Advise / Opinions to Sell and Buy Welder

   / Advise / Opinions to Sell and Buy Welder #41  
I have heard about the magnifying lens. Have you used ? Curious to know what the focal length is ? If it helps at say a 18" or so distance, this would help greatly - for me.
I'm farsighted. I got a 1.5 multiplier lens for my helmet, via Ebay. Too strong. My face was down in the cloud of flux-core smoke. Second attempt: 1.25. Quite satisfactory but it seems like a little less, maybe 1.2, would be perfect.

Look inside your helmet. Any decent helmet has slots to slide in a standard multiplier lens, they're about 1.5" x 3.5".
 
   / Advise / Opinions to Sell and Buy Welder #42  
Reading glasses should do it. ...
I tried that, cheap dimestore magnifiers, but I need the anti-stigmatism correction in my eyeglasses to see precisely enough for welding.

Just recently I decided to check out Zenni optical, a low cost mailorder glasses company. I bought 'readers' with my anti-stigmatism prescription, about $40. Quality seems excellent.

So I ordered another pair of prescription glasses for shop use: Their heaviest cheap frame ($10) with 'standard' (much thicker) lenses, then the side 'safety glasses' add-on, shields off the left and right sides that go back to my face. Total under $50 for glasses I'm not concerned about scratching and while they're not real safety glasses, the heavier construction has to be better than ordinary eyeglasses at resisting thrown wire-brush needles, welding sparks, grinder sparks. Also for protecting my eyes when harvesting apples, when I'm up on the ladder making a long reach with my face jammed into twigs and leaves. Well worth under $50. These glasses (that I can wear all day) plus the 1.25 magnifier in my helmet make welding much easier.
 
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   / Advise / Opinions to Sell and Buy Welder #43  
I need something like that. I have some glasses from the VA but I haven't tried them out.
 
   / Advise / Opinions to Sell and Buy Welder #44  
As to cheater lenses for welding, it really makes an amazing difference in being able to see the puddle. I used cheaters for welding long before I used them for reading. I use a different diopter lens for stick work than I do for TIG work as my distance for where my head/eyes is significantly closer for TIG thus I need a higher lens strength than for Stick. Whether you use cheaters on your head or in your helmet is your choice I find it is easier on my head but everyone is different. I also have turned down the shade which I find helps and so far it does not seem to cause flash blindness or eye pain post welding.
 
   / Advise / Opinions to Sell and Buy Welder #45  
Roustabout. I know you are RIGHT ! I actually may end up doing just that - keep the Miller Stick and practice more. For a lot of my "known projects" which, are arbors / fence sections, I may try brazing ? Do not know a lot about this process either.
I have "real" troubles with Stick however. The single biggest issue (being a novice) is actually when I start to weld. With a full size rod, I lose control, and cannot see very well - if that makes sense ? If I get my head closer where I can see, then my hand is above my head, which is difficult. I know, practice, practice.... Once the rod burns down, it is Much easier for me. Cut all rods to 1/2 length... :) ?
I have used a MIG a total of 1 time. But, could get right on top of the work, so it was "easy for me to see what I was doing / see the puddle". That, and the "easier, so they say" to weld thinner metal is the reason I was considering a MIG, with the Everlast i-Mig 200 having the bonus of running on 110v, also having stick capability. Planning for retirement this year, so this adds a little- "get what I think I am going to use before retirement" ? Or perhaps, it is "I want a new toy".:cool:
So, I am one of those people who go to buy a computer, but do not "KNOW" everything I am going to use it for. So, I run some "what if's" and eventually decide to buy more capability than what I think I "need". Not quite apples to apples, but just a general thought process.

So, with a torch and coat hanger.... I would call that a brazing "type" job ? I don't have any real torch, just a hand-help map gas.
Brazing is a good process for things that experience viration since it stretches better than steel. Also cast iron can be repaired by braze (or nickle rod with the stick welder). have done it both ways. It is not stronger than a weld but has its place. An acetylene torch is worth having and the heat up period to cut or braze - or weld with a steel filler rod is faster than it is with map. Brazing is also better for things that need to be leakproof. A torch would also give opportunity for silver solder (similar to braze but works good on stainless steel) and the ability to cut steel. Lots of good reasons to have a torch. I have heard of folks welding with a coat hanger and in a pinch it will do but the steel filler roads are a better alloy for welding. I agree with those telling you to keep the stick although the wire feed is easier to use. One trick for stick wleding is to hold the stinger with your dominant hand and then hold the wrist of that hand with the other hand while keeping your elbows in contact with your body - this gives better control over a brand new (long) rod that shakes more. Not always possible but with some practice youll get better. Good luck with it
 
   / Advise / Opinions to Sell and Buy Welder #46  
Amateur, working with what's available:

The couple of times I've welded cast iron with nickel rod and an old AC buzzbox, I heated the object over the burner that came with a turkey fryer. Plenty of BTU's! Then peening, and gradual cooldown still using that burner, on low.

