Thread: 90 Amp Flux Wire Welder

Flux Wire Welder - 90 Amp

I realize this is probably not the "best" welder out there but I am trying to learn and obviously don't want to throw too much money into the art until I know I'm good at it.

I was looking to get this pretty soon since I need to replace an exhaust flex pipe and the local muffler shop wants $60 to do that. I might as well put that $60 and invest in the welder..

Thoughts?

Honestly I wouldn't waste my money on that. Find someone with a welder and mess around on it to see how you like it. There is a significant performance difference between low end cheap welders and more expensive models. Also I don't trust any electronics from Harbor Freight.

One other thing is that welder is for gasless wire only which isn't all that much fun welding with. Usually welds like crap and is sometimes difficult to get decent penetration or appearance. Search craigslist in your area and see what you can find.

I'm sure this is out of your price range but for any beginner you really can't go wrong with millers new line of Autoset welders. Basically dials in your settings for you so all you need to do is work on your technique. MILLER MILLERMATIC 140 AUTOSET MIG WELDER # 907335 | eBay

i have that one actually and it worked great learning and making some stuff. eventually youll want alittle more. but for just messing around i love it.

Flux core wire is perfectly fine to weld with. Don't bother getting a tank of argon/co2 if you're just welding exhaust piping. The only issue with flux core is that you will have spatter, but you can minimize it if you prep the metal correctly. It'll work just fine.

If you are going to buy a welder, I'd go with a used Hobart or Lincoln. You don't need that much amperage, especially if you're doing exhaust work. Exhaust piping is usually fairly thin wall and you can get by with low power setup. I have a Hobart Handler 140 myself that I've used to do anything from exhaust piping to .095" DOM tubing. Works real great. Here's a pic of my welds using flux core wire (welding a 1/8" thick steel plate to the 18 or so gauge metal on a B13's interior):



As you can see, decent penetration and fairly minimal spatter. The key to doing good welding on anything is make sure the metal you want to join together is CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. Grind/sand/wirebrush it down to bare metal, and then some more. Use acetone or alcohol to get any residual seam sealer or paint or what have you off of the surface. Then you're ready to rock.

I believe you just don't know how to weld. My uncle owns a bunch of different kinds of welders and uses a flux wire welder to weld up my exhaust parts. No splatter, perfect welds every time. First time I welded in my life was with a flux wire welder and perfect weld, no splatter. Only downside about it is its from harbor freight.

If I remember, I saw some used lincoln's on ebay for a decent price. There was also some Cambell Hausfield?'s on there for about $200-240. Not sure about the CH's, but Lincoln is a good welder. That's what I've got.

There is not Flux core wire that needs to be shielded (by gas) too, its amazing! It doesnt work on arching tho, its more of a splatter weld. The other thing with it is that you cannot "whip it in" it will cause porosity and cause a bad weld. This technique is supposed to be the strongest weld to date because of its ability to flex and low hardness. We use it to weld 2 inch thick plate to "I" beam and theres nothing like it for penetration.