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I have a HF 90amp/68amp mig wire welder, will not weld 22-18 ga sheet :mad:. I am about to take it back any suggestions on what to replace it with??
Works fine if the metal is at least 1/8' up to about 1/4". I am new to sheetmetal and the low 68 amp just punches holes :(, makes a decent cutter though a little messy.

Please Help
Brad

Brad:
I would recommend the 135 amp or so MIG machines from any of the major manufacturers (Hobart, Lincoln or Miller). You need to purchase a bottle so that you are using Argon/CO2 shielding gas with the machine rather than flux core. They run off of a 110 volt circuit and will easily weld the 22 guage and 18 guage metal that you are working with. One trick on the thin metal is to back up where you are trying to weld with copper. A piece of copper water pipe flattened on one end is the standard made at home tool for doing this. The welder that I have is the predecessor to this machine from Lincoln that I bought from this outfit. It has worked flawlessly:
http://www.welders-direct.com/merch...p;Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=K2688-1

I hope this is helpful.
Regards,
Steve
New Orleans

before you take it back, try turning up the wire speed, around 5-6. What this will do is turn down the heat. I bought the following dual mig welder (flux or gas, currently using flux, I have another bigger welder for gas) from harbor freight and was burning through the metal quite alot and this was on wire speed 1. I turned the speed up to 5-6 and loosened the wire tension wheel slightly and that fixed it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94164
I have had very good luck with this welder, I had it for about 7 months, and so far no problems and Ive used it constantly.

Now if you do end up taking the 90amp welder back to hf. Before you go out and buy another welder (whatever make/model), check your local classifieds, you may find a really good deal on a hardly used welder, especially with the economy like this, some shops may have closed and need to get rid of their equipment.

I had a Campbell Hausfield 80 amp, likely similar to HF. The cheap welders are cheap because they don't work very well. The major problem is adjustability. My high quality TIG will adjust from 5 amps to 185 amps. My Hobart MIG has seven power settings versus the two settings of a cheaper one, plus a wider range of wire speed.

Steve is correct, flux core wire is messy, splatters like a mud throwing contest, and does not have a very nice arc.

Combined with a cheap welder, it is very frustrating to try to do anything with. You can try adjusting your wire speed if it is burning through, but I doubt you will ever be happy with it. Bite the bullet and get a Lincoln/Miller/Hobart gas MIG, load it with .023 wire and CO2/Argon gas, and you will be much happier with the results.

Here is a good website for welder discussions: http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk

The local auction folks were selling off a body shop and had a miller and a lincoln 110VAC welders with carts and bottles. Probably well used, but if the price is right you don't care.

Thanks for the input guys,
this is what I have waiting to be taken back.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=55910

I have the wire speed on 0 and low amp range, any higher and it just runs away from me.
Try to use 1/8" -1/4" and works fine, the 1/4 stuff even has a relatively pretty bead.
Brad

It has always been a pet peeve of mine that cheap flux core welders are aimed at inexperienced welders with insinuations that they are easy to operate. I have a 110v welder that we keep flux wire in to carry outside when some little thing needs to be welded and its easier than bringing it in the shop. I also have a big wire feed attachment on my Trailblazer 440 that also uses flux core. The guys at the shop can do a half way decent job on thinner stuff, with flux core, but they are experienced welders. We use mig for almost everything we can get in the shop. I recently bought a Hobart 140 strictly to keep at home to weld patch panels. I found the best deal on Amazon.com I run .023 wire with CO2 and it is again difference difference like day and night with the bigger machines with .035 or even .030 wire. There is no one machine that will do everything. For someone working strictly on old vehicles I would recommend your favorite brand (Hobart, Miller or Lincoln) in about 140 range and use mixed gas rather than the CO2 like I do. I use CO2 because we keep bottles of it on hand for our fountain drink machines. If you have the wrong machine, you will soon get so frustrated that you will never learn to weld.

i don't know what you guy's use but i used .023 wire and it made a world of difference ,but my old man still likes oxyacetylene hammer welding. he's old school !!!!!!!!!!

What amperage are you guys useing to weld with? mine will not adjust below 68 per the book.

Thanks
Brad

My hobart 140 has 4 heat settings. On thin stuff I start out with 2 the heat and 30 on the wire speed. I practice on some junk similar to what I am welding to get the wire speed right. Something like floor panels I start out with 3/30 but If I burn holes I turn the heat down to 2. I think most machines come with Electrode Negative which is for flux core. If you are going to use shielding gas, you need electrode positive. I have seen people that didn't reverse their polarity to use mig. I just looked at the link to the welder you have. It looks like flux core only. I just looked at my Hobart book which surprises me that I still have. They recommend a heat gauge setting of 1 which is the lowest and wire speed of 30 on 18 gauge. They do not recommend welding anything lighter than 18 gauge with flux. This is the first time I have ever looked at charts, but looks to me that you may be trying to weld something thinner than what your machine was designed for.

I have a lincon 100. I use .023 and 75% argon 25% co2. I mostly weld sheetmetal, sometimes brackets. I have found it to be very well suited to my needs! I have even raked motorcyle frames with it! I just heat the metal with oxy/ acetelyne first, and it sinks in real nice! I think you should stick to the major brands with welders.

My lincoln SP 175 has infinite adjustment for speed and heat. I have welded aluminum, copper, brass, stainless, and carbon steels. It works great.