Harbor freight 90 amp update

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A while back I posted some pictures of some welds I made with a HF 90 amp wire welder. Some people said I couldn't weld that thick of metal with that little welder and said I heated the metal before I bent it to test it.LET ME BE CLEAR THIS WELDER SHOULD NOT BE USED TO MAKE CRITICAL WELDS WHERE SOMEONE COULD GET HURT OR KILLED. KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS THEY ARE A VERY BASIC CHEAP WELDER WITH NO ROOM FOR ERROR. I was asked to do some more test welds on some 3/16 metal and do some tests to show if the welds penetrate the metal well enough to bend. I did three tests, A butt weld and 2 T welds and one T weld I welded only on one side. On the other T weld I cut it in half to see if penetration was good. I did no tricks or gimmicks it was simple welding with a couple modifications to the welder and the right technique. I was using 0.35 Hobart wire, Lincoln tips and my wire speed was set between 2 and 3. As you can see in the pics I made a rack to hold a large reel of wire as I didn't want to wrap wire on a small reel. Other than that I didn't do anything to the machine to make it weld better.  I hope this satisfies all who said it couldn't be done. Attached Images
Reply:Na, you still missed the target. It still looks that you have LOF at the root of your T. On your butt weld bend test it needs to be bent around a 1 1/2" dia. mandril to get a true stress test.  On your T bend test, you bent the flat bar not the weld joint.  What is the actual weld size? On small 110v machines .030 wire is the largest recommended to use. You need to read up some more to add to your knowledge base, because if your trying to apply basic weld test criteria this would be a fail. Good effort as it does show "potential" of a small machine but that is it.
Reply:Originally Posted by Jay ONa, you still missed the target. It still looks that you have LOF at the root of your T. On your butt weld bend test it needs to be bent around a 1 1/2" dia. mandril to get a true stress test.  On your T bend test, you bent the flat bar not the weld joint.
Reply:I was thinking you professionals could be right so I gave them a little squish in the vise as I'm no pro. Well all be darn! The welds are holding. Attached Images
Reply:This is what these threads remind me of;Not to take away from the 90amp machines in any way, but he11 I could turn a 300 amp machine down and accomplish the same thing. About all these threads prove is that it can be done, little short jaunts, when everything is just right, no bumps in the road, all the planets lined up just right."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:What would really be sweet is if they made a 90 amp machine for use with shielding gas that would tune down to about 10 amps and something like a .015 wire. Then you could weld 28 gage. Now then you would have something. As is most of these won't run gas, can't be tuned way down and can't be cranked up. All you end up with is a dirt cheap narrow band welder that will do "some stuff"."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Sandy you are right, these little machines would be much handier if they could be turned down to  lower settings. I don't use this welder for critical welds but it sure is fun to play with. I bought it so the neighborhood kids can play with it as I don't want them playing with my expensive welders. When they see me welding they come over and want to learn how to weld so I take time to show them. I just think these little welders are more than what the professionals give them credit for. I have been going back and forth for 3 or 4 weeks with the professionals saying these little welders won't weld anything over 1\8. I'm sure everyone is tired of this so I won't say any more about this subject.Happy welding everyone.
Reply:Good post about small welders.