Blue Hawk 120-Volt MIG welder for aluminum?

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I'm looking at a cheap welder for a little bit of welding I need to do. Just some light welding like roof rack, exhaust welding, nothing over 1/8" thick. I'm set on a cheap POS welder that I'm sure no one would waste their money on but I have a quick question regarding the POS welders.The Blue Hawk 120-Volt MIG welder from Lowe's states that is can use Argon and Co2/Argon mixture and also states that it can weld Aluminum. Is this true or are they hopeful that it would actually work to weld aluminum? Also, since it's possible to hook up shielding gas to this unit, it would be able to run solid, non-flux core wire, correct? I understand this welder and any other ones (Harbor Freight, Job Smart, etc etc) aren't Lincoln/Miller/Hobart welders, but for the amount I'm going to use it, and at my skill level, I'll be happy with a cheaper welder that mostly collects dust. It would be nice though to have one that would have the capability (albeit limited) to do aluminum as well as steel. Thanks!
Reply:Welcome to the forum. There is a sticky on 110 v migs. Check it out . Some interesting reading. I will offer this, transformer migs, 110v, don't have the muscle of some of the newer inverter types.
Reply:I could never get my transformer based Lincoln mig to do 1/8 inch aluminum with out a good preheating even then it would barely do it.old Miller spectrum 625 Lincoln SP-135 T, CO2+0.025 wireMiller model 250 and WP-18V torchCraftsman 100amp AC/DC and WP-17V torchCentury 115-004 HF arc stabilizerHome made 4 transformer spot welderHome made alternator welder
Reply:Thanks for the replies. I might give this welder a shot. It will do more than the flux-core only welders. I have a chance to get this welder for well under $100, from Lowe's, so for that price it's probably worth a try. Thanks again.
Reply:Well, maybe it was meant to be that Lowe's has discontinued this item and I can't get a hold of it. I guess I'll just have to save up for a decent Lincoln/Hobart/Miller welder...
Reply:I have a 120v "140amp" transformer welder. I put 140 amp in quotes because it's a fantasy on a typical 120 15amp circuit. To get 140 amps out of my welder it needs to be fed off a 30 amp circuit. Any transformer based welder that can run at full power without tripping a 120v 15 amp breaker is simply not capable of putting out much amperage. Do you have access to 240v power?Eventual master of the obvious, practitioner of "stream of consciousness fabrication".  P.S. I edit almost every post because because I'm posting from my phone and my fingers sometimes move faster than my brain.
Reply:Originally Posted by SedanmanI have a 120v "140amp" transformer welder. I put 140 amp in quotes because it's a fantasy on a typical 120 15amp circuit. To get 140 amps out of my welder it needs to be fed off a 30 amp circuit. Any transformer based welder that can run at full power without tripping a 120v 15 amp breaker is simply not capable of putting out much amperage. Do you have access to 240v power?
Reply:Originally Posted by DDavisIAMTNormal household voltage won't be enough for aluminum seems?
Reply:Little experience here, I have a Blue Hawk mig I bought to replace my Chicago Electric Blue Box of Misery. It's not as bad a welder as most people assume because most of these style welders are Alternating Current output which just sucks. The Blue Hawk is based upon the Clarke mig welder of the same style, is DC & has a Tweco style gun with built in gas valve and is cold tip. I believe it will also take the larger 8" spools of wire, the wire feed feels much stronger than the HF POS Chicago $hit. If you wanted to make an Al tool box or use some thin AL sheet metal I'd suggest using 100% Helium as the shielding gas as it will boost the output of the welder. Last but not least look at the HF welder mod forums and consider doing a Capacitor Mod, which will boost output and smooth up the arc even more. I did a DC conversion on my HF Chicago welder, and the Blue Hawk will run circles around it. Not as good as a millermatic 200, but great considering it's about $150. But for the money you may want to get a Harbor freight coupon book and grab one of the black mig 170's for $169.99, more amps, heavier duty components, but 220V.My .337 Euros worth.That the purpose was unattainable, if not foolish, was not so important,Dr. Alvin Weinberg on the Aircraft Reactor Experimenthttp://energyfromthorium.com/  http://thoriumremix.com/2016/
Reply:I've been bashed for saying this before; it takes 40,000 BTU to be a versatile welder. With aluminum, that is especially true. Aluminum will conduct away so much heat you must hit it fast to start quick before the heat disappears. With resistive heating, 1 watt produces 3.4 BTU. Efficiency varies, inverters are more efficient. A 230 volt transformer needs 60 amps to be viable as an aluminum welder. You might do it with 35 amps with an inverter. Steel on the other hand can be welded with a smaller welder if thin enough.WillieAn optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:One thing that has been mentioned before is spraying AL with a 120v machine is rather finicky and without a variable voltage knob (not tapped type), it's downright "next" to impossible. The other thing is "DAMN", quit being so cheap. If you can't spend a few hundred bucks on a welder that will at least do what you want, go online and learn "Professional Napkin Folding"..Everlast  i210 with 200a spool gunEverlast i140eLOTOS LTP5000D Non-Touch Pilot Arc "Things are never so bad that they can't get worse...."
Reply:Well I ended up purchasing a Lincoln Handy MIG welder since I was unable to get my hands on a Blue Hawk welder for the price I was hoping. We'll see how the handy MIG works!
Reply:Originally Posted by fpsOne thing that has been mentioned before is spraying AL with a 120v machine is rather finicky and without a variable voltage knob (not tapped type), it's downright "next" to impossible. The other thing is "DAMN", quit being so cheap. If you can't spend a few hundred bucks on a welder that will at least do what you want, go online and learn "Professional Napkin Folding"..