HF 80 Amp Welder Customized & Upgraded! Pics!

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Here are some photos of the little Harbor Freight 80 Amp Inverter Welder after I "Made it Mine", It really needed some non-skid feet, a new power cable (12', 12/3 600V Neoprene jacketed cable), some new leads , Stinger and ground clamp, paint job, some "De-Oxit" applied to internal and external power connections and a power knob you could manipulate with gloves on. Here are the photos. Here you can see the original power cord, its stiff vinyl sheathing made it so stiff it was difficult to coil up. Upgraded stinger, ground clamp and extended (12 feet) leads. Increased cable size from 10MM2 to #4.The box slid around on its metal base, the addition of some non-skid feet to the bottom will help from pulling it off of whatever you have it sitting on when working.Here is a photo of the replacement power knob, its now big enough to change settings without taking your gloves off.the application of deoxit increaded the OCV from 55VDC to 59-61 VDC, I swear by this stuff, I started using it in my high current flashlight projects and the proof is in the multimeter....I also painted the case in VHT black high temp wrinkle paint with two coats of urethane clear on it once cured...I put all of the gear in a small soft briefcase now and have a truly "Portable" stick welder for small jobs. Enjoy If you dont do anything but the feet and power cable upgrade you will have greatly improved the little box.....JerryLast edited by Tractorshaft; 02-19-2011 at 09:23 PM.
Reply:you buy junk you get junki dont care what you do with it will end up in a landfill
Reply:i'd love to see what  kind of a bead that puppy can make......
Reply:No doubt all very good upgrades to the unit Jerry but now the question is will you be able to even get your money's worth out them with such a low end 80A machine?  Nice job but only time will tell.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:thats  why i want to see the bead, so i can decide if these were upgrades or another futile effort at turdpolishing...in the right niche i can see how the convenience of these ten pound welders is justification for having them..
Reply:I normally shy away from Chinese made electronics and tools.....but hey; if the machine works well for you and your happy with it ...  GREAT!!As to the work you put into it.... FANTASTIC!I wish you would do some weld beads for us all to see, and maybe even do a bend test on some of the pcs.  if the machine works as good as it looks....you got a winner there!! JD
Reply:I have one of these with improved cables, ground and stinger.  Bought it to use at the deer camp to repair things.  It has served its purpose and since I got it on sale and used a 20% off coupon I'm happy with it.  That being said, it's really hard to start an arc with this puppy.
Reply:Originally Posted by Rich59I have one of these with improved cables, ground and stinger.  Bought it to use at the deer camp to repair things.  It has served its purpose and since I got it on sale and used a 20% off coupon I'm happy with it.  That being said, it's really hard to start an arc with this puppy.
Reply:JerryThanks for the info.  I accidentally discovered that preheating made a big difference when I ran some 6011 on a cracked exhaust pipe on a small brush hog . I was amazed at what a nice bead I got. I agree that with in its limits it's a very handy machine.  It runs well off of a small generator and has made it possible for us to avoid trips to town for repairs or parts.  Unfortunately the nature of the junk you work on in a hunting camp makes clean well fitting joints rather rare. I'll be interested to see some beads when you get a chance to post them.
Reply:I can see a purpose for these little bitty boxes.  Of course, I've also noticed that Miller and Lincoln have realized that there's a purpose to them as well .  Personally, if I had jobs that required something that light and small, I'd probably pick up one of the millers just so I had an assurance of the quality and service.  One thing of note is that I just replaced the power cord on my Millermatic 210 (put a 20' cord on it so that I have more reach around the shop) and noticed that the connectors on the end of the power cord for that machine weren't all that great.  Replaced them with some .999 copper ones and it actually did make a difference in the machines arc cleanliness.  I am wondering now that I did that machine if any of my others would benefit from re-doing the power cable connectors on them.--Wintermute"No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience." - John Lockewww.improvised-engineering.comManufacturer Agnostic:Blood----------Sweat---------Tears----|------------------|----------------|----Lincoln Red, Miller Blue, Esab Yellow
Reply:I have one that I use around the house.  I bought it before I started doing some welding again.  I realize that people knock harbor freight welders, but this really is a nice little welder.  I have ran 3/32 7018, 6014, 7014, and 6010.  I could not get 6010 to run, but the others ran great.  I went to Airgas and put 20' of #4 lead and added the Radnor connectors, upgraded the stinger; which helped it run even better.  It weighs nothing, it's easy to drag out and use, and for around the house you can't beat it.  Before I purchased one the AC home depot/lowes welders I would buy the HF inverter.I read all the reviews on this machine before I purchased it, it was very good reviews.  I have ran about 50lbs of rods, and have good luck.I also believe its price vs need.  If you need a welder for around the house, that you may use once or twice a month it's hard to justify paying 500 for the Thermal Arc or 900 for a Lincoln that may sit around for a month.  I also realize there is a difference between the guy making a living with his machine, and the guy who piddles around the house.
Reply:No question that this is niche machine not likely to be useful to a professional.  As long as it is capable of doing the jobs you intend to tackle its ok.  I have a Miller 175 which covers most of my welding but its not very portable.  I certainly wouldn't invest much in upgrading an HF given that you could get a ThermalArc 95 for around 300.   I have only seen a couple of them in action but they seem fine out of the box.
Reply:makes a great machine to take along in your motorhome or travel trailer.
Reply:Originally Posted by weldbeadi'd love to see what  kind of a bead that puppy can make......