The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Welder Recommendations?

Is this a decent (CHICAGO ELECTRIC WELDING Flux 125 Welder #3684) welder that Harbor Freight has on sale? It supposedly doesn't need gas. Will this weld body panels, such as floor panels, kick panels and lower cab corners? Would it be easy enough to use for a baby beginner to use (last time I tried welding was about 55 years ago using rod/stick welder) ? And, IF, this will work on those things mentioned, what size flux wire should I get? ALL opinions would be appreciated.

Sorry if I put this in the wrong shop area.

SS

I'm an amateur so my opinion is low value... I have a similar size MIG welder from Eastwood that's convertible to use flux wire. Its been my experience that the Argon/CO2 gas makes a lot of difference in the quality of the weld when working with thin gauge material. If I had it to do all over again, I would have purchase a TIG unit for the sheet metal work. You can get good results with the flux core and practice will allow you to get better.

Flux core process has too much penetration for sheet metal. You'll wind up blowing holes in your weld joint. Polarity of the gun is different between MIG and flux core processes. I'd recommend a combo MIG/Flux core unit, with Argon/CO2 or at least straight C02, which is what I use.

I'll move your post and replies to its own thread, here in the Tool Chest.

Agree with the above replies. I have a 20 year old HF flux core welder that’s done a lot of good work. Now I only use it for dirty metal, farm type repairs outside when it’s windy. Every thing else gets a gas shelded Lincoln 175 amp welder. Big stuff, break out the old Honda powered stick welder.

Given a choice, I would not use a flux core machine for bodywork.

RonR

I agree with Ron, don't use Flux Core on any bodywork...the flux will come back to haunt you.

Mike B

I run two pressure regulators and a mixer manifold, and mix my own argon and CO2. It's a LOT cheaper than buying pre-mixed gas, and I can alter the gas mix for different metals. Aluminum and stainless gets straight Argon- - - -mild steel gets CO2 with just a little Argon mixed in. I haven't run any flux core wire in a long time, but it can come in handy for rough welding on structural stuff- - - -gates, fence posts, work benches, etc.

I just can't find the right amperage setting for 2 X 4's- - - - -just about burned the house down adding a bedroom!
Jerry

Also be careful to read the manuals, switching from flux core to using a gas shield can require switching the polarity of the machine for best results, not a big deal to do, but makes a difference on my Lincoln.

Chuck

What Chuck said about polarity.

Here's the chart for the welder I have (Lincoln Handy MIG). Notice the warning about clean metal for MIG process. Also the recommendation that flux core is optimal for 16 gauge and thicker material. And that MIG gives excellent performance on light materials. Why saddle yourself with a sub-par welder?

Jerry, were you not using pressure treated lumber for the addition, with the copper content in the wood, you could then solder or braze the project, use a rosebud tip for better flame distribution and SilFos brazing rod, that way you won't need brazing or soldering flux. Let me know if I can be of any other assistance.

First off, thank you for moving my post to a more appropriate place.

Second, thank you for all the input. You've convinced me to hire a professional for my body work. It will probably be a whole lot cheaper considering those areas mentioned would be the only welding jobs I'd have to do.

SS

Stewart,

Should you reconsider, or should you decide in the future to tackle welding ...I would highly recommend you hop over to Great Mills Road and talk to the guys at Three Mules Welding Supply (or their store in Mechanicsville). Even if you don't end up buying a welder, you'll learn a lot just talking to them. They are a great bunch. A few years ago, they brought a wire feed welder (Tig??) out to Homecoming (The ODSS gathering) and taught us all how to use it.

TIG stands for "Tungsten Inert Gas"- - - - -it just heats the metal with an arc from a tungsten electrode with an inert gas shield to prevent oxidation. Fill rod is added from a separate source like with oxyacetylene welding. MIG- - - -"Metal Inert Gas"- - - -wire is fed through the stinger and deposits itself automatically. TIG is cleaner and more controllable than MIG because the puddle can be manipulated without adding a constant flow of filler. Both systems have their purpose, as well as heavy duty high amperage work on thick metal with a conventional stick welder.
Jerry

Stewart, I agree with John. You should reconsider farming your body shop welding work out. I think I spent $350 for a 120V MIG/Flux core welder, having never used MIG before for sheet metal. It doesn't take long to get to where you can get a good weld on sheet metal with MIG. That and you'll find a lot of uses for your welder besides your truck project. You'll find friends you never knew who need things welded as well.

