Re: Portable 120V Welder

[NickMark <nmarkowitz@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Tuesday, July 23, 2013 4:21:30 PM UTC-4, Bob La Londe wrote:
> I know most of you guys don't do this sort of thing, but as part of my alarm
>
> business I have often found myself having to weld a handle on a gate after
>
> installing a spring bolt and access controlling it.  My original 120V welder
>
> did a dozen of them on the first job site I ever took it on, and it paid for
>
> itself.  (I only had to do two, but the property owner saw my work and asked
>
> me to do all of the gates on the premise with the same type handle.)
>
>
>
> Anyway, here is what I have to say about that original welder and its
>
> replacement.
>
>
>
> For years I used a Harbor Fright 120V machine for this sort of thing.  After
>
> I cut a huge hole in the case and put a giant fan on the back of it, it was
>
> useable.  It was also cheap.  After about 15 years I got frustrated with it
>
> yesterday.  I was fitting a trailer fender between two steps, and I was
>
> going to tack the inside liner plate in place with the China box, and then
>
> after it was locked into shape, unbolt it to finish welding in the back of
>
> the shop with the Miller 212.
>
>
>
> I made a couple practice welds to make sure I had it right and then I slid
>
> under the trailer.  It made an arc, and then quit feeding.  Somehow the wire
>
> got stuck in the liner.  I had no issue taking the tip off.  It was seized
>
> in the liner.  Cut to the chase.  I set it aside and looked on line to find
>
> that Lincoln has a little 110V wire feed that is JUST for flux core.  No gas
>
> at all as near as I can tell.  Since I never used gas on the portable stuff
>
> anyway I figured why not.  Better yet it was on sale.
>
>
>
> Holy crap.  This thing welds about 100 times better that the Harbor Fright
>
> China box and has at least ten times the duty cycle, and it was cheap.
>
>
>
> Pro Core 125.  Anything heavier than about 12ga will require multi pass (I'm
>
> used to that), but it does it.  Holy crap.  I made about a dozen tacks on
>
> the bottom inside the fender to hold the back plate on.  Only 2 didn't look
>
> good, and only one did I have to go over.  A mix of a dozen vertical and
>
> overhead welds from a crappy hack welder (me not the machine) and they were
>
> 90% good and good looking.  Wow!  I took the fender off to weld some beads
>
> on the backside and get it ready for paint.  All the welds look decent.  I
>
> only had one issue.  It was going so fast and clean that I got a little
>
> cocky and burned a tiny hole in to.  I was able to stack 3 little spots and
>
> filled the hole so easily I had to stop and stick a scratch awl in it to
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> make sure it had really welded up.
>
>
>
> I didn't even take that fender in the back of the shop to finish.  I just
>
> finished the whole thing right there with the Lincoln.
>
>
>
> This is my portable anywhere field welder from now on.  Its not something I
>
> would want to do lot of plate welding with, but this thing will make short
>
> work of things like gate handles for access controlled gates.
>
>
>
> Wow! What a pleasure to use.

The Lincoln unit is made here in USA  they have always had an excellent reputation for products and you will find them and miller in most weld  / machine  shops  I have worked in.