hello, i got a new welder from harbor freight. its a flux core type 90 amp. i have two questions 1st,when i try to weld it does a lot of spiting out little dots, 2nd. as soon as i get a spark the helmet gets too dark and i can't see anything but the spark,and am unable to see what i'am doing. i tryed every setting on the helmet but still can't see.
Try to reset the heat and wire feed adjustments. What type and thickness of metal are you trying to weld? The shade of the helmet lens is supposed to make it dark and save your eyes from flash burns and possible damage. Once you get the settings right and it starts to burn a constant arc, you will be able to see it working into the metal. Sputtering and intermitent arcing, is always a bear to see what is going on. Practice and you will get the basic's down, takes lots of years to really become a good welder. Have been at it, off and on, for 50 years, and still don't know all the in's and out's. Good luck as always.
Try old school and get a helmet that has a big lens. Try #8 at first but work your way darker. And like Old Guy said, may be the settings. Also, you can't weld different metals together if you didn't know. Make sure you have the flux core wire if it's gassless.
Too slow on the wire feed will do that. #10 shade should be the lightest lens you should use. Try putting a nice bright light right on the area your welding. That will aid you in seeing what your trying to weld.
When I took a welding course, after buying a Mig welder, the instructor showed us a type of lens for welding helmets that allowed lots of light in till you pulled the trigger on the gun. At that point the lens went dark immediately and then you could make out what you were doing by following your weld. He offered to get these lenses for us at "the discount price" of $125 Canadian. To this day I don't know if it was a good deal or not, but I bought one after trying his out, and I really like it. Here's the company's website and the page about this specific lens; http://www.arc1weldsafe.com/autodarkeningfilters.htm#xt I hope this is helpful to you. John B
I started a very similar thread just recently...http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=24350&highlight=welder Since then, I have found that this welder (same one you bought) is not the best tool for our thin sheet metal. works great for thicker metal, like the 1/4" I used on the shock towers, but for the sheet, it burns through pretty quickly. You can use very short bursts to fill in holes, but you have to let it cool completely befor the next burst, otherwise it just burns a bigger hole in the metal. I am getting ready to experiment with copper backings, but I think the short bursts, and then grinding it down and filling in the holes with filler (bondo or lab-metal or similar) is our best bet without buying a better welder. Yep...it spatters WAY too much, and requires multiple passes to fill in the spatter, then grinding it all away to make it look clean.
aways use a shade 10 or darker, adjust heat first then speed. You know you have the settings right when it sounds like bacon frying. As a beginer you might try pulling your beed instead of pushing it. move your tip in a half moon shape and pratice trying to make your bead look like a stach of dimes.
I tried welding once with a cheap old non gas wire feed Lincoln welder my dad has in the garage. Had about the same luck as you. Even with the wire feed almost all the way up, the wire would burn away to fast to keep a constant arc. My dad is supposed to be showing how to weld soon. He has a couple of gigantic (4+ feet tall) Miller welders that were Military surplus and he got a good deal on. He has been welding for well over 20 years and can weld pretty much anything. I really don't think to many people could top his welding skills... Ohh, he has this helmet that you can see through fine when not welding, but automatically darkens as soon as you start welding. It's awesome.
You can get the auto darking helmets off of eBay. I think I paid $39 for mine. It's imported [what ain't nowadays], but does a good job. Mine is the solar powered type, it automatically charges the battery when in the light.
thank you for your advice. i will try the light idea today. also i will keep trying, to find the setting that works. now i know that it's not the helmet. it's me and the welder. i worked in a machine shop for 30 years, but did no welding. i did use a tig here and there to tack a fixture when i needed to. more like melted the metal not weld it. again thank you for your help. i will keep you posted.
hello, i have been working with the welder and had some luck, i use the light idea and it helps. my buddy paul said to try a torch set up. i will make a visit to the welding store and see what it takes. also he said that a tig is the way to go, but the cost is a lot.
I didn't see it mentioned yet (if I missed it, I apologize) but one of the biggest problems with these 110 volt flux core welders, is trying to weld on dirty metal. If there is any contaminant like rust, paint, plastic (bondo), or liquids like heavy oil and grease - it will cause a lot of sputtering and a very ugly looking weld. Use an angle grinder or 40/80 grit sanding disc to get a clean surface for the joint. That and as everyone said, proper wire speed and heat will get you on the right track.
welding pics here are some welding pics. as you can see i'am not having much fun.the metal i 'am useing is 22 gage stl. the welder has to modes min and max and a wire speed control. i do clean the metal fender and patch. i will post some more pics. next week.
looks like the welders not getting enough amps, do you have it pluged in to an outlet by its self, if so, are you run it off of a extention cord, if so, put it on a dedicated outlet straight from the wall perfribley as close to the panel as possibile
