[ic3man5]

Here is the link: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1260 ... mig+welder

Its a Lincoln Electric Handy MIG Welder
Min. Gauge: 24 ga.
Amp Output: 35.0 - 88.0
Max. Gauge: 1/8 in.
Welder Type: Wire feed, MIG welder
Welder Duty Cycle: 20 percent @ 70A
Welder Input Volts: 115


I plan on doing motor mounts, exhaust, gas pedal bracket, and possibly a little welding to the engine block. Would this welder be up for the job?

Oh and I have never welded before in my life, figured I can just sit in my garage for about a month and get pretty good at it (laid off with nothing to do ATM). I do have a few people that can help me learn plus this website seems to offer great tips.

If anybody is curious I'm building a website as I go: http://dakota-hemi.com

[metafos]

Hi,

Personally, I think you might be better off with a stronger unit, 20% duty cycle is not so good unless you plan to sit around waiting for the unit to cool down often . Also might want something that can weld thicker than 1/8, you never know, more is always better. But again, if you're just tacking a few pieces here and there and doing very light welding jobs, this might be a good choice for you. It might be a good starter unit, if you need stronger, you can always sell it for an upgrade.

Good luck.

[ic3man5]

Well the problem I'm having is I'm really short on funds so I'm kinda limited on what I can get. First thing I was looking at was a tig welder but though prices are way out of my price range, especially for just beginning. I really have no clue what I'm looking for, but I know I shouldn't go cheap. What would you recommend for a good duty cycle and how does that work? 20% @ 70amps doesn't really mean anything to me since I have no clue what it means.

[rickbreezy]

That welder should be fine for what your doing. I forgot exactly how to calculate duty cycles, but if you had a 100% duty cycle it would never shut off. at 80% you would have 80% weld time and 20% wait time. So a 20% would have 20% weld time and 80% wait time. Most welders have an internal thermometer. You have to wait for it to cool down basicly.

So 20% is pretty bad, but I have a clarke stick welder just like that. It can run for about 20 minites at max heat, but when I turn it off at every oppurtunity, even to chip slag or wire brush, it works for about 45 mins(it cools down u see). Then I took the side panal off and put a little fan up to it and it works for about 2 hours with the same on/off trick. so you'll be allright for small stuff.

Also the smaller wire size you use, the longer it will run(smaller wire takes less effort from the machine) And remember that gasless wire takes less heat to run than a fluxcored wire.

Good luck

-Rick

[ic3man5]

That welder should be fine for what your doing. I forgot exactly how to calculate duty cycles, but if you had a 100% duty cycle it would never shut off. at 80% you would have 80% weld time and 20% wait time. So a 20% would have 20% weld time and 80% wait time. Most welders have an internal thermometer. You have to wait for it to cool down basicly.

So 20% is pretty bad, but I have a clarke stick welder just like that. It can run for about 20 minites at max heat, but when I turn it off at every oppurtunity, even to chip slag or wire brush, it works for about 45 mins(it cools down u see). Then I took the side panal off and put a little fan up to it and it works for about 2 hours with the same on/off trick. so you'll be allright for small stuff.

Also the smaller wire size you use, the longer it will run(smaller wire takes less effort from the machine) And remember that gasless wire takes less heat to run than a fluxcored wire.

Good luck

-Rick

Thanks that explains a lot. I think i'm going to go ahead and get that then.

[ic3man5]

I finally bought a welder hobart 140:
http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/w ... andler140/

I'm currently using 0.30 flux core and heres a few pictures (its from my phone so its a little hard to see):

Very first time out of the box:
http://i46.tinypic.com/nd4q4x.jpg
After thinking I got the hang of it:
http://i45.tinypic.com/jue986.jpg
Next day, Decided to clean the surfaces a bit:
http://i47.tinypic.com/2wd6e0m.jpg


Hows it look? I know its not perfect but I'm hoping to get there really soon.

[CHEMA CARDENAS]

IT LOOKS GOOD FOR A FIRST TIME EXPERIENCE, TRY PLAYING WITH THE WIRE SPEED A LITTLE, UP OR DOWN. ALSO TRY TO WELD ON A FLAT POSITION IT WILL BE A BETTER LOOKING WELD. AND WHEN YOU DO THIS TRY SOMETHING LIKE A ZIG-ZAG ABOUT 1/4 IN. APART, AND STAY TWICE AS LONG ON THE BOTTOM PUT IT THIS WAY IN FLAT ON A 90° JOINT. STAY 1 SECOND OF THE ZIG-ZAG ON THE UPPER PART AND 2 SECONDS ON THE BOTTOM PART OF THE ZIG ZAG.

STEEL OR STAINLESS
HOPE THIS WILL HELP, ALWAYS GO THIS WAY ------->>>>>> WITH THE GUN POINTING THIS WAY<<<<<<<-----------

ANY ALUMINIUM IT HAS TO BE THIS WAY <<<<<<<<<---------- WITH THE GUN POINTING THIS WAY <<<<<<----------

[ic3man5]

IT LOOKS GOOD FOR A FIRST TIME EXPERIENCE, TRY PLAYING WITH THE WIRE SPEED A LITTLE, UP OR DOWN. ALSO TRY TO WELD ON A FLAT POSITION IT WILL BE A BETTER LOOKING WELD. AND WHEN YOU DO THIS TRY SOMETHING LIKE A ZIG-ZAG ABOUT 1/4 IN. APART, AND STAY TWICE AS LONG ON THE BOTTOM PUT IT THIS WAY IN FLAT ON A 90° JOINT. STAY 1 SECOND OF THE ZIG-ZAG ON THE UPPER PART AND 2 SECONDS ON THE BOTTOM PART OF THE ZIG ZAG.

STEEL OR STAINLESS
HOPE THIS WILL HELP, ALWAYS GO THIS WAY ------->>>>>> WITH THE GUN POINTING THIS WAY<<<<<<<-----------

ANY ALUMINIUM IT HAS TO BE THIS WAY <<<<<<<<<---------- WITH THE GUN POINTING THIS WAY <<<<<<----------

Thanks I was welding those like you described doing aluminum. I Tried to get the zig zag going on but its not 100% there yet. What do you mean on a flat position? I'm taking that as just weld right on top of a piece of metal without "welding" two pieces together.

[zikibusey]

20% duty cycle means 2 minutes of continuos welding out of 10 minutes. Then it starts all over when you drop the trigger.