Stick or wire feed?

[gotago]

I've got the bug to adapt implements to the pt but i've never welded. I'm going to buy a welder and go at it, should I go with a stick welder or a wire feed? Ease of use vs. utility...etc...Any ideas?

 

[woodlandfarms]

You can buy a used stick welder for next to nothing. Not easy to use per se, but does the job well and cheap. To get the same penetration you need to spend some big coin for on a mig. The stick should be 220 volt AC/DC

Truth is you should have both. The stick for big ugly jobs and the mig for delicate jobs. This would keep you in the under $1500 for gear category (new) or much less used or HF quality.

ps. I am not a welder but I own one. This was the advice I got from tbn when I went to buy. I got a used AC /DC Tombstone stick welder for $100 on craigslist.

 

[royalslover]

I agree. I would love to have a nice mig but can't afford it. I've been using a stick for years and it works great for anything that's not too light. A monkey could weld heavy steel with it.

 

[SpringHollow]

I am definitely not a welder! I had the Lincoln AC and last year bought a used AC/DC model. However, i also just got an inverter plasma cutter with DC stick and tig capability - bought scratch and dent model for about $450 mif i remember correctly. I just used it for the first time on Sunday night. Used it to cut through a 4 x 8 I-beam. Worked pretty well. I have not tried the stick or TIG yet. One of the reasons I bought it was that they are finalizing a MIG add on to it that will cost an additional ~$250. That would give it 160 Amp MIG capability on top of 160 DC Amp stick and TIG (no foot pedal control). It would cost another ~$500 to get one with AC TIG capability to allow aluminum TIG. IF you can wait, I can let you know how well it works as a welder. As a plasma cutter, it has a rated cut of 3/4" and a sever cut of ~1". So far, I have not had to go above 160 Amp on my Lincolns. It is possible that these inverter models might be a nice compromise for people who do occasional welding and plasma cutting.

TractorByNet.com | John Deere, Kubota, New Holland, and more!

This brand gets good reviews on the 4 x 4 off road racing forums. They buy from China and then modify in their shop.

Plasma Cutters, Plasma/TIG/Stick Combos (NOW AFFORDABLE!) - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board
26 pages of posts

Some people like him, some don't.

The cheapest solution is a used Lincoln Tombstone - great for structural stuff but takes a little practice. I hear MIG is the easiest.

Ken

 

[MrJimi]

I've had stick welders and they have their use but now I have two MIG welders, one for heavy welding and another for light stuff below 1/8 and I love them both. The people that say it don't have to be clean with a stick are almost right, It has to be clean to stick and hold like anything else you would put together to stay. This thread will get lot's of reply from stick and wire members but we are all happy with our equipment and MIG/wire feeders are real easy to operate
Jim

 

[Wayne County Hose]

After owning Mig, I will never own stick again. I don't care about the cost. What I care about is what I'm welding not falling apart. Mig is easier for vertical and overhead welding. My Mig makes me look like a good welder and I do not claim to be at all. I could never stand having that long stick when you begin, get it half way down and get comfortable with it, then you are out of stick. Darn, I need a new rod again. Start over. Not that way with Mig. My vote is wire feed with gas.

 

[J_J]

I've got the bug to adapt implements to the pt but i've never welded. I'm going to buy a welder and go at it, should I go with a stick welder or a wire feed? Ease of use vs. utility...etc...Any ideas?

Don't waste time buying tiny stick welders, or no name MIG welders. Lay out the bucks and purchase name brands, and with some Amps. Sometimes you do get what you pay for. I and others probably started out with what we could get for a few dollars, and it sort of did the job, at least we thought so, until we bit the bullet and got the real thing. You might say, I only have to do a few jobs, but why not do those few jobs well.

It takes a lot of practice to be able to say, that looks mighty good.
One of the best things in welding is having a good set of eyes. If you can see what you are doing, the weld bead will tell the story.

I don't think it matters what kind of welder you start with, you will have to use both kinds of welders in order to make a logical decision.

 

[Marks481]

And I love my TIG welder... fairly easy, very clean welds with no real dressing up after your are done... but VERY slow (OK, maybe it is just me who is slow).

Keep your eye on duty cycle. If you want to weld 1/4" plate and your welder has a 30% duty cycle at 130 Amps, then you get to weld for 3 minutes and stop for the next 7 minutes. It doesn't sound like a big problem until you are sitting there waiting for your welder to cool down.

Go with Miller or Lincoln. If you see cheap Riland-clones on ebay, don't buy them unless they are being sold by Giantguy (he is a great guy and offers awesome service... he has even arranged for the free repair of a couple machines that were bought from one of the not-so-good ebay sellers who left the buyer with a DOA machine).

 

[radman1]

The advantage of stick welding is cheaper to buy, can be used easier on dirty/painted or rusty metal and can be use outdoors in the wind (if use gas with MIG). I use MIG. 0.35 wire and argon gas will about cover all of my needs. Won't even try stick unless forced to use one.

 

[wmgeorge]

The advantage of stick welding is cheaper to buy, can be used easier on dirty/painted or rusty metal and can be use outdoors in the wind (if use gas with MIG). I use MIG. 0.35 wire and argon gas will about cover all of my needs. Won't even try stick unless forced to use one.

I've got both, an old Lincoln 225 AC stick welder for the serious jobs that Require penetration, and on rusty metal. Plus a Hobart 187 MIG welder for the light stuff up to say 3/16 clean metal, inside. You need both types...

The problem with MIG is you can make some very nice looking welds, even at the higher settings... and the welds do not have Penetration.
For serious work on trailers, backhoes, loaders and high pressure pipe welding, you can not beat 6010/6011 root welds, with 7018 cap over. My son welds high pressure steam lines, a union pipefitter, and sometimes they TIG the root.

If you have some doubts, turn up your MIG to 180 amps or so and weld some 1/4 inch plate test pieces, one side... and try to break the weld. Do the same thing, with a stick welder and test the same.

TIG is slow, and great on stainless and special projects. The good part is most TIG welding machines are also darn good stick machines.
BG in Iowa