Several years later those welds on the fragile feet of old cast iron lawn furniture, are still good.
 
   / Advise / Opinions to Sell and Buy Welder #47  
If you are having trouble seeing where your weld bead is going, and you have AD helmet try turning shade down a little, try 2 diopter cheater lenses in helmet and add a lot of ambient light to where you are trying to weld....

I find adding head lamp like in image below for old tired eyes....

View attachment 736414

Image stolen for internet source a long time ago....
That light on the helmet is an excellent idea! I wish I had thought of that years ago. I have old eyes that need more light. Sometimes it is hard to get enough light when welding. Seems weird because of all the light coming from the arc. But there it is. You adjust the auto darkening lens for the arc itself or choose the right fixed shade lens for the arc and then you can't see the work.
I, like many others, have resorted to work lights placed accordingly. But with modern LED technology a head mounted light can be bright enough while at the same time be small and light enough (a light light!) to work very well AND follow your head.
I will be looking tonight for a light to mount on my welding hoods. Thanks for posting this.
Cheers,
Eric
 
   / Advise / Opinions to Sell and Buy Welder #48  
Brazing is a good process for things that experience viration since it stretches better than steel. Also cast iron can be repaired by braze (or nickle rod with the stick welder). have done it both ways. It is not stronger than a weld but has its place. An acetylene torch is worth having and the heat up period to cut or braze - or weld with a steel filler rod is faster than it is with map. Brazing is also better for things that need to be leakproof. A torch would also give opportunity for silver solder (similar to braze but works good on stainless steel) and the ability to cut steel. Lots of good reasons to have a torch. I have heard of folks welding with a coat hanger and in a pinch it will do but the steel filler roads are a better alloy for welding. I agree with those telling you to keep the stick although the wire feed is easier to use. One trick for stick wleding is to hold the stinger with your dominant hand and then hold the wrist of that hand with the other hand while keeping your elbows in contact with your body - this gives better control over a brand new (long) rod that shakes more. Not always possible but with some practice youll get better. Good luck with it
Depending on the brazing alloy used the joint will actually be stronger than if welded. The brazing alloy will actually have a higher tensile strength than the parent metal. This is especially true when brazing cast iron. Even the typical brazing rod sold in hardware stores is stronger than many cast iron types. I know, seems counterintuitive. So don't automatically decide that brazing is not appropriate if strength is an issue.
Eric
 
   / Advise / Opinions to Sell and Buy Welder #49  
Depending on the brazing alloy used the joint will actually be stronger than if welded. The brazing alloy will actually have a higher tensile strength than the parent metal. This is especially true when brazing cast iron. Even the typical brazing rod sold in hardware stores is stronger than many cast iron types. I know, seems counterintuitive. So don't automatically decide that brazing is not appropriate if strength is an issue.
Eric
Very true, my welding manual states a good brazing rod can have a 70,000 psi rating were may arc rod are below that....
 
   / Advise / Opinions to Sell and Buy Welder #50  
Roustabout. I know you are RIGHT ! I actually may end up doing just that - keep the Miller Stick and practice more. For a lot of my "known projects" which, are arbors / fence sections, I may try brazing ? Do not know a lot about this process either.
I have "real" troubles with Stick however. The single biggest issue (being a novice) is actually when I start to weld. With a full size rod, I lose control, and cannot see very well - if that makes sense ? If I get my head closer where I can see, then my hand is above my head, which is difficult. I know, practice, practice.... Once the rod burns down, it is Much easier for me. Cut all rods to 1/2 length... :) ?
I have used a MIG a total of 1 time. But, could get right on top of the work, so it was "easy for me to see what I was doing / see the puddle". That, and the "easier, so they say" to weld thinner metal is the reason I was considering a MIG, with the Everlast i-Mig 200 having the bonus of running on 110v, also having stick capability. Planning for retirement this year, so this adds a little- "get what I think I am going to use before retirement" ? Or perhaps, it is "I want a new toy".:cool:
So, I am one of those people who go to buy a computer, but do not "KNOW" everything I am going to use it for. So, I run some "what if's" and eventually decide to buy more capability than what I think I "need". Not quite apples to apples, but just a general thought process.

