Which Stick Welder for a New Welder?

[Mark @ Everlast]

On a transformer machine, arc striking is more difficult. Turning amps up will work but by the time you get it where it won't stick, it'll incinerate the rod fairly quickly.

I first welded with an OLD tombstone. And my father has new one...which I have used to help him fix stuff with. I have friends business contacts with them, and yes they do tear up. Watch out for the switch on them. I have seen several where the switch went out. However as far as arc, and weld ease, No comparison to an inverter.

Albeit Lincoln has sold a lot of these, you have to ask yourself, why are people abandoning them and putting them up for sale on C. List or Ebay? Sure are a lot of them. I've found a lot of them are guys trading up to an inverter or getting a heavier machine.

The AC/DC tombstones are only 125 amps on DC...and low duty cycle. Something to compare and think about. Duty cycle on AC isn't that great either for a machine its size.

 

[Travelover]

...........Albeit Lincoln has sold a lot of these, you have to ask yourself, why are people abandoning them and putting them up for sale on C. List or Ebay? Sure are a lot of them. I've found a lot of them are guys trading up to an inverter or getting a heavier machine .............

You don't need to bad mouth a quality product that has performed admirably for decades to sell your imported stuff. If it is so great, it will sell itself.

 

[Shield Arc]

Learning to weld is an up hill battle at best! People go at it from different angles, some go to school, some buy a welder, and books, join Internet forums, and ask questions. I feel the best, and quickest way is one on one instruction from an experienced weldor, that's not to say all weldors can teach! But they surly can show you how to do it. No matter what route you take, don't fool yourself, it's gonna be expensive! But for some of us it is / was an investment. I made a very good living as a weldor.
I'd like to know what the drop out rate of wanna be weldors is? I would guess it's really really high! The only information I have for this conclusion, (and it may not be correct), is the amount of low end buzz box welders on Crag's List for sale. As I said above, learning to weld is an up hill battle, why make that hill steeper with low end equipment that will no doubt frustrate you to no end, and most likely make you quite? I guess it's each individual's decision on how much they want to invest, for the end result.

For the money the Everlast PowerArc 200 is the best SMAW arc I've ever seen! And I have some of the best welding machines ever made, so I know what a quality arc is.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Now, how did you get that I was bad mouthing the product? Did you read my post at all? Never said it was a bad product. But I did point out its weaknesses, points to consider in making a purchase for anyone.

By pointing out the fact there are many on the market, many barely used, and its worth considering why, does not mean I was bad mouthing anything. A girl can be pretty, but there may be reasons you don't take her out for a second date, that have nothing to do with her, but with the girl you met after the date.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I learned to weld with an AC machine in high school and Dad bought Lincoln 225 tombstone to us building some 40 foot long trailers. It worked OK for that and the welds never failed but by that time, I had lots of experience in construction with DC machines which weld so much smoother and the variety of welding electrodes available for DC is much greater than AC. There is nothing wrong with using an AC machine, but eventually you will discover DC and then you will want to buy a DC machine. I would go ahead and get DC now or AC/DC. I have AC/DC Miller CC/CV 350 amp machine and it works great although I have to confess that I have never used the AC side at all. This machine will do it all and you can plug in a MIG wire feeder to it if you want. I find it more convenient to use the stick rod for almost all my work and since I use a lot of 7018, I invested in a nice Phoenix 300 # Dry Rod oven to keep them fresh and dry. That is about the only draw back to welding with low hydrogen stick rods is that they need to be kept hot and dry. Many of the folks here on TBN only use wire feeder (MIG or FCAW) welders mainly because they make the beginner welder look good. When running and set properly, they work fantastic but require a lot of upkeep to make them run that way all the time at least compared to a stick welder where you just flip the on switch. Wire feeders need contact tips and liners replaced oftern if you use a lot of wire and generally need more adjustment to keep them working like new. I prefer to use stick for heavy welding and for light delicate work a d TIG cant be beat.

 

[deereman75]

The AC/DC tombstones are only 125 amps on DC...and low duty cycle. Something to compare and think about. Duty cycle on AC isn't that great either for a machine its size.

First of all, they have a 20% duty cycle, and in normal conditions, you cant weld much more then 20% of the time. There is the first bead, which takes 60 seconds at most (to burn a rod), then you have to let it cool for a minute or two, then you have to chip the slag, which takes like 20 seconds, then you have to wire brush, which takes 30 seconds or so, then you have to change the rod, which takes 10 seconds at most, and there is also the time for getting the tools, because they are not always right there, and also time spend getting into position, and getting ready. So, as you can see, you can normaly only weld 20% of the time.

Second, they have a 100% duty cycle at 75 amps, so you can (in theroy) weld 100% of the time with a 3/32 6011.

Finally, you can get rectfiers that plug into the output of an AC welder, to convert it into DC. I had mentioned one earlier, and they work great, that way you can have the full 225 amps, and full 20% duty cycle, on DC.

 

[Shield Arc]

First of all, they have a 20% duty cycle, and in normal conditions, you cant weld much more then 20% of the time. There is the first bead, which takes 60 seconds at most (to burn a rod), then you have to let it cool for a minute or two, then you have to chip the slag, which takes like 20 seconds, then you have to wire brush, which takes 30 seconds or so, then you have to change the rod, which takes 10 seconds at most, and there is also the time for getting the tools, because they are not always right there, and also time spend getting into position, and getting ready. So, as you can see, you can normaly only weld 20% of the time.

Oh grasshopper you should have been around before wire feeders hit construction. Back in the day, we stuffed one rod after another. Hand full of rods in one hand, stinger in the other, never lift your hood! One rod after another as long as you could go. Wire feeders made life so much easier!:laughing:

 

[BlacknTan]

I'm not a professional welder, but I have alot of buddies that are, and they all have a T'bolt or Tombstone in their shops besides the fancy equipment.

It's a good, and inexpensive place to start...

Think long and hard before investing your hard earned bucks into one of the "johnny come lately" asian imports that may or may not be around tomorrow, or require the entire machine be returned for even minor service.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Oh grasshopper you should have been around before wire feeders hit construction. Back in the day, we stuffed one rod after another. Hand full of rods in one hand, stinger in the other, never lift your hood! One rod after another as long as you could go. Wire feeders made life so much easier!:laughing:

Always been my experience, you do the clean up when you're done. A quick tap on the end of the slag if necessary is all it takes and you keep going as soon as you toss another rod in the holder. Of course, if your the kind of welder that stops to take a smoke break between rods to walk back to the hot box to grab a single rod, look at your weld, eyeball the line, chip the slag, wire brush it, then dab around, stand up, and then wipe your brow, before redonning your hood, and readjusting it by flipping it up and down a few times, before you start welding again, 20% is a generous setting (I've welded with a few of them). But if you weld like that you won't be around long on a job site, or if you work for yourself and do it for a living, you'll go broke. If you weld for 2 minutes and then take to clean up, then there's something wrong. 60% is a WELL established standard for welding time on commercial stick units because that's about the most efficient ratio of welding time and cleaning/changing out time. Its been around a long time, and I don't imagine that until they make fluxless rods for SMAW, it will every change. A good welder probably has the next rod in hand before he finishes the rod he is welding with...multitasking both hands.

 

[deereman75]

Well I was saying for normal farm/hobby use,20% is fine, if you need to be welding that fast, get a lincoln idealarc, or engine drive. Also, those were just my calculations, taking into account the speed I can weld at.