The above is an advertisment. If it asks you to download software or create an account, please ignore it.
Site News - 11/25: Special Ad Rate | 11/1: Members: Log In to See Fewer Ads!
[General | Members | C900 | 9000 | NG900 & OG93 | 93 | 95 | NG95 | 99 | Sonett | Vintage Models | Clubs | Other Cars | FAQs | Gifts | Member Photo Galleries | Member Directory | Classifieds | Manuals | *Buddy Registry | *Mileage Registry | Polls | What's New | Raffle | Photo of the Month | Sponsors]

General Bulletin Board
[Subscribe to Daily Digest]
(Search Author's Posts: e.g. Keyword:username)*Members Only

[Main General Bulletin Board | BBFAQ | Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ] Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
What kind of money are you looking to spend?(long)
Like This Post: - Subscribe to Daily Digest for this Bulletin Board
Posted by DougM [Email] (#211) [Profile/Gallery] (more from DougM) on Tue, 4 Dec 2001 21:35:24 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: OT:Anyone recommend good MIG welder?, BobH, Tue, 4 Dec 2001 20:10:47
Alert me when someone posts in this thread:
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup

About nine years ago I bought a close-out model from a local dealer for $260. It was a 80Amp, 110 volt unit and it came with a full bottle(next size up from the standard size for a portable welder) of argon/CO2 shielding gas. It worked well for about five years and then I started to have problems. The rollers that fed the wire kept slipping and the wire was arcing in the tip. Once the wire is welded to the tip, then it's worthless. Time for a new tip and pray it feeds OK the next time. Well, eventually I ran out of tips and the local dealer had since went out of business. I searched about 10 different local weld shops and none of them had seen tips that small, let alone stock them. So, I get the owners manual to see if I could write or call the manufacturer for replacements. The damn welder was made in the Shepshed, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 9NH. HUH, where the hell is that. I'm screwed.

Time for a new welder. HMMM, what to buy? I went to the local Lowe's and looked to see what they had. Lincoln welders in stock(local company that's been around for over 100 years and a great reputation). On the shelf was a weld-pak 100 model, 110v, 88amp, gasless mig(flux-cored wire) for $300. So I bought it.

Took the welder home, fired it up, and started welding. Boy, I said, that's an ugly looking weld. Flux-core wire welding is similar to arc welding. Dirty weld with slag and nothing like the clean weld of a mig w/shielding gas. So back to Lowe's I go. In stock for $80 was a mig conversion kit. You have to change the polarity of the power cables, install the gas tube in the gun and cable, change the wire, and hook up the regulator, but what a difference it made. Back to beautiful welds again. Fortunately I had the bottle of gas from the other welder because I'd never priced bottles(they might be near $100, but don't quote me on that). They also sell utility carts for like $100 more, but I didn't want to spend the extra cash at the time(I ended up fabbing one from an old cart I found in a steel mill junk pile where I work). It's also light enough to carry from job to job without the cart.

The welder also came with a how-to-weld video tape and has the potential to weld up to 1/4". Perfect for around the home repairs for a DIYer. I've welded car exhausts, bicycles, shovels, rototillers, The top stud of a C900 front shock back on(it rusted off and has been holding for the last year and a half), replacement panels for bodywork, rebuilt the front bumper channels of a C900, rebuilt the front lower A-frame mount of a C900, etc. etc.

I don't think Lowe's sells Lincoln's anymore, they switched to an off brand, which I'm not familiar with and probably wouldn't buy if a Lincoln was available for a little more money. My investment was under $500 and I highly recommend this welder and brand. Do some research on the web and make sure replacement parts are available. Buying off the web might also be cheaper than a local weld shop. One near me wanted over $800 for the same set-up.

I hope this helps.

posted by 24.51.7...
Posts in this Thread:
Alert me when someone posts in this thread:
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
Post a Followup

No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.

Name: Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
E-Mail: (Optional)
Re-Enter E-Mail: (Confidential & Secure - Not revealed to other users!)
Note: Please check your spam folder for BB responses.

Subject:

Posting rules are simple - No for sale/wanted ads may be posted here - use the site classifieds.
You may not cross-post your message to multiple BBs.
Not permitted: political/religious topics and being disrespectful (personal attacks, insults, etc...).
 Site Members do not see any red text, inline ad links, bottom of page anchor ads, box ads, or anti-spam check.

Message: (please no for sale/wanted classifieds - post those in the Saabnet.com Classifieds)
Links are now automatically made active, no need for any special code (or use the Option Link field below) - don't put links in () or end with a '.'
To add inline images to your post, use [img]http://www.domain.com/img.jpg[endimg] (or use the Optional Image Link field below).

Links are now automatically made active, no need for any special code (or use the Option Link field below) - don't put links in () or end with a '.'
To add inline images to your post above, use [img]http://www.domain.com/img.jpg[endimg] (or use the Optional Image Link field below).
Optional Link: (e.g. http://www.saabnet.com/)
Link Title: (Optional)
Optional Photo/Image Link: (e.g. http://www.saabnet.com/img.jpg)
Photo/Image to Upload: (Please be patient while file uploads)



StateOfNine.com
SaabClub.com
Jak Stoll Performance
M Car Covers
Ad Available

The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2026 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com.
For usage guidelines, see the Mission & Privacy Notice.
[Contact | Site Map | Saabnet.com on Facebook | Saabnet.com on Twitter | Shop Amazon via TSN | Site Donations]

Random Saabnet.com Member Gallery Photos (Click Image)
This is a moderated bulletin board - Posting is a privilege, not a right. Unsolicited commercial postings are not allowed (no spam). Please, no For Sale or Wanted postings, SERIOUSLY. Classifieds are to be listed in The Saab Network Classifieds pages. This is a problem solving forum for over 250,000 Saab owners, so expect to see problems discussed here even though our cars are generally very reliable. This is not an anything goes type of forum. Saabnet.com has been a moderated forum since 1988. For usage guidelines, see the Saabnet.com Mission and Purpose Page. Please remember that you are not anonymous. Site Contact | Site Donations | Other Sites by SP - Poverty2Prosperity.org | Run Club Menlo Park | ScreenBot


Site Members do not see red text instructions, bottom of the page anchor ads, or box ads.
Click here to see all the Site Membership Benefits!