can it weld aluminum sheet metal that is no thicker than the steel on a modern car fender? I am wondering if I will need a smaller welder.
1476346
It most certainly can.This is a great machine for the money.The key to such thin material is to weld slow,and give it a chance to cool.And as far smaller welder don't waste your time or money.Hope this helps.
214753
Yes, you can weld stainless steel. This is from the Eastwood website description: "Welds mild and stainless steel, 24-ga. to 1/4".
2261939
It's a nice little welder , I have welded 1/2 inch steel with no problem. But I don't think it would last long if you over worked it. If you want to weld for hours at a time , get a bigger welder.
3776
Check your welding rod specs. Basically it should be able to weld just about any thickness with a 220v power source. It would of course have to be a multi pass weld for thicker materials. It will weld pretty much every type of type of steel if you select the right fillers and set up. Given what you're asking, you might take a little more time reading up on welding before you buy. There's lots of free info on the web. ESAB also had a pretty good free tutorial in this education/training section.
1140653
I work with sheet metal also and this is not a tool for thin copper, copper is too soft. I tried it on aluminum and the metal collects on the bit. Great for galv. sheet metal though.
422697
Unfortunately not... It must be welded. I tried and it fell off when I went over a bump... I will warn my weld is rusting......
1686776
I have welded plate and aluminum with mine. I purchased the spool gun also. It welds very good on either one. I'm using 100% argon with the aluminum. I'm very pleased and do recommend.
173777
You can do Aluminum with this!!!! Most of these reviews do not know what the hell they are talking about. Is it an ideal Aluminum Welderer? NO! But, just because it is DC does not mean is can't do Aluminum. You will need to use Helium and clean the pieces immediately before welding. This is proven by the following vidhttp://youtu.be/H_DwA0vzKXI
224770
I am by no means an expert as this was also my first welder. In my opinion it is close to the absolute minimum to do any serious welding. Buy anything smaller and you will be upgrading very soon. No it can not be use as a stick (arc) welder.
1185268
I haven't tried welding aluminum, but one thing I know because I have tested it: it's good for the 1/16 and more and less for the 5/64 and 3/32 as it seems to need some extra 5 to 10 amperes more to burn properly these last ones, (I have tried to make a nice welding with these last 2 electrodes using this welding machine but the weld simply cools down to fast).Using the 1/8 electrode for mild steel; well this machine won't burn it, not even using the 1/8 SS electrodes which I feel are softer.
1984738
Out of the box NO - I tried the aluminum rods without any success. It is DC but with a TIG torch and gas tank you can. What I have read online you can weld aluminum with DC but it is better with an AC unit. AS of yet I have not had the chance to set up my attachments to verify this.
1808496
Absolutely, you'll be supprised with what this little guy can do! My friends have welded their pick-up tail gates together with this welder. You might have to take a little more time doing it but, rest assured that this is a quality product with making a beautiful weld. It's extremely portable and efficient. Don't expect to weld a car chassis but you'll weld 55g drums all day.
1096775
Only with arc welding rod. Not tig. To tig weld aluminum you need ac current. This is a DC machine. As long as you buy some aluminum welding rod it should work.
521527
I've had this welder for over a year now and would recommend it to beginners with two things to note. Your first upgrade should be switching from flux core to solid wire with gas. Flux core has it's purpose and is good in a pinch but gas is where it's at. Trying to learn how to weld on flux can be frustrating to the point of quitting, and what fun is that? Second, you'll eventually want to weld aluminum and that requires an expensive spool gun. I did see a video on youtube where these guys were able to weld aluminum with a smaller (6ft) gun but the results werent impressive. I'm not saying you can't MIG aluminum, I'm saying the final welds would look terrible and your cost for terrible looking welds is the cost of the spool gun and a new tank of gas! If you're looking to learn how to weld aluminum spend a little more and get yourself a TIG machine.
1808497
I am not a professional welder but have two of these welders (usually I hire someone to do my welding especially at my age). I can tell you this, I have an older 40' International bus with thick steel and the welder has successfully welded hinges and solar panels and racks and steps and pull-up bar etc. Unless you have a reason to do so, I would not buy that "other" type of wire that's kind of brassy looking (I made the mistake thinking it might be okay but that type of wire is for something with gas)....just get the cheap stuff on amazon or home depot or lowes or wherever and be done with it. I am not a professional welder but have two of these welders (usually I hire someone to do my welding especially at my age). I can tell you this, I have an older 40' International bus with thick steel and the welder has successfully welded hinges and solar panels and racks and steps and pull-up bar etc. Unless you have a reason to do so, I would not buy that "other" type of wire that's kind of brassy looking (I made the mistake thinking it might be okay but that type of wire is for something with gas)....just get the cheap stuff on amazon or home depot or lowes or wherever and be... » Read More I am not a professional welder but have two of these welders (usually I hire someone to do my welding especially at my age). I can tell you this, I have an older 40' International bus with thick steel and the welder has successfully welded hinges and solar panels and racks and steps and pull-up bar etc. Unless you have a reason to do so, I would not buy that "other" type of wire that's kind of brassy looking (I made the mistake thinking it might be okay but that type of wire is for something with gas)....just get the cheap stuff on amazon or home depot or lowes or wherever and be done with it. « Show Less
723689
I have welded 1/4 so far I am new to welding and have not done a lot with it and have not had any metal needs thicker than that yet.
1686777
very happy with it. I think a smaller welder, probably a 110v with more taps/infinite settings would be better for the thin stuff