Which Stick Welder?

[Anonymous Poster]

I've never welded before. Always wanted to learn, but never got around to it. Now I'm around to it.

I recently traded for an old Oxy-Acetylene setup with brand new Victor regulators. After one miserable attempt to repair a broken planting bar, /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif I signed up for welding classes at the local Vo-Tech.

The classes are completely free form; you study what you want. I will be concerntrating on gas and stick welding, and plan to buy a stick machine in the next few weeks.

Locally, the welding supply has the Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 for $390 (no wheels), while TSC has the Hobart Stickmate LX 235 AC/160 DC with wheel kit for $370.

Anyone care to comment on these welders?

Thanks, SnowRidge

 

[Makers_Mark]

Ever since I switched to MIG welding I will never go back to stick unless absolutely necessary. You just get such a better, cleaner weld. No fussing with chipping flux off. The more comfortable I feel with welding, the more precise I want my bead to be. I am now looking into TIG. Huge jump in price though as far as the machines go.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[gerard]

I have a lincoln ac235, no dc, and am pretty happy with it. I paid less than 300 but don't have a dc option. I don't do anything fancy, just sticking farm stuff together and it works really well for that. Don't think I've ever had it above 120 amps so it has plenty of capacity for most things. Sticks aren't too complicated, just a big transformer and some switches, that's why they last forever. Mig is much nicer but is also about $200 more and has a lot more moving parts/maintenance issues as well as needing a gas bottle so for my infrequent use I went with stick. Either unit should serve you well.

 

[blackd]

I have the Hobar, love it, & think the wheels make a big difference for moving the few feet allowed by the short power cord. Cheaper with wheels, Hobart?

Don

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Your question contained its own answer; One source is a WELDING supplier, the other source is a box store. When you need help, who do you think can give it to you, the welding supplier, or the 18 year old kid presently working for the box store?
Buy the Lincoln toumbstone, and learn to weld. You aren't ready for a hot glue gun yet. A toumbstone is a very capable machine, I can weld overhead with one, because I learned to weld with one. 45 years later, I still own it, and although it's not my first choice for any job, the toumbstone is still capable, because I know how to weld with it. I keep it around partly to remind me where I started, and partly to demonstrate to smart people that welds are made by the man behind the helmet, and NOT the machine.
Stick is still the favored welding process for repair welding.

 

[orb]

I have the Hobart as well and really like it. Wheels are a must for me, since I have a small shop and use the welder infrequently. I tend to use DC more than AC since it gives me a little more control (no pulsing). My only complaint is that you can not replace the light gauge cables with heavier ones easily. I happen to have a set of 20' long cables I wanted to run off of my unit but I found that replacing them was not a plug and play set-up.

For the money I think its the best unit out there. Important to understand when compairing these small "buzz boxes" is duty cycle. I think this model has the highest in its price range.

 

[BB_TX]

I have a Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 and really like it. My first project? I bought 4 casters, welded some scrap 2" angle iron into a square base, stuck the casters to it and set the welder on it so I could roll it around. I also bought an extra 50' roll of weld cable, cut it in half, and connected each half to the standard cables that came on the welder. Much more convenient. With the wheels and long cables, I can reach most areas of my shop.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gifBB Tex and Franz have given you two good tips: one is that welds ARE made by the welder-guy and not by the machine; and the next good tip is to cobble together a base out of angle iron and some casters. If you make the base, ten years from now it will still be there and you can look at the bird-turd welds that you made and say:"Wow, I've really come a LONG WAY in my welding. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I'm going to take Franz to task on one point, however, /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif and that is the notion that a wire welder is a "hot glue gun". Franz is exactly right about it being the welder-guy and not the machine, and in that vein, I take exception to characterizing a wire feed welder as a "hot glue gun". Believe me when I tell you that I have made quite a few VERY critical welds with my Millermatic 35; welds that HAD to hold or else; and I never even CONSIDER a failure. But then as Franz pointed out, it's NOT the machine, it's the welder. Send me some steel and I'll put a wire weld on that you can take to the state fair. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif As long as you are buying a welder, DO get an AC/DC machine. It would enable you to run overhead easier, and you can burn some DC-only rod which widens your welding capabilities. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

One thing you need to keep in mind when buying a stick welder is what size rod you will be using, in your case probably a 1/8",you need around 125 amps d.c. to run this sized rod.Another thing is duty cycle,how many min. out of 10 it will stay running before it kicks off in order for the machine to cool down, some, for example have only a 30% duty cycle at there max. current,and these are cheaper,but it all depends on what sized rod you plan on using.Another thing is whether to get a generator type or one that uses line electricity.A advantage of generator type is portability and as its use as a generator,and in that you have two different plug ins, one for 120 volts and some have a 220/230 volt receptical.If you fo example down the road plan on getting a m.i.g.welder to go on the stick welder,you need to know what kind of juice it will take and also duty cycle you will need on that wire welder,duty cycle is more imporant on wire welder than stick at given amps because you generally weld more min. out of 10.As far as brand MILLER makes about anything you could need and so does LINCOLN. RICHARD GAUTHIER

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Franz and me have had this conversation before, mig welds are suspicious nine times out of ten. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Besides forge welding, that's the best weld period, the process consists of liquifing two pieces together. The rod in stick welding and the wire in mig is just there to supplement the material lost in the process.

The problem with mig is most nonprofessional weldors gauge their work by appearance. I can't count the times I've repaired beautiful appearing welds that were cold joints. A cold joint is where the weld is just sitting on one side looking good and doing nothing.

This is hard to do with a stick, have a weld look good and be a cold joint. The reason is part of the bead is base material. With mig the bead is ninety nine percent filler wire. Some folks can do a cold joint with stick welder. It's just real hard to do, you almost have to work at it. But with a mig a weld can look perfect and be no better than a poorly mixed J-B weld.

I have three mig welders, three stick welders, a heliarc set up, and two different kinds of gas welding processes. For repairing in the field or shop I prefer stick. Fabrication in the field I also prefer stick.

I understand the preference for mig. It's easier and takes less skill. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

But for most of the work to be done by the average part timer a small mig will do ninety nine percent of what they want done efficiently. It's just that with a mig you're limited to those situations.

With a stick you can buy specialized rods to weld aluminum, cast iron, galvanized, etc. When you want to do the same thing with mig you have to buy not only the specialized wire but also the appropriate gas. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I think everyone should learn to weld. It is a vehicle that can take you places nothing else can. You can create, repair, work, play, live your own way at your own pace, your way. Every piece of steel has it's own personality. You can either work with it or work against it. That's your choice. But when you work with it and it allows you to mold it into something wonderful or just plain good, now that's a high. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I will admit to some bias on the subject of making things. I will concede I like working with metals just like I do wood and rock. And I probably get a lot more pleasure out of this than a man has a right.

But that's okay. I'm having fun.