that looks dirty,

 

huh? just took a break from working on the exhaust. Im determined to finish it by 4am

 

What model of welder from HF would you guys suggest?

 

Neither.... Clarke

 

I just checked out the clarke welders, they actually aren't that expensive. Would a basic 110v flux core/gas mig be good enough for making intercooler/exhausts or should I go ahead and get a 220v? (I'm pretty sure my dad already has a 220 line in his garage.)

 

If you can get the 220 go for it, my friend has it and its smooth as butter. But with the 110 you can easily do up to quarter in. In fact with my 110 i was able to cut a piece of 1/4 in mild in half (we were trying to)

The nice thing about clarkes are the warrantys

 

My advice? Get a MIG conversion kit. :P

 

I paid $160 ($200?) out of pocket (coupons and stuff) for the HF 220V 151T. Best $$$ I have ever spent. Had to buy a bottle for it and ended up finding one on the side of the road (no, really!) on the way to the gas store. For you non-welders like is like finding a $100 bill on the ground.

BTW, I don't know if it actually helps or not but I swear I get better welds when I use a heat gun to heat up everything first. I am ok at welding thicker metals but I just burn the **** out of everything thin.

 

But then if you weld oustide you need a shield, and its hard to weld upside down, which sounds alright till you have to weld something on the car.

 

Maybe living in Chicago, haha. Turning up the gas regulator to 20-25 defeats calm winds. I've never had any trouble welding upside down.

 

welding upside down is a problem because you lose the gas.

 

Again, turn the **** up if you start getting contaminants

My regulator can shoot out 70 or 80lb/hr of gas if I turn it all the way up.

 

you must have some special gas in cinn.,

 

I can weld perfect when I use the special gas!!


anyway, im thinking of gettting a harbor feright welder..

 

Well if C25 is special then I dunno what the ****

 

I've never had problems with mig laying on my back either- just turn it up.

 

but unless you have 220 im guessing your welds are gonna be cold (the other disadvantage to MIG)

 

FYI: Many of the gassless 125v welders can be converted to gas use, you may get lucky and be able to do this - I started with a gasless/gas capable welder (cheapo one) and it did fine up to 1/8" stock using gas. I tried it with flux core wire and no gas and the mess is just no fun to work with. If you're gonna buy one for small to medium home shop work I might suggest finding a used lincon or miller unit - I ended up getting a lincon weld pack (it's 125v but draws 30amps and does very well up to and including 1/4" stock) these run ~350 used or 450 ish new and use inert gas (argon/C02 mixture) and leave nice clean welds. Y8 is on the money, small circles while moving in the direction of the weld and cleaning / cambering the surface to be welded will make a huge difference (angle grinder is your friend). With a little practice you'll be welding like a pro in no time.
BTW: Welding upside down is amusing, wear a full facial mask!! Those little droplets of molten steel left on the end of the mig when you stop will go right thru your clothes, socks, shoes etc (I have a pair of boots just for welding that have many small holes from this).

 

I've got a lincoln 135. I just weld exhausts and ****, and MIG works great for that. If I were welding manifolds or something I'd definitely have to step up to a 220.