Stick welder vs. Oxy/Acetylene???

[MossflowerWoods]

Just want to chime in here... Pretty much EVERYBODY is right, depending on your situation.:laughing:

So buy a good used general purpose too for now, and add on as you can afford.

Oh and when t comes to ox/acc, you may be able to meet your needs with one of those little pack setups that plumbers use. Bottles are small and don't last long, but for brazing, heating stuck bolts and LIGHT cutting, they work ok for occasional use and you can often pick them up in pawn shops fairly cheap.

Tenn_Blue,

Great advice! Craigslist and Pawn Shops here I come!

David

 

[MossflowerWoods]

So what does it all mean:
There is no such thing as Polarity on AC as the Polarity is switching from positive to negtive at a frequency of 60 hertz. (With no Polarity then kinda think of it as 50% heat into rod and 50% heat into workpiece).

On DC the arc never goes out making it a little easier to maintain an arc and there is such a thing as Polarity with DC. With the Electrode Positive and work negative you will have roughly 67% heat put into the weld rod and 33% heat into workpiece which results in max pentration and is the most common way to run. With DC electrode negative and workpiece positive you have roughly 33% heat put into weld rod and 67% put into workpiece which results in less pentration and can be useful for specialty applications and when welding those metals that are near the thin 16 gauge thickness. Less penetration makes it easier to avoid burn through on thin metals.

Rankrank1,

I've been a high-tech computer & electronics guy forever (29 years) and I thought I understood AC/DC.

That is a brilliantly clear explanation of how AC/DC applies to WELDING!:thumbsup:

I totally get it now.

Thank you sir!
Be well!

David

 

[BeezFun]

I have a Dillon O\A torch. If you practice ALOT you can do all that it says you can do in the ads.

If you practice ALOT you can do all those things with a regular torch.

Other than looking like a ray gun instead of a torch handle, I don't see how it can be any different than a regular torch. The FAQ claims the difference is it burns hotter, at 6800F, because of the special mixing chamber, regular torch burns at 6300. Not sure that can be true, there's some limit on how hot fuel mixtures can burn based on chemistry. The ad carefully says the inventor claims it runs at 6800F, it doesn't say it does burn at 6800. Sounds kind of hoaky to me.

 

[flusher]

Rankrank1,

I've been a high-tech computer & electronics guy forever (29 years) and I thought I understood AC/DC.

That is a brilliantly clear explanation of how AC/DC applies to WELDING!:thumbsup:

I totally get it now.

Thank you sir!
Be well!

David

If you're learning welding by yourself, these instructional videos are useful

Wall Mountain Company, Inc.

They tell you what you need to know to weld stick, MIG, TIG and O/A.

 

[slowzuki]

I've got an AC buzzbox, a small MIG, a set of torches, and a plasma cutter. If I had to start giving them up, the plasma would go first, but I'd have a hard time deciding after that.

If its over 1/8" I prefer the buzzbox. Its not picky about shiny clean steel and if the setup includes heat sucking features it is more forgiving than mig.

Under 1/8" I prefer the mig. Great sheet metal rig!

The torch is used for all my heating and all my dirty cutting. I converted to propane to get rid of my acet. costs.

The plasma only cuts, and I only use it on clean metal to extend tip life. It can gouge too but I'm not set up with the right tips at the moment.

I should add the buzz box can gouge like crazy too with an air-arc setup. You can slice through very thick steel. It uses a copper coated carbon rod and an air nozzle to make plasma to melt and blow away material.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

If you're learning welding by yourself, these instructional videos are useful

Wall Mountain Company, Inc.

They tell you what you need to know to weld stick, MIG, TIG and O/A.

I'm on HughesNet Slow&Cr@ppySattelite internet... No VIDEOS for me!

But seriously I plan to take a community college welding class or two before I get too serious.

David

 

[Kays Supply]

Like I said I'm not selling these things. I just know I have welded with a regular torch and with it. I can do things with it I never could with my old rig. The biggest difference is that it runs at such low pressure. It doesn't " blow" the molten metal. Maybe some of you can weld Cast Iron and Aluminum with a regular rig, but I couldn't. Let's just say it is easier with it , not that it is the only gas rig to do it.

 

[lutt]

There has been alot of good advice so far,if it were me,I would get a lincoln ac/dc 225,mig welders are great,there is no doubt,without flux core imo they are a pain. But our applications are different than most. If you have the shop doors open or have to weld outside,it is nearly impossible using shielding gas.If the wind is blowing it will blow your gas away from tip. That is my biggest hangup with the mig,I like fab work with one,but there is not any thing i cant weld with my lincoln. If its away from the shop,I use a miller bobcat. Give me a victor torch and regulators and a stick and I am good shape. My wish list on welders is a TIG. I have been wanting to build a rockcrawler tube buggy from scratch and tig is the way to go for tube. My teacher which started pipeline welding in the fifties,and now still welds on farm equipment,he is semi retired,says there is a welder on every corner,just ask them:laughing:But as far as stick vs oxy/acy,its hard for me to imagine one without the other,a good set of torches compliment any shop/truck with a welder.LUTT

 

[rankrank1]

....My wish list on welders is a TIG...

Well if you have an AC/DC stick welder you can scratch start TIG weld with it too. All you need is a TIG torch with a bult-in gas valve ($50-$60 on ebay) (a reg or flowmeter which you already have from your Mig outfit) and a bottle of 100% Argon which it sounds like you already have a bottle, but it is probably currently filled with 75% and 25% - do not try tigging with 75/25.

In your case you could be Tig welding for $60 or less as you already have lots of the other stuff needed. Granted it will not be a fancy $2000 Tig rig with foot peddle control and high freq start but it will easily get the job done in a backyard shop on many applications.

I am actually doing this myself. Taking my MIG bottle and having filled 100% argon. I almost always use fluxcore since I weld outside and MIG gas gets blown away easily. Bought a brand new air cooled torch of ebay for $50. will use my reg and hose from the Mig. All I lack is the $10 power adaptor from LWS (or $8 on ebay).

If I only knew a few years ago what I know now, I would have never bought my Mig welder as it is a pricey luxury. Really I could do everything that I need with the AC/DC buzzbox as it is much more versatile and much cheaper to both buy and to operate too.
a) Can easily weld 1/16" thick and thicker metals in stick mode with the buzzbox.
b) Can cut metaowith it or pierce holes in metal cheaply with it.
c) Can heat metal for bending or brazing with it with the Twin Carbon Arc torch.
d) You Can even weld really thin metal with it by spending another $60 to $100 to add old school tig torch to it. Granted the old school tig torch will not be as good as a modern high dollar tig torch, but it will work good enough for most backyard hobbyist and we are talking minimal investment here

Here is even a video demo showing in full detail how to do it with action shots.

Homemade Tig Welder - Tig Welding Old School with Scratch Start - YouTube

 

[lutt]

Appreciate the info,rankrank1,I didnt know you could set one up so easy. I dont use the mig welder hardly at all ether. Most of farm equipment welding your better off using a stick. I have no trouble welding sheetmetal with one also. Thanks again LUTT