A friend has that machine and it seems to weld ok (I've not used it myself). You should talk to someone at Lowes, it sounds defective to me.
Bill

Patrick,

Most of those little 110 machines come pre wired for DCEP (reverse polarity) Most self shielded flux core wire runs DCEN (straight polarity) Your owners manual will have instructions on how to change polarity, its usually a wire pole change inside the box rather than a toggle. If that isn't your problem than return the thing and try something different. Those little 110 machines can do a surprising amount of work when conditions are good.

Well, I took the unit over to a service shop today and it worked well for them; I even laid a few beads. The only adj. was wire feed speed. Needless to say I was quite embarrased. Brought it home without touching a thing and it operated much weaker than at their shop. Could be my extention cord is too small. Will go by H. Depot to get a larger gage. But at least I now know that it's the operator, not the machine.

Thank you for your replies!

Patrick McLoad

I also am not a professional welder (took welding in High school AND college/trade school), and consider myself to be quite proficient with a descent machine. I had bought a cheaper Campbell Hausfeld model stickwelder and had nothing but trouble with it, lots of trouble getting a bead started etc. Finally bought a Hobart MIG unit (Handler 125) at Northern Tools for about $300 and so far its one of the best welders I've used including the more expensive units.
I've known a few other guys who got & used CH units and most of them (not all of them) had similar problems with the stick &/or MIG welders.
  Long story short -- you get what you pay for. CH is a cheap tool at a cheap price.................

Most of those "115 volt" wire machines have
INPUT voltage stickers on them somewhere.
They will state the nominal input voltage and amperage current draw
and
the nominal output voltage and amperage output relative to such.

Some can be configured to handle as much as a 20 AMP input!
Lincoln's are this way.
The bottom line is they all MUST have
extreemly good 115 VOLT dedicated circuits to power them.
Extension cords, if used, should be as short as possible and of a larger wire size guage
than the input cord of the machine to cut down on any electrical resistance.
Use very heavy duty plugs and connectors.

MIG is heavily dependant on a good ground connection to the part being welded.
Remember, this is a CV machine ...("constant voltage").... good voltage is your friend.
Clean the grounding area to bright metal and make sure your ground clamp connection tips are brightly clean as well.
Ground to the part being welded if at all possible.
A "tacked" ground connection is like a soldered wire connection, there is nothing better.
If you can, bolt your ground to a piece of cleaned scrap metal and lightly tack it to your work piece.
Use "Never Seize" dressing on your connections to keep them in good electrical shape.
You'll get a much better ground and the machine will run much more powerfully and smoother.

A good rule of thumb for wire feeders you should know.
The wire must feed through the wire gun liner and tip easily and smoothly.
The tip will stop up with very fine "BB's" while welding and hang up the wire.
Poke it out with the wire religeously for a smooth feed.
Don't hold the tip any closer than 1/2" from the work.
Don't "KINK" the welding lead liner by "pulling the machine around with it".
To check the wire is feeding smoothly, unhook the wire feed rollers in the machine, you should be able to hand pull the wire easily through the tip and liner.
If not, flush the liner with compressed air or if needed replace it.
Ditto for the welding tip, they tend to wear in "V" egg shaped notches and pinch the wire or not get good connection on the sides of the wire.
Look through the hole in the empty tip pointed at a light source and see how it's shaped. Replace if worn badly.
Keep the roller "V" grooves clean and use a wire wiper to wipe residue from the wire.
Don't use rusty wire! You'll plug up your liner and tip with rust.
Keep the wire stored in a clean dry place when not is use with gell packs sealed in a purged zip lock bag. (Mash the air out before sealing it)

Setting the machine requires setting the amperage you intend to use on brightly clean materials less than 3/16" thick.
Use scrap steel to set the machine.
Follow the pointers above for grounding the well powered machine to your work.
Insure everything is operating smoothly as above mentioned BEFORE you start.
Use the highest amperage setting you can comfortably use without melting holes in your work.
Ramp the wire speed up slowly from low feed speed to higher feed speeds just until
you have a good close wire buzz at the puddle and you have a good fluid puddle control.
Your set...if anything changes while welding...look for wire restrictions in the tip or liner.
Use a good de-spat on the tip and or cup...spray silicone is good.
Very Lighly sprayed WD-40 in a pinch works on the cheap.
Pre-heat heavier thicker metals to aid in weld penetration.
If you need a heavier thicker weld on your work, good tight multi-pass welds stacked up are better than heavier thicker weld passes.
Weld in flat or horizontal positions for easier welding.

Good Luck!

I hope that Follow these pointers you'll have a better experience with it.