"Carl Byrns" writes:

I do have one comment- the cooling system is a lousy design, but is easy to
improve. Here's how I did it:

http://www.metalworking.com/dropbox/migfan.txt
http://www.metalworking.com/dropbox/migfan.jpg
http://www.metalworking.com/dropbox/migfb4.jpg
http://www.metalworking.com/dropbox/migfsd.jpg

Thanks -- I'll want to check that!

I guess the best place to start is with the crap... excuse me,
accessories... packaged with it. It comes with 1/2 lb of .035
fluxcore wire

Discard it. Fluxcore wire is nasty, gassy stuff. Learn to MIG weld- it is
very easy and the welds will be strong and good looking.
As always, practice, practice , practice. Most beginners tend to move too
fast (I know I did) and it takes some disipline to slow down.

Yep, practice is helping... my MIG vs. fluxcore experience to date is
that MIG is prettier, but I seem to be able to get welds that at least
work with fluxcore...

Buy more nozzles- they wear out fairly quickly and will lead to poor welds.
Buy some anti-spatter spray- your welds will be much neater.

Never heard of anti-spatter spray before. Definitely a stop to make
on the way home from work today...

I think, based on the manual which is the same for both this welder
and their 180EN, that the two welders share the same cabinet. At any
rate, there are holes in the cabinet that would be perfect for
inserting an axle to put it on two wheels in back (I'm sort of tempted
to do that...),

Sears packages thiers with a decent cart that holds the welder and argon/CO2
tank. You might want to copy it.

My space is constrained enough I'm holding off on this for now.

The cabinet also has room for a 10lb spool of wire inside (which is what
I've got in there now).

I wouldn't use such a heavy spool for two reasons: the tractor system is not
super heavy-duty and welding wire does corrode (causing no end of grief) and
the only thing you can do is replace it with clean wire. Throwing out 10
pounds of wire gets expensive. Trust me on this one. Unless you plan on
doing a _lot_ of welding, the smaller spools are a better choice.

I asked about that in this newsgroup before buying the spool -- I live
at the north end of the Chihuahuan desert (Las Cruces, NM), so there
was a consensus that the big spool ought to be OK. At this point, I
sure hope so!

Thanks for your comments,