Chapter 2: Performance of the HF Welder
When looking for a small, cheap 110V welder, the first question is always: What thickness will this be able to penetrate? If you are looking to weld 1/4 inch all day, this is NOT the welder for you. It is rated up to 3/16", however, the actual results will vary with respect to the quality of prep work. Can this welder be used on 1/4 inch effectively? Yes. If you clean the weld area, chamfer the edges, and probably weld front and back, you can get a good strong weld in 1/4 inch. For more common 1/8 - 3/16" we use on our trucks, this welder will give good penetration, but once again, prep work will be crucial as rust and grime will make it difficult to even strike a good arc.
One drawback to a cheap welder such as this is the cheap components result in a low duty cycle. You can run a few beads, but when welding thicker material, it is possible to hit the thermal cut-off and the welder will go dead. You will then have to wait for it to cool down before using it again. If you are good at managing your time you can avoid this problem. I tried to cut a few pieces and weld them, then allow the welder to rest while I cut a couple more, or do half your time with the welder, the other half on a different project. Point being that, the short duty cycle can be a constraint, but you can work around it and still be pretty efficient with this welder.
Another issue in question: can you make good looking welds or will they all be boogered, slag messes? Like anything else it takes some practice, but yes, you can make some pretty good looking welds. These were done with 0.030" flux core on 1/8" plate, they look decent, and I am by no means a pro. I have no doubt that better welds can be had with this machine.
