Looking for advice on a cheap 115v Buzz Box

[newbiesmith]

I'm limited to getting a welder that will run on 110v. I've tried to coax my landlord into letting me run 220 for my Lincoln 180 and I feel pretty confident we'll be here at this rental for a while. In the mean time I'd like to get started welding a little here and there. I figure having a portable welder will be beneficial in the long run as well.

What I'm looking at is a

115V 70A ARC WELDER
Campbell-Hausfeld
Model: WS0970
Do it Best SKU: 338441
Online Price: $99.99

Anyone have any suggestions or recommendations? This is my budget and it seems to be a descent deal for what it is.

-Dan

[Jose Gomez]

Always buy the best tool that you can afford. Then, once you have the capability, use it to it's fullest potential to expand what you can offer to the customer. A new tool means new abilities. This means you are capable of tackling a wider group of jobs, and most likely produce a higher quality finished product. So if you do it right, even the most simple machine should at least pay for itself. The trick is to make sure that the tool lasts long enough to not only earn back your original investment, but continue to work long enough to pay for a better replacement. I started 17 years ago with a miller stick welder, and 6 or 7 jobs later managed to earn enough to buy a nice little mig. Now i'm buried in welders, power hammers, and tools. But I Usually have the right tool for the job.

That being said, though the price is right you must understand that the machine you are looking at has extremely limited capabilities.

Input Power115 Volt - 20 Amp
Output Power70 Amps / AC
Duty Cycle10% @ 70 Amps / 20% @ 50 Amps
Use Rod Size1/16" to 5/64"
Welds18 Gauge to 1/8" Steel

At it's maximum capacity it can only weld light materials (1/8 or less), and you can only weld for 1 minute out of every 10 minutes if you don't want to over heat it. Make sure that it's plugged into an outlet that has a 20 amp breaker (some outlets are 15 amps) or you won't get much welding done.

If this will do what you need then go for it. If not then you might look into this Clarke 131E Arc Welder - 120V, 130 Amp, Model# WE6519 it's a lot more machine for a little more money.

[newbiesmith]

Thanks man. I'll take a look at the clark too.

I'm thinking that from the specs of the one I was looking at that I should be pretty well content. If I'm right, what I'm thinking is that I'd go through one rod in the minute of welding time. At that point chances are I'd have to stop put a new rod in (and hopefully take the step back to think that I usually don't do).

-Dan

[Jose Gomez]

No matter what you get it's going to be better than nothing. And once you have one you'll wonder how you did without. good luck, and kep us informed on how things work out!

[Finnr]

I have that model and have had no trouble with it that wasn't my own fault.Decent cheap welder and it does what I have to do on light items.
Finnr

[ThomasPowers]

I bought a used Lincoln tombstone, probably older than I am, for US$40. Copper wound.

1/8" max sounds like car body repair rather than a blacksmith's welder. Do you have an electric stove of dryer whose plug you can "borrow" with an extension cord to be able to use a 220 welder?

I'd look for a used welder by a "name" in the biz myself.

[newbiesmith]

Finnr,

What kind of rods do you use for this welder? Ever stray from the recommended diameter? If so what were the results?

-Dan

[Finnr]

I pretty much use the recommended sizes with reasonable results. It won't do near as well as my 220 welder, but that's at my mom's place and not here. I have the same problem with an outlet that you have until I get a shop finished. I have run 6013 and 7018ac mainly.
Finnr

[evfreek]

Hi newbiesmith. These little 110V transformer machines are really marginal. 3/32" rods are the biggest that will work. 5/64 or even 1/16 are better. If you are near Harbor Freight, you might try their little 110V inverter machine. That has a much better duty cycle, and you will have more time to weld. I hear that they often burn out, but you can easily return it, especially if you go for their buyer protection plan. I have an AC buzzbox, and I rarely run it above 100 amps. It is just great, and it is a real compliment to smithing, especially for making tools. One nice thing is that working at 140 or less amps, I don't need to worry about the duty cycle, since swapping rods and chipping let the welder cool sufficiently so I can just keep going for hours.

[aametalmaster]

My buddy has me fix some of his old cars in his garage so i take my welder there and i have a pigtail made up to fit his elec stove plug, just pull the stove out and weld...Bob

[KevinD]

I'm bumping this back to the top because I have the same question as the OP. (original poster)

Pardon my ignorance but when somebody refers to a "buzz box..." Is that a stick welder? :confused:

I'm thinking about buying the Clarke that Jose recommends below. Is the welder below a stick welder? :confused:

I've never done any arc welding. Should I consider something else? Keep in mind that it needs to be cheap... The consumables need to be cheap too because I'm going to be going through them practicing.

If this will do what you need then go for it. If not then you might look into this Clarke 131E Arc Welder - 120V, 130 Amp, Model# WE6519 it's a lot more machine for a little more money.

