Self Shielding Flux Core Wire Welders

[MikePA]

The Northern Tool Catalog arrived yesterday and I succumbed to the temptation and began browsing through it. I noticed three welders;

- Hobart Handler 125 Welder for $330
- Century Models 83073 ($230) and 83096 ($330)

What caught my eye was the Century for only $230! My welding needs are minor and I don't have the room for a tank of gas, although each of these welders have gas conversion kits for $80.

They all can weld up to 3/16" steel, which is the thickness of the steel on my front end loader bucket.

For $330, or even better $230, how can you go wrong? What am I missing? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[EdKing]

Mike,
I would spend the extra $100 and go with the Hobart. I have used a few of the lower end Century models and the wire feed leaves a bit to be desired. It is not as smooth and steady as in the better names like Hobart, Lincoln, or Miller. If you have a local TSC, they carry the Hobart welders, so you could check them out before you buy one.

 

[MikePA]

Thanks, Ed. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Any idea how welding goes with one of these units when you don't use the gas?

 

[Tractors4u]

I have a Lincoln Weldpak 100 and I have been very pleased with it. I have welded thin sheet metal successfully and welded heavy duty thick material with multiple passes with great success. I got mine for about $300 + tax at Home Depot. Attached is a project I built with it.

 

[MadReferee]

Be careful when using 110v welders. Always check your penetration. A nice looking weld is not always strong. Practice on scrap first.

The welders forum is a wealth of good information.

welders forum

 

[TonyC]

Wire welding without gas works okay but it is generally known to be less desireable than gas shielded. As a weekend welder what I find a bit ironic is that for occasional light welding, flux wire seems to be a good solution but there is a problem with "freshness". Moisture is very bad for the flux and by moisture I mean humidity. If you use it sporadically it will not stay fresh unless you take carefull measures. Keeping it stored in a moisture proof container helps. Maybe some of the more experienced welders here can offer us all some tips on this.

 

[EdKing]

<font color="blue"> Any idea how welding goes with one of these units when you don't use the gas? </font>

I have the gas setup for mine, but I mainly use the flux core. I got the gas setup for welding light, thin stuff (body work on cars). If you plan on welding outside, the flux core is the way to go as the wind can blow the shielding gas away, causing a poor weld. The biggest thing to remember with the wire welders is to have the metal you are welding as clean as possible. With a stick welder, using 6011 rods, you can get away some rust, dirt, or paint on the metal, but with the wire welder, its pretty cruicial to have clean metal. As long as you take the time to clean up the area you are welding, and don't try to weld any thing too heavy, you will do fine with the flux core welder. One final note, for the self learner, it is much easier to learn with a wire welder.