"Dominic Palazzola" wrote in message
...

ok so you guys convinced me that the silver solder is not going to work
in this application. what about this welder?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44567

does mig welding produce the bright hot flash that arc welding does?
bottom line do I need a welding hood or goggles?


*All* welding requires shaded eye protection, whether you use gas or
electricity!

MIG welding is simply a specialized form of electric arc welding. And with
any type of electric arc welding, not only must you shield your eyes from
the intense light and the UV radiation, but you also need to shield your
face, hands, arms, etc., from spattering molten metal. So a welding hood is
a requirement, as are leather welding gloves, and -- at a minimum --
flame-retardant protective coveralls (serious weldors will invest in leather
welding jackets and other protective gear). Of course, you also have to be
careful of spattering hot metal igniting flammables in your work area. And
you need to avoid breathing the welding fumes, especially if welding zinc
galvanized metal.

MIG welding is not particularly difficult. But like many shop operations, it
can be very dangerous if the proper procedures and precautions are not
followed. If you intend to buy your own MIG welder, I suggest you take a
class first. If that's not feasible, then at least buy a good training video
and a book to study first.

As for the machines, that Harbor Freight welder is not a "true" MIG welder,
as it only works with flux-cored wire. A "true" MIG welder uses a bottle of
commpressed inert gas (hence the name "MIG -- Metal Inert Gas") to shield
the molten weld pool from oxidation. While flux-core wire can be used to
achieve the same effect, there are disadvantages (including the higher cost
of the wire).

I have no experience or knowledge of the HF line of low-cost welders, but as
they say "you get what you pay for". I am not a critic of Harbor Freight (in
fact, I've bought many decent tools from them), but I'd cast a very critical
eye towards those MIG welders. The problem for you is, with no experience
with MIG welding, how can you accurately judge the quality and features of
those machines?

I don't want to discourage you from learning a new trade and buying a new
toy, err...tool. But I don't think this is something you should rush into
without more knowledge and experience.

Regards,
Michael