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Just picked up an inexpensive welder

Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 2:31 pm
by justice
Campbell Hausfeld Fluxcore wirefeed welder, $100 from the local pawn shop. I have a few small projects here that this should be great for.

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Re: Just picked up an inexpensive welder

Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 2:50 pm
by CaptSquid
Absolutely amazing what you can get for a song in a hock shop or a junkyard.

Nice catch.

Re: Just picked up an inexpensive welder

Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 5:43 pm
by SoCalli V8
Great pictures...... I`m looking forward to seeing a welding bead run with that unit ?

Not really my style, but I do alot of body and chassis welding, so I prefer to have a gas bottle with my mig.

But it will certainly help you out will smaller projects, as you stated.... It`s cool that you are into learning about welding and fabrication, to build your own stuff. :supz:

Re: Just picked up an inexpensive welder

Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 4:15 am
by peter
Again, I'll have to agree with Darren. Which means I'm prolly wrong... :cry:

I also runa gas-bottled Mig. I am very anxious to see the quality of the welds with that machine. I would imagine that for smaller projects with thin metal, it should be great. Don't forget to post pics of the welds after you've gotten used to the unit. :cheers:

Re: Just picked up an inexpensive welder

Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 8:52 am
by astrozam
Hmm, I smell a product review on the horizon :-k

Re: Just picked up an inexpensive welder

Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 11:30 am
by potskie
Decent find!

Will work great for small or semi large projects even. The fluxcore wire allows for a higher temp so you can get some decent penetration with a smaller machine....... Except it's no where near as clean and it's harder for a person new to welding to learn with as the smoke created from the flux makes it hard to see the weld pool. So get really good at identifying the proper sound :supz: . You will also find a few hundred new uses for your angle grinder especially in the spatter removal department.

Re: Just picked up an inexpensive welder

Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 12:23 pm
by justice
i have not done any real welding since high school and back then my favorite welder was the wirefeed mig. I could stick weld pretty good with a DC welder. My dad has an AC stick welder that I absolutley hate :axe:

My main project for this little guy is a trailer conversion. I have an older 3 rail dirtbike trailer that i'm going to cut the rails off, frame it with some angle and put a deck on it to make it a small utility trailer. But i'll also install a wheel chock on it so I can transport a bike if needed. I also have a small dirtbike project that I may do some frame mods on.

I would have preferred a mig with gas but I needed to be cost effective for the amount of use it will get.

right now I need to aquire a helmet and some scrap stock to get a little practice in :bounce:

Re: Just picked up an inexpensive welder

Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 1:02 pm
by SoCalli V8
I recommend that you look for an auto-darkening helmet, it will make your welding experience alot easier.

You could also make yourself a welding cart to mount your welder and beable to roll it around your project easier. I fitted a flat table-top to mine for clamping parts down onto, while welding them together.

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Re: Just picked up an inexpensive welder

Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 8:18 am
by meetthespeakers
That is a sweet little rolly cart you have. I say ditto on the Auto Dimming Helmet. I just picked one up 2 weeks ago on ebay for around $30 ($200 helmet). Makes a world of difference. I have a Hobart Mig welder with Gas, the damn thing is so sensative. Anyway, have fun!