MIG welder will do in multiple positions. The welder is a C. K. Systematics ( branded Snap-On ) from the mid 80's .

TIG welding takes much skill and is too difficult for the occasional welder where MIG is point and shoot once you get the wire speed and amps set.

[alabbasi]

110v MIG welder is fine for body work, but get a lincoln, miller or hobart. The HF deal sounds too good to be true because it is.

[tbomachines]

I have one, wouldn't try bodywork with it though. It's good for random project using thicker gauge metal (like carts or shelves and stuff like that). Good to have around the house for the price you pay, but for a decent welder plan on spending a lot more.

[whunter]

Originally Posted by moon161

The HF 90 Amp flux core welder is $99 w/ coupon this month. Anyone have experience using it or could speak to it's use in doing body work? I'd be patching rust and replacing the aft 6" of a W123. How bout the 230V welder? I took 2 welding classes at BOCES, but the fact that I used to rush home to catch Twin Peaks after class will tell you about when.

mig welder

chicago electric welder

lincoln mig welder pro 100 110 volt

.

[JB3]

Originally Posted by moon161

The HF 90 Amp flux core welder is $99 w/ coupon this month. Anyone have experience using it or could speak to it's use in doing body work? I'd be patching rust and replacing the aft 6" of a W123. How bout the 230V welder? I took 2 welding classes at BOCES, but the fact that I used to rush home to catch Twin Peaks after class will tell you about when.

Its a piece of garbage as already stated, but also as already stated, even a piece of garbage does have its uses. However, its very difficult to get a good looking weld out of it, and hard enough to get a strong one.

I have the same one and the wire feed instantly broke and had to be jury rigged. One thing you will end up doing is using this for a few projects, the investing the money in a quality unit after you get sick of inconsistent problems with this one based on cheapness in design and construction.

[Codifex Maximus]

I was practically raised on acetylene so that is what I have. Victor medium duty full size bottles. Very versatile.

I am curious about MIG though... I might give it a try. I like Lincoln electric welding equipment.

From my experience, it pays to have good equipment in the long run.