a pretty good pawn shop find

[o8f150]

no its not another saw but its something i can use around the shop and i also know its not the best out there but i can't afford 3-400 right now.. anyway we went to our usually pawn shop this morn to visit,,like we do every saturday and this was sitting on the shelf,it is the chicago electric wire welder that uses the flux wire,,, harbor freight sells it for 150.00,, so of course i had to check it over good,, i am not to keen on china junk but the guy there said he used it a few times to weld a trailor and other small projects. we have bought enough from them to know he wasn't lieing that it worked good. after a complete check over it didn't have a scratch on it inside or out so i brought it home for $50.00 otd,, i got it home and had to try it out on some flat metal i had and it works great, i just need to get used to it and figure out what settings to use on metal thicknesses,, yes it is a cheaper one but the amount of welding that i will do in a year a spool of wire will last me 2 years,, ,,, here is a couple of pics of it and i hadn't even cleaned it up yet,,,ok,let the bashing begin for buying a cheap pos welder,

 

[Stellarex]

Hey, it beats not having one when you need one.

 

[fearofpavement]

Hey, it beats not having one when you need one.

+1

I have found that just experimenting with these works the best. I mostly use the higher setting and a bit slower wire speed. This welder will do fine for light stuff and for what you have in it if it is not what you wanted I am sure you can unload it and get all your money back.

 

[xdmp22]

What a POS, why would you ever buy one of those?

Just kidding its a decent find for the money.

Remember the reason its cheap is because the electrode/wire is always hot on most these models....the trigger just flows wire. That can cause unwanted arcing if you are not ready for it.

I would'nt ever buy one new, but for 50 bucks, you did ok......now go weld something!

 

[Warped5]

I won't bash you, I'd have one if I had the room!

Remember, if you don't post pix of something you made/fixed it didn't really happen!

LOL

 

[procarbine2k1]

Atleast you wont need to buy a tanning bed haha. Spend a few bucks on a helmet at Sears or TSC. I think you can get a Jackson full helmet for less than $30 bucks.
I have a Miller in the shop. I've used Lincolns more than any other, but their customer service/ parts support for older machines isnt the greatest. At one time, I went through just shy of 600 lbs. of wire in a few months (ESAB dual shield). Pursued other career interests, and dont weld much anymore at all. Miss it a lot though, I've been looking at generators for a while. May just hook up another heavier MIG in the barn, not sure yet.

 

[o8f150]

well i went out and played with it for a while,,,damn these things are a lot different then stick welders,, i used to be able to lay a picture perfect bead with them but this wire welder is a different can of worms,,, i did learn something though,, you can't get in a hurry with it,, going to get a few pieces of scrap monday and see what i can do,,, i am hoping with about a hour or so of practice i should be able to weld like i used to

 

[xdmp22]

Because its flux core it will weld like a .030 diameter electrode in a stick welde and because its a lightweight machine you will have to take your time.

Try doing "C"s starting at top then back up, figure 8 shapes work well too.

Also, depending on machine you might only be able do 1/8" and smaller thickness...

Goood luck!

 

[o8f150]

Because its flux core it will weld like a .030 diameter electrode in a stick welde and because its a lightweight machine you will have to take your time.

Try doing "C"s starting at top then back up, figure 8 shapes work well too.

Also, depending on machine you might only be able do 1/8" and smaller thickness...

Goood luck!

i believe it is 1/8 or less,, it won't weld real thick metal,,,, i will try that,,thanks,,, i just ran a straight line with the stick welders,, i never thought about doing figure 8's,, i thought about trying circles too,,,, guess i was getting in a hurry:bang::bang: but in turn too my hands are not that steady any more ,,,, thanks for the info

 

[xdmp22]

Glad to help, yeah circles work good as long as you don't go to slow.

 

[o8f150]

Glad to help, yeah circles work good as long as you don't go to slow.

guess i just need to play with it and get the hang of it,,,,that didn't sound right i am not talking about my tally wacker i'm talking about the welder

 

[NORMZILLA44]

Cool find, and for the price sweet! Be real handy if you have to weld saw part's. I have welded a little hear, and ther. I am not real good, but better with a mig than a arc welder myself.

 

[o8f150]

Glad to help, yeah circles work good as long as you don't go to slow.

i did what you said xd,, i run it a lot slower then i am used to and started getting pretty good beads,, it is much slower then using a stick welder but i am getting it,,, i welded an old wrench to a piece of steel and i couldn't break it loose with a hammer,, it wasn't the prettiest weld but time will make them better

 

[Stellarex]

i did what you said xd,, i run it a lot slower then i am used to and started getting pretty good beads,, it is much slower then using a stick welder but i am getting it,,, i welded an old wrench to a piece of steel and i couldn't break it loose with a hammer,, it wasn't the prettiest weld but time will make them better

Pics or it didnt happen.

 

[o8f150]

Pics or it didnt happen.

its pouring rain right,,, can get a few pics later on

 

[xdmp22]

Cool, glad its workin for you....

Yes, slower because the diameter is lots smaller than an electrode and your machine is not hot enough to push wire really fast....
Not a bad thing but something you have to deal with with the cheaper units.........

........another thing to remember is flux core goes bad with age just like electrodes....you should be able to bend an electrode without it breaking, same with wire....bend a piece and see if it counds or feels crackily (is that a word?) With fluxcore wire, the flux is in the middle (hence fluxcore) as opposed to outside on an electrode.

 

[koshari]

personally my experiance with fluxcore is that its very crap, it takes the worst out of stick welding and adds it to the worst of gas mig and you gave gasless mig.

would have been better with a POS 10% duty cycle stick welder IMO.

 

[o8f150]

personally my experiance with fluxcore is that its very crap, it takes the worst out of stick welding and adds it to the worst of gas mig and you gave gasless mig.

would have been better with a POS 10% duty cycle stick welder IMO.

you want to buy one for me?????????

 

[xdmp22]

personally my experiance with fluxcore is that its very crap, it takes the worst out of stick welding and adds it to the worst of gas mig and you gave gasless mig.

would have been better with a POS 10% duty cycle stick welder IMO.

Other than the coat of slag on top, flux core welds better than MIG

Flux core requires a higher burning temp to melt the flux than stab
ndard MIG.....MIG welds don't need to be cleaned, but other than that, they have no real improvement over flux core

 

[MechanicMatt]

Scott, go invest in a nice auto dimming helmet. They really help. And stick with C's not O's. When you do a O you are moving the gun back into a half cooled weld. For the price you did great!