If you do decide to do the welding yourself (which I also recommend), buy a welder that will do both flux core and MIG. MIG provides a much cleaner weld than flux core and is ideal for welding in patch panels. Flux core leaves the flux behind that must be removed. The lower end machines do just flux core.

My vote would be for a MIG or TIG machine, no flux. All flux machines I have ever seen in a professional environment are abandoned and left to die. Where the MIG's and TIG's are still being used and often.

Next best thing? Read the manual, then find a pile of scrap steel in various thicknesses. CLEAN that steel until shiny before you weld. Use a grinder, sanding disc, etc. Get rid of all that manufacturing scale. Go have fun. If you're welding a thin piece to a thick piece, set your welder specs to the thin piece. When you feel a little more comfortable, tackle that actual project. If you haven't welded for a while, break out the scrap and do it all over again before you touch that project part again.

If you only have one welder, in my opinion, it should be a MIG/Flux core one. Much more versatile. Flux core can be used outside in windy conditions where MIG or TIG can't be used. But all sheet metal work should be done with either MIG or TIG.

Sure you can. You just need an air dam or two. Pieces of cardboard work great. Sheet metal even better, And if you have a TIG, you can usually stick weld with it.

I realize there are scads of people today who will compare what I'm about to say to using an outhouse but give me an oxy-acetylene rig and silver bearing solder any day. It melts at around 400 degrees, makes a joint as strong as goat's breath, won't cause your panel to warp and can be re-done infinitely. Plus the solder can be dressed in about the same fashion as lead...and the learning curve of the stuff is short and simple.

This is the welder I bought well over a year ago. We have used several rolls of wire welding a big smoker together. It welds exhaust pipe pretty well. I welded some body metal as well. Get the metal good and clean and you will make it much easier. Small tack welds only on body metal. Any lingering and you risk overheating and blowthrough.

I'm interested in Jon G's reply. I worked on a farm in high-school. We had one of those standard big oxy-acetylene torch rigs. All we ever did was cut stuff up with it. It was years before I found out you can put stuff together with it too.

Welding has always been voodoo to me. I've never had the guts to get a welder and try it out.

One time when I visited the Army Ordnance school at Ft Lee I got to tour the welding training facility. They let us play with a virtual reality MIG welder. The machine was a giant size mockup with all the knobs for settings. It had a special pistol/torch and a VR helmet. When you got the pistol in position and pulled the trigger you would see the spark in the helmet. It even made the appropriate welding noises. The computer captured your performance. When I finished they replayed my weld on the big screen that showed all the appropriate readouts for speed, temperature, penetration etc. Really cool stuff. Soldiers/students were required to pass certain performance tests on it before they could play around with real metal. Really great training tool all in the comfort of an air conditioned classroom.

All that being said, I'm more mystified by the metal shaping, body panel forming process. That really is voodoo. 😱

Wait, the Army Ordnance school I went to was at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. I guess they moved. They didn't have new fangled gadgets like VR MIG setups. I wonder what's wrong with learning on real metal. It's probable less expensive than that VR setup. But we didn't have a welding course, as I was in Officer's Basic and Mechanical Maintenance courses.
I first learned to weld with O/A from my dad when I was working on Model A's back in the '60's. Used it for everything, including welding sheet metal and cutting nuts off bolts while saving the bolt for reuse. Back then I hadn't heard of welding gloves and dropped the torch a few times when working underneath something and got a piece of hot slag between my hand and the torch.

Yes, I cringe every time I have to say Ordnance and FT Lee in the same sentance. I went through the ammo school at Redstone Arsenal. The home of Ordnance moved to FT Lee about 20 years ago. GO ORDNANCE!!

Bought my oxy-acetylene torch while I was still in high school, still have the same one and use it often. This year will be our 50th class reunion. I learned to O/A weld in junior high metal shop. Along with an ancient AirCo 250 amp stick welder, a Lincoln 140 MIG, and the O/A set, I don't need any more tools.

Blasphemy!! I need to make sure my wife doesn't see your post.

I'm sorry!, I'll retract that statement. There may be a time where I'll have to acquire a specialty item. You could tell the wife that the next tool you need is for her, to keep her ride on the road, that has worked for me. A number of years ago I bought my wife a portable generator for Christmas, then later I bought her the 1955 IH tractor, the 1957 Chevy LCF is a gift to her 'cuz it's the same year she was born!