[Jose Gomez]

Buzz-box is a nick name for an alternating current stick welder (you will know why the first time you use one). These small units are not extremely powerfull machines, but they work fine for small projects. As far as consumables go, the only thing that you have to replace while you are using a stick welder is the welding rod itself. Stick welders are also typically the least expensive machines to buy, maintain, and operate. Just make sure that you have enough electrical power available (near enough to the welding area) to operate whichever machine you chose to buy, or you will have to budget in some cash for a propper extension cord to match your new machine.

[maddog]

I suggest one of those little wire feeds that lincoln & hobart/miller make. They run off 110v and they are very easy to use. They can do up to 1/4" Even larger if you preheat though the welds are not the best. I think they run about $150. Even if you do later upgrade to a bigger rig, its always nice to have something light that runs on a regular wall outlet. If you have $550 you can get a mig version which is very nice. Definitely go for a quality name brand. Avoid all the cheap stuff.

I would stay away from stick until you can get 220v. Stick is much tougher to learn and very tricky with low currents. The fatter the rod the higher the current which means a more stable arc. AC is trickier too. If you do get a stick box, get DC if you can. Theres also a wider range of rods for DC and smiths often weld funny metals together.

Any kind of welding takes practice. Its not a glue gun. The wire feeds are easiest but you still need to spend some time running beads and evaluating. I used to run beads for 20 mins every evening.

[Mike BR]

If you can afford it -- a big if -- look at a Lincoln Invertec V-155 or a Miller Maxstar 150. Either of those will plug into a 120V outlet and give you enough amps and duty cycle for light to medium work. If and when you get access to 240, the same welder will plug into that and give you enough power for about anything you're likely to do. Unless you decide to build a battleship. Both machines are also DC TIG capable.

[Quenchcrack]

I agree with Mad Dog. I have an AC 225 and a Lincoln Pro Cor 100 flux core wire rig. I use the wire rig almost exclusively because I am not welding heavy sections. It is a messy process, however so buy some of those spatter cloths at Harbor Freight to keep your work cleaner.

[KevinD]

I just wanted to come back to this thread to say "Thanks" for the replies.

[Oak Hill Forge]

Does your rental have a dryer outlet ? Run a temp cord made of #10 copper wire and you could weld away with your 180 amp welder. You just can't weld and dry clothes at the same time !

[BORZ]

i know, nobody like chinese stuff,but... i have one,200 amp inverter,cost about 300 $,it just runs on 160 amp all day. using tig, the only one limit is the torch getting hot you cant hold.i dont have a problem with, it is simple, and im not scared to take it for work,as i would do about a german qality welder cost 2500$.for simple vork i guess it fits 100%

[Golden_arm]

I have a Clark MIG/Flux core welder and it isn't too bad. I'm not sure how thier stick welders are, but I'll tell ya with the MIG, you have to do some fine tuning on them. I had feed problems to start with. First I had to sand off the extra plastic from the wire hub to the welder woulndn't struggle trying to pull the wire off the reel. Then, or I should say, if ya weld in a cold garage, the liner likes to get all stiff and tends to grab the wire a bit because it's a teflon liner. I guess all being said, if ya want a fair weather MIG, get a clark... I do like the welder, but at times I wish it was a stick. That being said, it is better than nothing and for now I have to put up with it's little "fits." Would I buy another... NO. I'm not sure how the small lincoln welders are, my brother has a lincold weld pac model and likes it a lot. My experience with Lincoln welders is that they are a good product, but I prefer Miller... but then there's that money issue....

[swat253]

I suggest one of those little wire feeds that lincoln & hobart/miller make. They run off 110v and they are very easy to use. They can do up to 1/4"

Harbor Freight is selling one this week-end, 13th - 15th, for approx. $89! The one I saw is a 90 amp mig. I went there today to get their 80 amp Inverter, but the price had gone back to $149.00... It was on sale for $88 on Monday!:mad: I don't own a stick machine so I wanted to pick one up to use for quick fixes here and there without having to roll out my Argon tank. I watched a YouTube video on the little HF Inverter and it looked pretty slick.

I bought a used 110v Century Mig at a pawn shop a couple years ago just to learn... Now I want a 220v Hobart reallllly bad! I used my father in law's 220v MillerMatic and the beads were phenomenal - smooth and deep, even for a newbie like myself at the time. So, like a previous poster said above, buy the best you can afford. You should be able recover your investment in no time.

[Woody]

be careful when borrowing a 220 outlet, make sure it has the amperage necessary to run a welder. Dryer outlets while 220V are 30 amp. My Craftsman Buzz Box wants 50 amps. Don't know about what a stove outlet is but I would suspect it is 30 amp too.

[shipto]

would you be able to afford a welder generator? gives you the ability to do work on site as well as in the shop then.

[evfreek]

I saw a very cool video on YouTube about the Harbor Freight 80 amp inverter stick welder. The keywords should be enough to find it. It tells how to work around the limitations of this tiny but convenient welder. It seems to be just fine for 1/8" or thinner, but the fellow has a trick that helps with up to 1/4".