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Question for you welders.


Knucklehead97
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A buddy of mine is selling a CH 110 flux core welder for 100$ and it comes with some wire. I could probably talk him down to $80. Is this a good deal? I've never welded before but its what I wanted to go to trade school for. The reason I'm interested in this welder is cause it's flux core so I could use it outside. I don't have a garage, so. My brother in law knows how to weld so if I got this he could teach me. It wouldn't be for nothing thick. Just small projects on the Jeep sometimes. Opinions?

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It might be a good starting point for you but as soon as you get into school and use some real welders you won't like the flux core anymore. I saved and bought a Hobart 140 and a CO2/Argon tank and love it. I would consider my Hobart setup a bare minimum for someone who wants decent project welding on a regular basis.

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If I had somewhere enclosed to put a full size MIG welder then I would save up and get one. Just don't have anywhere to work lol. Figured with this welder I could practice and have most of the technique behind MIG welding downpat before I get into school. And possibly fix up my exhaust and other small things. Definitely wouldn't be an every week welder. I'm guessing that 3/16" would be about the limit for this welder?

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Thats a possibility right there. My brother in law said he would go in with me and pay half cause he wants a welder to play with. Pretty sure I'll be getting it, now. Do you think it would be strong enough to put spring perches on an axle?

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IMHO, get a welder that has gas hookups.  You can run flux core on it, and later if you decide to run gas you just hook up the tank, regulator, and line(s) and tadaa.
If you want a welder that can do stuff like spring perches you will want to get at least a 175-190amp unit.  A basic rule of thumb for steel with welders is the amperage is the capability of steel thickness.  A 200amp welder can weld 0.200", or in rounded terms, can handle 1/4" thick metal with no real muss or fuss.

There are some tricks to get better penetration from less power, including using flux core wire with gas.  The flux core wire, being hollow it acts like a thinner wire than it's actual diameter, and when used with shielding gas will give a much deeper penetration, but at the cost of a narrower weld.  Common technique for guys that weld big beams making multiple passes.  

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Have to disagree the Ubolts do the work, the weld keeps it from rotating

The welds are also under high lateral and angular torsional load.  In english, it keeps the axle centered and takes side loads when the axle is not level relative to the body.  The U-bolts are there to keep the spring clamped to the perch, the perch is supposed to take the majority of stress loads, hence why they are so thick.

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For the spring perches, will definitely use a bigger welder, then. I just got a better job so I may save up for a good MIG welder to use as a Flux core until I get a enclosed spot. I learned a lot from this thread, though. Thanks for all the replies, guys :D

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 You can use it to tack it in the correct position, then have welded by a 220V welder for proper penetration.

 

 

 

that's what I did to build the bumpers and suspension my truck. :thumbsup:   carved up the steel with a grinder and tacked everything together with my dinky 110 welder (a $65 harbor freight stick). then I paid a few bucks to have a pro burn it all proper. :D  having the l'il welder allowed me to have more control of the build process and save a ton of money over buying other peoples' bumpers (which I wouldn't have been completely happy with anyway). 

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You can use it to tack it in the correct position, then have welded by a 220V welder for proper penetration.

 

 

that's what I did to build the bumpers and suspension my truck. :thumbsup: carved up the steel with a grinder and tacked everything together with my dinky 110 welder (a $65 harbor freight stick). then I paid a few bucks to have a pro burn it all proper. :D having the l'il welder allowed me to have more control of the build process and save a ton of money over buying other peoples' bumpers (which I wouldn't have been completely happy with anyway).

I have a buddy with an expensive MIG welder. Probably could get a cheap stick welder and do like you did then head over to his house to finish it up. The problem with expensive MIG welders is also the amount of space they take up. I hardly can fit an extra couple power tools in my tool room lol
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The problem with expensive MIG welders is also the amount of space they take up. I hardly can fit an extra couple power tools in my tool room lol

 

 

 

Nope

The problem with expensive MIG welders is: They make you look at everybody else's cool stuff, make you dream of all the cool stuff you can build, then take up all your time building all that cool stuff...Then you realize you need a bender...then a tube miter...then a bandsaw...then a....

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The problem with expensive MIG welders is also the amount of space they take up. I hardly can fit an extra couple power tools in my tool room lol

 

 

Nope

The problem with expensive MIG welders is: They make you look at everybody else's cool stuff, make you dream of all the cool stuff you can build, then take up all your time building all that cool stuff...Then you realize you need a bender...then a tube miter...then a bandsaw...then a....

you said it... I want to actually be a fabricator as a proffession when I get out of school so it kills me not even being able to have a welder...
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Do you think it would be strong enough to put spring perches on an axle?

No. You can use it to tack it in the correct position, then have welded by a 220V welder for proper penetration.
I'll have to say it is enough welder, as long as you know how to use it. I welded my perches on with a 110v fluxcore welder almost a decade ago, haven't had a single problem. And with a manual trans and a stroker motor running 35's, they take a lot of abuse.
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Do you think it would be strong enough to put spring perches on an axle?

No. You can use it to tack it in the correct position, then have welded by a 220V welder for proper penetration.
I'll have to say it is enough welder, as long as you know how to use it. I welder my perches on with a 110v fluxcore welder almost a decade ago, haven't had a single problem. And with a manual trans and a stroker motor running 35's, they take a lot of abuse.
thats good to know. Is that all you've used to weld on your truck? If I remember your build correctly I've seen some nice fabrication.
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The problem with expensive MIG welders is also the amount of space they take up. I hardly can fit an extra couple power tools in my tool room lol

 

 

 

Nope

The problem with expensive MIG welders is: They make you look at everybody else's cool stuff, make you dream of all the cool stuff you can build, then take up all your time building all that cool stuff...Then you realize you need a bender...then a tube miter...then a bandsaw...then a....

 

chop saw...and a drill press....and a stationary belt grinder....and...

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Do you think it would be strong enough to put spring perches on an axle?

No. You can use it to tack it in the correct position, then have welded by a 220V welder for proper penetration.
I'll have to say it is enough welder, as long as you know how to use it. I welder my perches on with a 110v fluxcore welder almost a decade ago, haven't had a single problem. And with a manual trans and a stroker motor running 35's, they take a lot of abuse.
thats good to know. Is that all you've used to weld on your truck? If I remember your build correctly I've seen some nice fabrication.

Yep, I used a flux core Lincoln 140 for everything. It's been beat on pretty good and nothing has failed yet.

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Do you think it would be strong enough to put spring perches on an axle?

No. You can use it to tack it in the correct position, then have welded by a 220V welder for proper penetration.
I'll have to say it is enough welder, as long as you know how to use it. I welder my perches on with a 110v fluxcore welder almost a decade ago, haven't had a single problem. And with a manual trans and a stroker motor running 35's, they take a lot of abuse.
thats good to know. Is that all you've used to weld on your truck? If I remember your build correctly I've seen some nice fabrication.
Yep, I used a flux core Lincoln 140 for everything. It's been beat on pretty good and nothing has failed yet.
thats very good to know!
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I welded my perches, rollcage, bumpers, rock rails, sheet metal repair pieces, front suspension mounts on the frame side, frame stiffeners and I'm sure other things with it. If it's thicker metal, you can always bevel the edge and do multiple passes.

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