Welding At Home...

[Bloodyknuckles]

A mig welder is one of the best tools you can own. The initial investment can be a little high, but you will find ways to make $ doing odd jobs for friends. I'm not a fan of Harbor Freight flux core welders because the output power can change while laying a bead (poor duty cycle). Small used migs can be bought for around $300. Look for Miller,Lincoln, Hobart, they tend to be better built. If you want to save $ on gas, switch from argon/co2 to co2 only. It will cost about half as much and still give quality welds with a little more spatter.

 

[Xcruiser]

i got one of the cheap harbor freight flux migs. i was kinda spoiled already by being able to to use a better gas mig at work, so i have a hard time with it. if i'm real deliberate with my technique though (such as it is) i can get some decent results. i still tend to take things to work when i want to be more sure of the weld or to reinforce what i've done at home though.

i have to say, i still like having it though. i think if i got one of those auto darkening face sheilds i'd be better with it. with the better one at work i can touch the wire to the work and it won't weld till i pull the trigger. the home one sparks if you do that, so i try to hold it steady, then flip my sheild down to start. i end up being off the mark a lot.

This is the problem with my little HF flux core welder,its live (hot) all the time.Makes it tough to get started with the shield down.