Welding 1/4" steel- Mig or stick?

[xlr82v2]

Just my $0.02 here, from reading this arguably rediculous thread... might as well jump into the mud also...

Sully2,

You sound like the kind of guy who has a hundreds of hours spent reading the Miller and Lincoln and Hobart websites, and maybe even thumbed through a welding book at Home Depot, but you only have an hour of arc-on weld time.

If you can't get an arc started with SMAW without the "Crutch" of DC, then maybe you ought to turn down the volume on your keyboard and have someone show you how to strike an arc... maybe once you have mastered that, and lots of other things, for example, like dealing with arc blow, will you be qualified to advise others...

Like I said, just my $0.02.

So, Sully2, what WOULD you do if you're working on a project and you start getting a lot of arc blow...? Would you even know it if you saw it?

Not wanting to go to war with you, just stating that the volume on your keyboard is a little loud for your stated experience level.

 

[Sully2]

Just my $0.02 here, ...

And as far as Im concerned....02 cents is all your opinion is worth!

Ive spent a lot more than 1 hour getting AC rods UNSTUCK! But using DC is jjust as much of an asset to getting the job done as is using a wire fed machine. The game is fuse the metal together..and make sure it stays fused

 

[workinallthetime]

jb weld is a heck of a product
cheep to

 

[IslandManMitch]

All this talk about welding machines got me to thinking. Other than being Millers I was not sure of the models. I had to go and look. The first is a Millermatic 200. It is 200 amp with a 60% duty cycle. I also have a Miller Syncrowave 180 SD. 180 amp with 40% duty cycle. With these two I am covered for MIG, TIG and stick. Both good machines but the sad thing is I hardly ever use them.

 

[Sully2]

All this talk about welding machines got me to thinking. Other than being Millers I was not sure of the models. I had to go and look. The first is a Millermatic 200. It is 200 amp with a 60% duty cycle. I also have a Miller Syncrowave 180 SD. 180 amp with 40% duty cycle. With these two I am covered for MIG, TIG and stick. Both good machines but the sad thing is I hardly ever use them.

Im with ya!

I have to do all my stuff outside. And so far this summer...if the weather isnt 85 degrees and 85% humidity ( which makes me sweat standing still... ).....its raining ( which sucks even worse....)

 

[Dargo]

And as far as Im concerned....02 cents is all your opinion is worth!

Ive spent a lot more than 1 hour getting AC rods UNSTUCK! But using DC is jjust as much of an asset to getting the job done as is using a wire fed machine. The game is fuse the metal together..and make sure it stays fused

Now, I can appreciate both sides. Believe me, when I began welding they really didn't have DC welders; at least not reasonably available to the public. My dad, a professional welder for about 45 years, was a brutal teacher. For a long time I thought I may as well put on a bunch of yellow feathers. You know, be Big Bird. I say this because of the way he described my welds with the old AC machine. I was a rather unhappy son who became extremely proficient with a grinder.

In retrospect, it probably was good that I learned, and learned right, how to weld with all sorts of machines in all sorts of positions. You want a job that sucks, spend a month laying under a giant machine welding 1/2" hard plate to the bottom of a strip mine machine welding overhead the entire time while laying in mud with about 24" of clearance above you. I HATED that! But, after doing that, vertical welds are done without any thought by me and I am proficient at overhead welds, even on thick material. LOL, I learned the hard way to never come in out of the weeds with your pant legs tucked into your boots and then weld overhead. You wanna guess where the first glob of hot molten metal will fall? I'm tellin ya, you just can't get that boot off fast enough!!

 

[canoetrpr]

Something important to bear in mind in this discussion is that there are different types of people with VERY different welding goals in mind in the world.

There are are those that have obviously spent quite a bit of time welding and even done it professionally and still do for a long time. Threre are those that are starting off but would like to do develop more than a passing skill so that they could do it professionally some day.

