finelly bought a mig yesterday

[airsmith282]

went to princess auto in sudbury about and hour and 15 min away from me,, the site said 199.99 so ok that wil fix me up, got there and it was 149.99 so the money i saved i got more goodies but noting majore to show off , any how i needed the mig and yes its 120 volt and its a flux core mig any how had to weld a new nut on a plate on the neibours snow blower that had broken off this welder works slick for what it is andi did the weld on low heat due to the thiness of the metal plate, i must say i love this thing and will likey have it for many years to come. 90 amps full heat and 65 amps low , iam sure i could use a bigger welder but my budget was low so i make due for now...te right side of the plate is where the new nut was welded onto

[MTNGUN]

MIG = Metal Inert Gas.

You have a flux core wire feed. I'm not sure what the correct acronym is.

But hey, it's a welder, and handy for many home repair jobs.

[smiller6912]

MIG = Metal Inert Gas.

You have a flux core wire feed. I'm not sure what the correct acronym is.

But hey, it's a welder, and handy for many home repair jobs.

I have a little Millermatic 130, 120vac. It is both, should I change what I call her depending on if I'm using the gas or flux?

Just one of those things that makes me go.. Huuummmmm.......

[andy_b]

excellent deal. i don't think you can get a used one for that price.
i also have a Lincoln 120V unit that i mainly use flux core wire in. i have the gas conversion, but i'm not welding for beauty contests and i don't mind chipping some slag off, so i rarely use the gas and non-flux wire.

i am not sure who manufactures your unit, but the only thing i'd say is that if it isn't one of the large brands like Lincoln that you buy a handful of nozzle tips. honestly, i've had my welder for about 8 years and have gone through many spools of wire. i have on occasion "welded" the wire to the nozzle, and i just clean it up and re-use the same nozzle. i would think three or four tips would last you a lifetime of hobby use.

andy b.

[Highpower]

FCAW = Flux-Cored Arc Welding.

A few (not all) of these smaller machines do have the capacity for adding a shielding gas to them.
And then there is.... Flux-cored arc welding gas-shielded! (FCAW-G)

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/articles/content/fcwawire.asp

[airsmith282]

for doing the stuff iam now its a prett good unit and seems to perfom very well,i have no use for a gas mig or MIG beside the flux core will penatrate futer then an auctual gas mig and i dont mind cleaning the slag off..i still want t he lincon 140 eventually but for use of a spool gun for alluim stuff might even just go mig inverter tig machine either way good for small stuff for sure,,

my arc welder is only an older model 90 amp crafstman cracker box and it works rater well even with 1/8 rods so its decent for my uses,iam not going into professional welding for my sole living here ..

i seen a wire feed / welder at canadian tire for like 369.99 abnd it has exact same features as the one i got and i paid less then half that for the one i got and the citre one is even cheaper build then the one i got.

pays to shop around for sure

[Dragons_fire]

That looks like the same powerfist welder i have, but mines red... Im not sure who they are made by, but they use lincoln tips. I got mine for Christmas and the wire feeder motor wouldnt run, took it back and exchanged it without problems and the new one has been working great

[Alistair Hosie]

I have a 185 amp mig on wheels whilst I am no greatwelder it is a handy machine for gluing metal together instantaniously.I cannot weld too good but I can spot weld great enough. Many spots make a safe job. Then it's join the dot's just like in a colouring book great smoking fun. I wouldn't be without mine now.Alistair ps have fun with your new tool it's great being alive isn't it. Alistair

[airsmith282]

in a few days form now i should have my new welder cart built for the new one and my old crafstamn cracker box .. going to have hold all my welding goodies if i can design and build it they way i want it but if i get close to it then that would be cool as well.

[radkins]

There is no such thing as a gasless MIG or Flux core MIG, if it does not have a gas capability then it is generally called a flux core welder or just simply flux welder seems to be the usual term anymore.

[airsmith282]

There is no such thing as a gasless MIG or Flux core MIG, if it does not have a gas capability then it is generally called a flux core welder or just simply flux welder seems to be the usual term anymore.

well radkins tell that to the chinese guy that staped mig welder on it, duh i know its a wire feed flux core welder , they are also known as a gasless mig welder for your infomation ..
the flux is in the wire instead of using a gas such as argon or co2,

flux core welders might not make as pretty of a weld but have advantages over a mig that make them to me a better choice

1 flux core will penatrate deeper then a regual mig set up which uses gas.
2 cost is less to run a gasless system
3 flux core can be used any where, gas migs can not have to much air current around them other wise the sheilding gas is made useless as its blown away by the air

i use on a regual basis an arc welder and iam getting really good at it , its only 90 amps but it can do some serous welding, the mig or flux core as you call it i just bought it but i used regual mig set ups when i was working as a mechanic , i also know how to but only own a small oxy map sytem that i use alt as well. I hope to get a full size set up soon these small oxy bottles are killing my wallet, i also have some experiace and own a carbon arc tourch as well ,

now radkins kindly back off the attiued on me and stop asuming i dont know any thing ,considering you dont know me you got no idea what i know or dont know about anything so your attiued with me is not warranted.

[Your Old Dog]

I have the Miller 135. I used it for over two years as FCAW until someone here mentioned to use gas and I'd never go back. He was right. With gas you get no spatter and the welds look like Skippy Smooth Peanut butter Any welder is better then no welder and they are all empowering in my book. Life is much easier with a welder!

[lazlo]

There is no such thing as a gasless MIG or Flux core MIG, if it does not have a gas capability then it is generally called a flux core welder

Right, a MIG unit will have a gas solenoid controlled by the wire-feed trigger -- that's the primary difference.

The Chinese fellow who built it should have put a TIG sticker on it, and jacked the price up

[RancherBill]

It looks like your is fluxcore (FCAW) only. If it could take gas they will give the option kit number to add gas to make it MIG.

http://www.princessauto.com/welding/welding-products/welders/8209686-powerfist-flux-core-welder

A great little machine to do what it can do. Don't build any trailers with it.

[MTNGUN]

I'm told you want true gas MIG to weld automotive sheet metal, so I am holding out for a Hobart 140 MIG or better.

A MIG machine has the option of running either flux core or gas, giving you the best of both worlds.

Airsmith, I understand your budget limitation all too well (cuz I haven't been able to afford a real MIG yet, either). Your FCAW will be great for many HSM repairs. Keep posting your welding projects, and never mind us hecklers.