Upgrade of HF 80 Amp Inverter Welder Part 1

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Hi,I just bought a Harbor Freight 80 Amp inverter welder and have a few observations I thought I would share; First off I did not like the very stiff 6', 12/3 power cable. Normally the cheaper the cable the less silicon found in the sheathing and conductor coverings. Also "Strand count" of the 12 Ga. conductor strands will be less than quality cables making the cable more rigid and less flexible.I have ordered a "Retractile" 12/3 cable from a US manufacturer but while waiting on that to arrive I have begun to upgrade the leads. It arrived with a couple of fairly nice 10MM2 (Squared) 6' leads but the ground clamp and stinger were lacking. I found a poorly engineered connection under the 3/8" DINSE male connectors; Here is a photo I found under the ground clamps lead; Obviously a hurried production job with little or no attention to the quality of the connection. I would estimate that about 30-40 percent of the leads conductor was making any type of physical contact to the DINSE connector.The best way I have found to disassemble these type metal/rubber connectors is to apply a little oil between the two. This greatly reduces the chance of friction damage to the rubber boot. Simply a drop or two of light oil between the rubber and the brass will allow the two to be parted with minimum effort.Ever need to increase the size of a cable to fit into a connector, clamp or electrode holder? Here is what I have found is the best and most conductive method of doing this. Simply cut about 1.5" off of the end of the cable you are using and strip the sheathing off of it until you have just a bundle of copper strands. Untwist the cable whose size you want to increase a little and wiggle the unsheathed copper strands into the end of the cable. Be ready to insert the end into your terminal gear. I chose to "Thread" mine into a brass ferrule and silver solder it before putting it into the ground and stinger clamps. this gives better "Strain Relief" in my opinion and reduces the chance of it pulling out under strain.The Harbor freight 400 Amp Electrode holder is a great value and well made for $9.00 ,I cut about 1.5" off of it to make it smaller, it still fits my big hands just fine the closed comparable model at the local AirGas store was over $20.00 and not as well made.Here is the bundle compressed into an internally threaded ferrule.I  bought 25' of #4 cable, an upgrade from the 10MM2 stuff but still appropriately small and light for the machine's 80 amp capabilities. I cut the shot in half to have 2 12' leads for the little machine. A much better 200 AMP ground clamp (Radnor brand) was swapped out for the brass clothes pin that came on the machine.I always connect the top half of ground clamps to the piece that houses the actual connector , otherwise you are counting on the small brass rivet that holds the two together to conduct half of the ground. Here is how I do it.Here are the new 12 foot leads;I try to always use some of the very very good deoxidant and conductor enhancement spray you can get a radio shack. When experimenting with extreme flashlights I was sold on the amazing gains in conductivity to be had by using this on all physical electrical connections.Here is a photo of the Inverter after I whacked off the stiff power cable;More to follow in Part II after I clean-up and optimize the internals of the little machine...Thanks!JerryLast edited by Tractorshaft; 02-09-2011 at 09:33 AM.
Reply:Jerry,Thank you for the project pictures.  I have been meaning to tinker with mine for a while, but haven't gotten around to it.If you happen to come across a way to remove (preferably via switch) the "hot start" feature so that the unit can function normally as a TIG welder, please let us know.Reference this thread for an accurate description of the problem: http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...t=80A+inverter
Reply:Ummm...I'm a total newb but if this machine needs this many upgrades, shouldn't one just buy a better machine?"These instructions are at our present level ofknowledge. Legal requirements do not exist.Technical issues subject to change."_________________________________________Lincoln MIG PAK 180Lincoln AC-225
Reply:Originally Posted by HardwareUmmm...I'm a total newb but if this machine needs this many upgrades, shouldn't one just buy a better machine?
Reply:Originally Posted by HardwareUmmm...I'm a total newb but if this machine needs this many upgrades, shouldn't one just buy a better machine?
Reply:it might be my lap top but most of what you wrote was cut offso i didnt read it all, so all i can say is ill spend the moneyfor a real machine and weld instead of trying to up gradesomething thats junk to begin with
Reply:Originally Posted by TractorshaftA "Newb" would do well to learn how and WHY his equipment functions and the difference some of the little "Details" can make in the finished job, time lost to fussing with crappy connections, poor grounds, crappy stingers whose grip strength wont allow you to twist off a stuck rod when you need to or hold it in position when you are welding...Spending a little time wondering "What makes the little blue or red box make a pretty spark" and WHY is time well spent....When you pay less than $150.00 for a welder or anything else that could be considered a "Bargain Import Tool" it pays to do as I did...Check everything out, EG: connections, connectors, power, corrosion. As far as "Upgrading" stuff its more personal than anything. I like for my equipment to operate as close to its peak efficiency as possible, if I have to spend a few dollars to achieve this then that is something I am prepared to do. The old adage "You Get what You Pay For" applies many times to this Chinese stuff. I speak from experience, some of it is junk, some of it is good, some of it is real good with a little TLC. I have top-of-the-line stuff and not so...I  have used a lot of Harbor freight air tools, if you spend a couple of bucks for an inline oiler for each or can remember to drop a few drops of quality air-tool oil in them every so often you will get maximum life and performance out of same. Even the ones I have burned out from plain old working them to death have ALWAYS been taken back at the HF store and a brand new one put in my hands...Here is a "Nugget" for you so this post isnt entirely wasted....You cant argue with this certainty of human nature...If someone likes something , they will tell ten (10) people, if they dislike something..they will.tell one hundred (100)...Se La VieJerry BTW, IMHO, The argument you present is made by every troll who has nothing contributory to make on the subject at hand...Intelligent or otherwise....There is a reason that the good Lord gave us two ears, two eyes and one mouth...
