this is kind of an observation / poll question here. i see a lot of questions about welding in here and an awful lot of the replies are from people who want to stick weld anything 1/4" and over.
i've used a stick welder a lot over the years on small projects here and there, but i do not do it with enough frequency to be extremely proficient. that is not to say that anything i do with it will fall apart. in fact, i've built several trailers and they are all over 10 years old and have run many thousands of miles with never an issue. my welds are not always the prettiest, but they have always seemed sound enough for the task.
i end up using a small wire feed with flux core 90% of the time now, and i am hoping to buy a 200a+ wire feed and virtually eliminate my 225a stick welder. even with the current wire feeder - an approximately 15 year old century 120v which i have always run on a 20a circuit, which allows a 90a rated output. i've often run the current at or near the max, and tuned down the feed speed to weld metals up to 1/2" thick. none of these welds have never been tested, but based on my years of working around steel fabrication, i am confident they have adequate penetration and the bead has laid down well, so i believe they are as strong, if not stronger than i could have done with my average-at-best skill with a stick welder.
if a limited skill welder like me can do this with a 120v 90a welder, why do i see so many people who claim to own 200a+ wire feed/migs that seem to use stick on everything other than sheet metal? seems like a waste of a lot of welder and money.
what do all of you out there do?
edit: i want to amend what i said to be that i have welded up to 1/2" thick material to thinner stock, such as 1/2" tabs welded to a 1/4" plate. i have not or probably would not try to weld 1/2" to equal or thicker with that welder unless i preheated it to something near the sun's core. well, maybe 1/2" to 1/2" butt welds with a weld gap would probably be ok. even so, both the 1/4" and the 1/2" need to be heated enough to get the weld to work, and it seems to do fine.
i've used a stick welder a lot over the years on small projects here and there, but i do not do it with enough frequency to be extremely proficient. that is not to say that anything i do with it will fall apart. in fact, i've built several trailers and they are all over 10 years old and have run many thousands of miles with never an issue. my welds are not always the prettiest, but they have always seemed sound enough for the task.
i end up using a small wire feed with flux core 90% of the time now, and i am hoping to buy a 200a+ wire feed and virtually eliminate my 225a stick welder. even with the current wire feeder - an approximately 15 year old century 120v which i have always run on a 20a circuit, which allows a 90a rated output. i've often run the current at or near the max, and tuned down the feed speed to weld metals up to 1/2" thick. none of these welds have never been tested, but based on my years of working around steel fabrication, i am confident they have adequate penetration and the bead has laid down well, so i believe they are as strong, if not stronger than i could have done with my average-at-best skill with a stick welder.
if a limited skill welder like me can do this with a 120v 90a welder, why do i see so many people who claim to own 200a+ wire feed/migs that seem to use stick on everything other than sheet metal? seems like a waste of a lot of welder and money.
what do all of you out there do?
edit: i want to amend what i said to be that i have welded up to 1/2" thick material to thinner stock, such as 1/2" tabs welded to a 1/4" plate. i have not or probably would not try to weld 1/2" to equal or thicker with that welder unless i preheated it to something near the sun's core. well, maybe 1/2" to 1/2" butt welds with a weld gap would probably be ok. even so, both the 1/4" and the 1/2" need to be heated enough to get the weld to work, and it seems to do fine.
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