WAIT!

1Austin112, I'm a Harbor Freight addict so I know most of their welding products well. If I don't (or didn't in the past) own a particular product, I've probably read the reviews on it. They DO have some great products there but that 90A welder ain't one of them.

Their 90 amp wire welders are AC output. Flux core is NOT designed to be run on AC, it is meant to be run DCEN (DC Electrode Negative) and I would NOT use it on AC with a critical application like this!

If you want to go with flux core wire feed and are on a budget then get the 68885 and make up an adapter cord to connect it to your dryer circuit. At least it's DC output, although it has really limited (2 position) voltage control. Yes it's more expensive than the 90A model but you really do need to do this job right.

Also beware wire welding may be considered the easiest process to learn but it is also the easiest to screw up and make a weld that LOOKS good but really ain't. I too applaud you on taking the initiative and fixing it yourself! But with no previous welding experience, if you want to do this repair yourself I actually recommend you buy a stick welder instead. At least if you have enough current dialed in to light whatever stick you're using you have a better chance (not guarantee) to get at least SOME penetration into the base metal.

Experts feel free to correct my advice above, if anything I said is wrong.

 

I disagree. I welded my bumper brackets to my frame with flux core and it's held up fine to everything I've thrown at it. And I take the term "bumper" literally. I've used it to shove other vehicles around and them welds are just fine to this day. DCEN with .035 flux core wire, single pass, vee'd it out, burned it hot and it dug right on in.

However for the OP's repair I would clean it up real good and stick weld it using 3/32" or 1/8" 7018 rod on DCEP.

 

You'd be a lot better off getting a Hobart, Miller, esab, Lincoln, etc. Welder that is quality. There's nothing worse than a crappy welder and I've never seen anything Harbor freight last. I personally have had better luck with Miller but you can't go wrong with any of the brands I've listed. I may have missed some brands but I've listed what I've welded with, you get what you pay for. Either way good luck with the frame repair.

 

Dixie, good catch. Flux core is not an AC friendly process.

Technically, yes. Flux core can be run on straight polarity (DC-) or reverse polarity (DC+). However, reverse polarity (DC+) is NOT recommended.

Lincoln NR-211-MP is, for all intents and purposes, the industry standard for flux-core wire. It is a DC- wire ONLY!

You can reference Lincoln Electric's product brochure on NR-211-MP here: http://www.lincolnelectric.com/asset...P/c3200010.pdf

Dual-shield (FCAW-G), on the other hand, is almost always (I would say "always" but somebody will inevitably come up with some obscure situation to the contrary) run on DC+.

Solid wire (MIG) is also primarily a DC+ process.

Your allegations regarding ease of learning while producing substandard welds is not always correct. This phenomenon tends to occur with solid wire (MIG) when the operator does not have his machine set up properly, and just lays a bead on top of the base metal instead of actually fusing into it, which produces a condition known as "cold lap."

Flux core and dual shield are not as susceptible to this problem because of the fact that they produce much more penetration than does straight MIG.

A stick welder, while arguably an indispensable tool, is not, in my opinion, necessary in this situation. The only stick electrode worth using in this repair would be the EXX18 family, and it is not as easy to run in the vertical position as the wire feed processes are. He will have no problem achieving adequate penetration with flux core, presuming he has his machine properly set up.

And, as I said before, with proper base metal preparation and machine settings, penetration is not an issue with straight MIG either; the problem with this process is that it is the "go to" process for inexperienced people and that generates a lot of misinformation over time.

 

Oops yep you're right. I knew that, just wasn't thinking straight. I did weld my brackets DCEN. Just fixed my 2 posts above. Been awhile since I've owned a wire welder cause I sold my Lincoln wire machine and just have my Hobart stick welder now.

 

i am kind of partial to my miller digital elite helmet i found brand new in the box on the side of the road 2 years ago.
i was running a safety crew on a road job and came across a pile of boxes on the side of the road in an off ramp. aparently a welder must have left one of the compartments open on his service body and when he went into the ramp the brand new helmet and a victor junior torch set fell out.


besides the helmet and torch set, i also found a husky truck tool kit, 2 snap on creepers, a mag light, and a Ruger 357 magnum stainless steel revolver on that off ramp.

 

Geez Tom, and I thought I was lucky years ago to find a nice Echo commercial backpack leaf blower in the road. Hadn't even been run over yet.

Too bad you didn't find a few boxes of ammo to go with your new 357

Maybe I should start randomly pulling over at those long curving highway ramps!

 

I lost those exact items last time I was in Antarctica. I offered a $20 reward but got no results. I will pm you my address to ship them to and will gladly send your $20 reward.

 

sorry bashby, but i found those welding things up in new joisey when i escaped from the looney bin.
but being the nice guy i am, i will tell the penguins to be on the lookout and to let me know if they see anything.

 

didn't keep the 357. i called the state police rep we had on the job and turned it over to him.
and it was a good thing i did, because it was a stolen gun out of Florida and used in a gang murder up here before it was tossed out the window.

 

My Miller 130 amp welds fine with flux core wire, better with gas. Make sure you run correct amps for welder and no extension cords. I run mine off my 30 amp RV plug. When you plug it into a regular recepticle it only gets 15-20 amps and welder won't work right(I believe everyone that say they suck, use the lower amps.) Mine gets good penetration(metal turns bright orange on opposite side of metal where weld is.)
My friend has a welding business and saw some of my welds(on 1/4" plate) an said it looked great. If you do bird poop welds, maybe you shouldn,t be welding. Clean the metal first !!!

 

That sucks. I would have called it in first too, just for that reason.

 

Auto darkening hoods can be good in a shop environment, when you're doing more than just burning rod. Bit they don't stand up to hard use; I've caught my fair share on fire. Being that the OP isn't trying to make a profession of welding, it's not necessary to spend several hundred dollars on a top of the line AD hood. For $75 or so he can get a top notch fixed shade hood that will serve his purposes well.

 

I appreciate all the help and opinions, While i would love to go spend hundreds - thousands on a top grade welder its just not realistic for what I need. All im doing is a simple repair of a crack and sticking a plate to the frame, If I planned on doing alot of fab work and body work then yeah I would save up for a top line machine which I do plan on doing next year, This 90 amp welder though will only be used a few times to make a headache rack and the crack repair. Im putting a 20 amp breaker in as well as a new outlet outside so i dont have to run an extension cord. May go with a 25a breaker for the extra power though. Found a auto darkening helmet at HF with a coupon for 50$ off thats got alot of good reviews ill probably pick up as well. When I do plan on getting a better good line welder later on would you prefer stick or true MIG? I plan on custom buildin an older F150 from the frame up so not sure what ill run into

 

For building a truck, MIG will probably serve you best if you only choose one. However, being adept at the threw big ones, stick, MIG, and TIG, will by far be the best setup.