SCA Welder - Arc Transformer, 100 Amp
SCA Welding Flip-Up Shade Helmet - Shade 11, Black
SCA Welding Gloves - 10in
Bundle deal for $91.97, normally $183.96
Cheaper than eBay cheapies.
Was considering buying this for a one off welding job I want to do (exhaust modification). Never welded in my life but always wanted to learn how to.
Would probably cost me more to pay someone to weld my exhaust.
Note with the welder itself you get some basic accessories too.
Hmm, hard to say!
I also wonder what the electricity looks like after using this for an hour!
How it will look? Sinusoidal.
Seriously though (assuming you mean usage), at its rated 10% duty cycle you're looking at 6 minutes at say 2400 watts, it's going to be negligible.
Haha!
It's not necessarily harder, just that mig is easier to make it look like a good weld even though it might not be.
That aside, an inverter welder is the minimum you'd want to buy, a cheap small transformer based welder like this will only break your spirit and waste money.
While I agree that arc is generally harder to do, there are many cases where a MIG will do what an arc can't, and cases where an arc will do what a MIG can't. If you're welding sheet, skip the arc altogether. If you're welding plate, arc is cheaper, easier to set up, more resilient to imperfections, and can generally weld thicker plate than MIG can. And you can get started for under $100.
A while back they were selling one in-store for $30 for some reason, and I bought it. Using it is just an exercise in frustration. You will have a really hard time welding exhaust with it. It's best for crude welds in thicker metal, and even then it's not so good. I'm looking into converting it into a spot-welder.
My friend bought the Aldi inverter last time it was on sale, and it is waaaaay better. Based on that, I'd sooner buy one of the cheap Chinese inverters off Ebay; they are about the same price. I actually ended up buying a Chinese MIG off Ebay. It was the cheapest I could find ($250), but I'd say it was worth it. I used to run it gassless, but since I started carbonating my own water, I've been running straight CO2, and it's great.
I wouldn't use an Arc welder for an exhaust. TIG is preferred, especially for stainless steel but most costly, and has a moderate learning curve. MIG will be fine, and easiest for beginners. Practice on scrap metal (ideally the same type and gauge of metal your project is) to get the technique down and appropriate welder settings before you attempt to weld the exhaust. If it's a stainless steel exhaust, you'll want to be using a spool of stainless MIG wire to maintain corrosion resistance.
Would it be ok for a once off job though?
I want to cut open my muffler (stainless), modify the insides, then just weld it back up. Would be straight cuts/welds, maybe 30cm X 15cm rectangle.
I would likely just use normal steel electrodes and paint over it. It'll be tucked away under the car so you wouldn't see it unless removing the whole muffler.
I could pay a shop to do it, but it's the hassle of going to the shop, waiting for them to be free to do it, then getting it done. Given most shops don't do stainless welding then it might not turn out much better than DIY
I'm no pro, but arc welding thin metal is very difficult. Most exhaust is around 1.6mm, and arc welding anything under 2mm is messy. If your joints are slip joints then it should be doable with a bit of practice, but butt joints would be pretty tricky.
Arc/stick (two names, same thing) welding is generally not commonly done for stainless steel. However, it is possible. You'll need to use specific stainless steel electrodes, probably 2.5mm in size, which is the thinnest I've seen. If you can, find some scrap material of the same type and thickness to experiment on and help set the correct amperage (power) before you start welding the actual work.
Mate, I wouldn't try this with an Arc welder. I have tried arc welding on thin steel and it did my head in. Start making calls and find a welder that is happy to weld stainless and remove the massive frustration.
Nb. I enjoyed learning to weld with an Arc on thicker steel, but thin steel blows apart so easily.
Thanks to everyone for their hints and tips.
I think I'll give this one a miss then for my particular project of welding the muffler.
However I still think this is a pretty good bargain!
stick welding is harder than MIG welding from what i've experienced. i would spend the money and buy a MIG first as they're easier from my experience.