So, with a torch and coat hanger.... I would call that a brazing "type" job ? I don't have any real torch, just a hand-help map gas.
How about a perspective from someone who has been welding for over 50 years, for both fun and profit, and is also proficient in TIG, MIG, though rusty at Stick and Gas?
At age 14 I learned how to gas weld and braze and silver solder, AKA silver braze. That was in 1970. In the early 80s I decided I wanted to learn arc welding so I took night classes, got really good at stick welding and switched to TIG. After a couple years of night classes doing TIG welding the instructor told me I was now skilled enough to pass the "nuclear pipe" tests. He meant that I could apply for a job at a nuclear power plant as a pipe welder and would be able to be certified for welding pipe. This meant that I really didn't need night school to improve my skill. I did not do more than about 1/2 hour MIG welding though.
Then, a little over 20 years ago I bought a small MIG welder, a Lincon SP125 Plus. This machine was a ton of fun to use. I could lay down so much metal so fast. And it was easy! I was laughing as I was welding because it was so much fun.
I knew from talking to welders who did wirefeed welding as a job that it was easy to make bad welds. So I practiced a bunch. From my previous experience with other types of welding I knew how to test welds to make sure they were good welds.
So, after my bona fides posted above, for whatever they are worth, here is my pro and con advice, for whatever it is worth.
STICK: The least expensive. And almost the most versatile. Only TIG is more versatile. The versatility is because there are many different alloys available for stick welding. The inexpensive because the machines are the least expensive. The only process that has more alloys available is TIG. There are also several different stick sizes available, so thick and thin work can be done. Once again, only TIG welding wires come in more sizes. If you need to weld something that requires some less than common alloy you can usually buy only 1 pound of it in stick form.
MIG: First of all I am including both types of wirefeed welding into the MIG class. Wire that requires gas and wire that does not. MIG is not as versatile because there are not as many alloys available. Plus the wire must usually be bought in larger than 1 pound at a time if not a common alloy. So this can be expensive if many different alloys must be used. MIG doesn't require as many different wire sizes because the process doesn't need that many different wire sizes. MIG is also more expensive because the machines are more expensive. And if using a MIG welder with bare wire then a regulator, a flowmeter, and a gas bottle must be added to the price of the welder.
STICK: Stick welding is harder to learn than MIG. There is more technique involved and much of this technique depends on the alloy being used.
MIG: Fast. Fun. Easier to learn but also easier to make bad weld that look good.
STICK: Only the stick is needed. No extra shielding.
MIG: Fast. Fun. If using fluxcore, AKA innershield, then no extra shielding, but if using bare wire then shielding gas must be used, an extra expense.
MIG: When welding sheet metal you can use .023 bare wire with the polarity reversed to get good welds without burning through. Autobody shops use MIG welders like this all the time. Stick welding just can't do this unless the weldor is very skilled.
Now, finally, let's get to the meat of the matter. What do I think is best for you from what you have said. Get a MIG. A wirefeed welder. But one that you can add a gas bottle to down the road if you need or want to. Welding wire that has flux in the core, AKA fluxcore or innershield, is commonly available everywhere in the size you need for the jobs you say you want to do. It does not require a gas bottle. The weld don't look as nice, there is more splatter, but the welds can be done in fairly windy conditions. As your skill increases you will want to start welding with gas. Your welds will look better, there will be less splatter, and there are more alloys available. For example, I bought a spool of silicon bronze wire so I could do some MIG brazing. I needed to braze a lot of steel parts together and my two options were to TIG braze or MIG braze. I was restricted to silicon bronze brazing alloy by the customer. This is a common alloy. I chose MIG brazing because it was so much faster than TIG brazing. And the joints were beautiful.
You will need to practice to make sure your good looking welds are actually good welds. So you will need to break the welds. You will need to observe where and how the welds broke. You will need to be honest with yourself about the quality of your welds. Just like anything else practice is important to doing a good job. MIG welding has the unfortunate ability of being able to look good without actually being good. So you need to practice and test your welds.
But, finally, at the end of the day, MIG welding, AKA wirefeed welding, is faster than stick and is just plain fun. Once you are good enough to make welds that you trust you will find that it is just plain fun to get the metal squirt gun out and weld stuff up. If you need to build up the worn edge of that bucket get out the welder and just lay down metal. No problems with the electrode sticking like with stick welding. No changing stick electrodes. No worries about the flux coating breaking off and then getting porosity in the weld. And so on.
Cheers,
Eric
 
 
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