Harbor Freight Welding Rig

A simple MIG power supply with no gas solenoid. For running Flux-core wire.

Similar to Lincoln's Weldpak welders.

Flux-core wire is like a stick electrode turned inside out. It is a tubular wire filled with flux. They work OK for simple stuff. Don't expect pretty welds, and they are a bit hot for sheet metal.

Thanks Ernie - I'll probably stick to OA silver brazing.

Wire, with a flux jacket. Basically a continuous 'stick' welder.

Dan Mitchell ==========

Robert Sw>

As others have already pointed out, it's a flux core, not a 'jacket' on the wire. Either way, it's the same principal as a stick welder.

Dan Mitchell ==========

"Daniel A. Mitchell" wrote:

||Harbor Freight is advertising a "gasless" flux wire welder. It looks to be ||a wire welder with no gas required - Migless, Tigless ??. What are they ||advertising here? ||Bob Swinney

It's just a Mig without the gas, uses flux-core wire. The low-end mig welders sell that way, with optional gas regulator available. I've bought two this way, and always got the gas setup immediately. Make sure the HF welder is upgradable to use argon Rex in Fort Worth

Most of these comments have a sort of negative tone, so I will offer a couple of positives. 1.) A small flux-core welder is very portable, since you don't need a tank of gas. 2.) Gas shielding does not work well if there is a breeze. Flux-core works anywhere.

I have a Lincoln 135--I can't comment on the quality of the HF unit, but I would be leery.

I have one of the little HF rigs. I cant complain much. Im on my 4th spool of wire, and it still works fine for its intended purpose, short welds on moderately thin stock like thin wall tubing. The amperage is High/Low and it would be nice to have a reostat for finer adjustments..but I just weld faster or slower.

And it was easy to learn to use right out of the box. Im more of a dauber than a welder, though have used most types at one time or another, stick, heliarc, mig with a good unit...

For doing small stuff like mending lawn mower decks and making shelves etc..it works well enough.

Gunner "As physicists now know, there is some nonzero probability that any object will, through quantum effects, tunnel from the workbench in your shop to Floyds Knobs, Indiana (unless your shop is already in Indiana, in which case the object will tunnel to Trotters, North Dakota). The smaller mass of the object, the higher the probability. Therefore, disassembled parts, particularly small ones, of machines disappear much faster than assembled machines." Greg Dermer: rec.crafts.metalworking