Welding Bucket Hooks!

[Sandlot]

A little trick I learned while while welding with 7018 is to flick the tip of the rod as you complete a pass. This clears the tip of the rod of that "glass over" and enables you to restart lots easier. If you stop your pass this way, you will just have a cup of flux at the tip which is easy to crush with your gloved finger tip before striking for your next pass. But, be aware of your surroundings, when you flick the tip of the rod, that little ball of molten flux can end up where you don't want it.

 

[xlr82v2]

HOT tip! I'll have to try that.

Hopefully I don't put another slagball where I don't want it .

 

[Dascro]

xlr82v2,

As far as my MM180, I like it a lot!! So far, it has done what I have asked of it within the constraints of its capabilities. You do have to pay attention to joint prep and cleanliness, but if you do, it can weld just about anything made of mild steel. I've been using a 75-25 gas mix, but will most likely switch to CO2 with the next cylinder change out. But I do need a stick welder again and this time its going to be an AC/DC machine!!!.

You have an interesting background, and with the exception of flying Lear jets now, is very similar to mine!! I got an engineering degree and left the farm. The degree has allowed me to be involved with some pretty cool stuff over the years. But now, I'm in management .

Growing up on a family farm I was constantly around and on tractors. I still thoroughly enjoy them and just about anything else mechanical (its the reason I became an engineer). Growing up I got more and more involved with the maintenance/repairs on the equipment on the farm to the point where I was doing most of it by the time I graduated from HS. And that is where I also learned how much I enjoyed welding too!!

I still live adjacent to the original farm but its a small beef farm now and do most of the repairs on the equipment when my hectic work schedule allows. I live on about five acres and enjoy my little Kubota B7610. Its also very useful on the beef farm too, believe it or not!!!

The tractors and equipment, welding and repairs, and my small shop keep me grounded also. I can't imagine not having it as an outlet!

Isn't it interesting how our backgrounds are so similar!

Dave

 

[patrick_g]

The Hobart at TSC is the least expensive with the Lincoln next (at the local weld shop) followed by the Miller. The performance specifications of all three appear to be very similar.

Is there any reason to be hesitant to buy the Hobart?

Thanks,
Dave

Dave, All are good but before you buy anything at your local weld shop visit a Home Depot or Lowe's. Lowe's carries the Lincoln AC/DC which has been a standard for decades. Most welding shops tend to have higher prices for their smaller machines than the mass merchandisers and you will save $ yu can spend on accessories or ...

These machines are commodities. They are robust and can be abused for decades without needing a repair. Service after sales is basically not an issue so shop price. I'd be searching the internet and discount houses for the best price.

I have an AC/DC Lincoln I bought at a big box store. I have used the heck out of it, mercilessly with no problems for over 10 years, and it is in as good as new condition EXCEPT the electrode holder is showing the effects of high heat but it should last several more years.

The little wheels in the wheel kit are not sufficient for such a heavy machine. It rolls well on concrete. I got an el cheapo hand cart/dolly and retrofitted it with much larger diameter wheels and lashed the welder on it. Way better mobility and can roll on grass and gravel.

I am not familiar with other than Lincoln welders you are looking at but I can attest to the Lincoln being an excellent choice. The others are well respected brands and likely to be as or nearly as good so... buy on price in this instance.

Pat

 

[xlr82v2]

Yep! Pretty cool knowing that there's others out there somewhat like me. I'll have to tell my wife that!

Back to the MIG, if you can work it out, it's pretty handy at times having both CO2 and C25 available... you might want to consider keeping your C25 and just obtaining a CO2 cylinder, especially if you own your bottles. CO2 comes in a different type of cylinder than C25 (lower pressure, with a different valve outlet style) which you may have already known (but others reading this may not have), so they may not give you an even swap. One thing too, about switching to CO2... the little regulators that come with the MIG machines usually aren't designed to be used with CO2... and if you do enough welding with them to where they start to get cold (doesn't take much with CO2) they can freeze internally and actually allow full bottle pressure to make it's way to the welder... not really a good thing to have happen. It's a very good idea to get a regulator/flowmeter that's designed to be used with CO2 to prevent this from happening.

If you keep your eyes open, you may be able to find a CO2 bottle very cheap, or even FREE... that's how I got mine. They tore down the restaurant next door to where I work... and I happened to see my bottle laying in the big construction dumpster. I went over to the foreman, asked if he minded if I took that bottle, he said "No, you just don't know where it came from", and I had myself a FREE CO2 bottle! They're actually pretty common, and not that hard to find.

Here's a pic of my MIG machine on the cart I made from a hand truck...

 

[Dascro]

Brian,

You know... It never occurred to me to keep the C25 and simply add CO2. But I like the idea! And the more I think about it, no need to have the regulator for the C25 just laying around not being used. And I like the versatility. Yep, I think that's what I'll do. Thanks for the idea!!

Pat,

The Lincoln "tombstone" welders have been around a long time. Its what we used on the farm growing up and it never failed to make quality welds on some crappy stuff!! It was an AC only machine though. This time I want an AC/DC machine. I just want the DC welding characteristics. Right now, the Hobart is probably the welder I am going to get. New or used.

Thanks for all the great, informative discussions. I'm enjoying this thread!

Dave

 

[patrick_g]

Right on Dave, I'm only suggesting that all the top brands that you are considering are good choices. The Lincoln "Tombstone" I have is AC/DC and has proved totally bulletproof and cheaper to buy at a Big Box store.

Of all those good brands you mention, you can't go wrong for a simple AC/DC machine which is why I advise just shopping price within those brands and go with the most for the least wherever you can find it as it is highly unlikely you will have a warranty issue.

Pat

 

[Sleepy owl]

Hi i used a lincoln a/c 225 for a long time found out that A blue flux covered stick wire called 80 T A/C plus works great and is 80,000 ts its A flat wire. I have purchased a miller XMT 304 c/c c/v inverter and a miller 12vs wire feeder thats a great combo.sleepy

 

[jimmer2880]

I am a complete amature. But, since nobody else has stated it yet (or, if they did, I missed it), watch out for "duty cycle" on the cheaper welders. I happened to glance at the welders at Harbor Freight the last time I walked through. They all had what I consider horrible duty cycles for anything except for sheet-metal ranges.

*** Edit *** I'd better say that I'm sure they have 1 or 2 good welders. Just be sure to look close before buying.

 

[Sleepy owl]

In response about duty cycle, my old lincoln welder 225 AC was purchased in 1976 and the duty cycle on this welder was 20%. I can not count how many 50 pound boxes of welding wire I used in all of my welding with this particular welder. I have made many projects that I can not count how many, but the only thing that went wrong was the fan about 8 years ago. The welder still works but I need to replace the fan. I was told that this welder had a copper core and I did not weld 2 minutes out of 10 minutes, welded steady for hours, did not seem to hurt this welder a bit. I am not sure if they have switched to any other material for the core now on the new ones. I don't know if Lincoln under rated this machine. My advice is stick to the brands that you see in the fields that the professionals use and you can't go wrong.
Sleepy owl.