Welding Tips and Tricks

This question is more about curiosity to see what will happen, but the welder in question is a cheapie Lincoln Weld-Pak 3200HD (120V )with a burnt diode that the owner seems unwilling to fix. Has anyone else done this?
I figure if MIGs can still work in the wrong polarity, kinda, then AC should only be half as bad as that. It will only used on light dirty work like rusty mufflers and body work, nothing important. Say it works good enough with flux core then it could be a dedicated ready to go flux welder for those rare needs. It's that or I pay to fix it, or it rots in the corner.
Thanks in advance

I would just order some diodes and replace them. Had to do that on my stick welder once - cheap and easy.

If another diode fails, your machine could go to a full short and burn up rather quickly.

My stick welder stopped welding when it popped the diode - and went to full current draw.

MinnesotaDave wrote:I would just order some diodes and replace them. Had to do that on my stick welder once - cheap and easy.

If another diode fails, your machine could go to a full short and burn up rather quickly.

My stick welder stopped welding when it popped the diode - and went to full current draw.

ill +1 this and add that i know that its not MIG but fluxcore on AC is not a good sight at all.. welds look like phydo's butt and are more porous then Swiss cheese.. i would think that in AC mode it has the chance to blow the sheilding gas away like it dose with flux core.. why MIG uses DC current.. as back when MIG was invented AC welders were all the rage with Stick welding.. as you could get more amps out of a smaller cheaper welder.