Reply:Okay Tractor I read amd enjoyed your posts. I run into snobbery each and every day on my gun blogs. I carry a FNP .45 ACP pistol made in my hometown in Columbia,SC. It is a great pistol that has 15 rnd.magazines. It costs about $700. It shoots great,is as accurate as a target pistol.and never fails to fire or has a problem. I can't mention anything about it without the snobs and a^^holes knocking me about and saying their Eurogarbage is better because Helmet  or Sven built it in a labcoat. It is sickening. Sig Sauer pistols were chosen by the FBI back in the 90s to be an issue weapon. They were all shipped back to the factory in 55 gallon drums within 6 months because the slides broke on them...This is never mentioned by the gun snobs. They just brag about how much better their garbage is because it costs more. The plastic Glock pistol is jammed down everyones throat. It is an idiotic piece of Eurogarbage that has to be fired double action. It has twin triggers that have to be pulled back together or it won't fire.It has no safety and the trigger pull on all of them is twice as hard as my FN.Once again noone can say FN before the snobbery begins that how can their $1200 pistol not be better than mine?It is call conspicuous consumption.Gloating because somehow they were better because they made more money or spent more money. It is all a load of crap. These people know nothing of poverty,of having to budget for a hobby because they are raising children and having working hours cut.The rest is just pure ignorance. The FN company makes over 70% of the small arms used by the American military.  Being dumb and just saying I'll buy a better welder because I am better/wealthier than you people says exactly what it says.I am wealthier so I can afford to get someone to repair mine for me says the same thing.Why do people come here lurk about and pounce in these meaningless diatribes is beyond me. I for one came here to learn as much as I could about welding and the machinary.Don't be put off by a bunch of weirdos with self worth issues. Thank you Sir for your post.PS I don't know what is wrong with this site, but it blocks about an inch of the page on each side.It might be a malware program trying to erode some space for an ad.Last edited by BIGDAVE54; 03-02-2011 at 10:58 PM.
Reply:Ain't gonna get into the argument.  I just want to say thanks for taking the time and effort to provide those of us who are interested with alot of good information.  I, for one, appreciate it!(Retired) Professional firefighter, amateur everything else I try to do...Oh yeah:  Go Big Red!   (You know: one of the 12 members of the Big 10 cuz we left the 10 members of the Big 12...)
Reply:I agree with you BIGDAVE54.
Reply:As far as "Upgrading" stuff its more personal than anything. I like for my equipment to operate as close to its peak efficiency as possible, if I have to spend a few dollars to achieve this then that is something I am prepared to do.I'm the same way.Maxus Pro-125 MigChicago Electric 90 amp DC flux-coreLincoln Electric AC 225 tombstoneO/A torchM/O mini-torch10 acres of flatland15 acres of holler
Reply:"Sig Sauer pistols were chosen by the FBI back in the 90s to be an issue weapon. They were all shipped back to the factory in 55 gallon drums "Well how phucked up is that?A government agency spending US tax dollars on eurotrash?And one wonders why there are so many chinese hf welders around EH?Zebps not that i careMillermatic 200Miller Dialarc 250 ac/dcAll people have the right to stupidity but some abuse the privilege
Reply:What's doubly hilarious is that "Eurogun" snobs don't know that Fabrique National has more "Euro-seniority" as a company than Glock,  and began by building Mausers!  Its production of Browning designs made it a great arms company and US subsidiaries were a natural fit.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_Herstal
Reply:I have one of the small Forney units that's very similar to the HF model and though it is built in Italy it has even cheaper leads than the HF unit. Thank You for your observations and ideas on the HF unit.... should my Forney machine ever crap out I'll go buy the HF machine ASAP as it's replacement.... These little units are just too handy (and functional) when you don't want to drag around a larger machine.Has "Part 2" of the saga been posted and I missed it?
Reply:Originally Posted by HardwareI live in Canada  .