Then there are those like me who want to be productive in as short a time as possible with absolutely no intention to make welding a career but to learn enough to fix / modify the odd implement and thing around the farm. Between a full time job, keeping the property sane, feeding the horses, doing stuff with the dogs, spending time with the kids etc. I can't possibly spend hrs a night burning 100s of lb of rods gain experience. I fully accept that I will never be close to anyone who can dedicate the time to doing this and learning to weld in every possible situation they will enounter on the job.

For those like me the 'crutch' of DC or whatever other tips there are to get us welding productively as fast as possible is priceless. I'm equally eagar to get such advice/opinions from those that are serious and professional welders and others who are in the same camp as me but probably further along with their experience.

Me and likely others in the same camp, have appreciated the thoughts very much of pretty much everyone that has posted here.

 

[xlr82v2]

And as far as Im concerned....02 cents is all your opinion is worth!

Well, that's understandable from someone who can't strike an arc...

Keep on stikin', sparky.

 

[Scooby074]

When i learned how to weld in community college, we practiced by making 4" cubes out of 1/8" flat. These were then pressure checked and had to have no leaks. We started with O/A brazing, then O/A welding. After we mastered that, it was on to stick and finally mig. We learned the "fundamentals" on the "harder" processes, and finished up with the easiest.

In my experience, all production shops ive been in used mig. Stick was usually reserved for the odd occasion or field repair work.

I have a Miller 140xp (Mig) and a Thunderbolt (stick). When i bought my mig the rep recomended that i went to at least the 180. I should have listened because i ended up buying the stick a year or 2 later. If i was starting from scratch again i'd likely get the 212 or more likely the 252 and not buy a stick.

 

[Sully2]

Something important to bear in mind in this discussion is that there are different types of people with VERY different welding goals in mind in the world.

There are are those that have obviously spent quite a bit of time welding and even done it professionally and still do for a long time. Threre are those that are starting off but would like to do develop more than a passing skill so that they could do it professionally some day.

Then there are those like me who want to be productive in as short a time as possible with absolutely no intention to make welding a career but to learn enough to fix / modify the odd implement and thing around the farm. Between a full time job, keeping the property sane, feeding the horses, doing stuff with the dogs, spending time with the kids etc. I can't possibly spend hrs a night burning 100s of lb of rods gain experience. I fully accept that I will never be close to anyone who can dedicate the time to doing this and learning to weld in every possible situation they will enounter on the job.

For those like me the 'crutch' of DC or whatever other tips there are to get us welding productively as fast as possible is priceless. I'm equally eagar to get such advice/opinions from those that are serious and professional welders and others who are in the same camp as me but probably further along with their experience.

Me and likely others in the same camp, have appreciated the thoughts very much of pretty much everyone that has posted here.

Im with ya! I'll use whatever crutch I need to, to get the small jobs I have done. My only "saving grace" is that I dont do LARGE welds...because Im still so intrigued with the fact I CAN get things "stuck together" that after a minute or two I stop and lift my helmet to see how Im doing. So that if I HAVE screwed up...I dont have much to grind off..

I probably tried for more than 30 years to try and sticlk weld but I had o teacher of any sort (which makes it even tougher) and finally after retirement took night classes at the local VOC school. The instructor held my hand to get started and had me start the arc and LIFT the rod..and I stopped..looked at him..and said.."I didnt know I didnt have to keep the rod in contact all the time" ( I mean how was I suppose to know???) But after 2 weeks using DC and 7018 rods I was a happy camper ( Then we switched to AC and 6010 I think is was) *raspberry*...lol

I knew I wanted to "MIG" weld (didnt know the difference between MIG and fluscore..didnt even know fluxcore existed) but Im a fast learner...but with that said...IF I would have had a place indoors to work ( which I dont)...would have had 220 run to a building to use a stick machine ( which I didnt) Id probably buy the Stickmate Ac/DC machine and would have been happy as a clam. But AT THAT TIME I didnt have what I have now...so I bought a 140 amp ..120 volt machine and had a years worth of play practice using it on all sort of "junk" and still do.

And as you say...we all have different "end goals" and different "backgrounds" and neither of mine after 37 years is to become a "welder"....my goal is to fix or make the small items I "need" ( read want more than need)