user.69169
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- Feb 22, 2009
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Re: Want new welder - opinions?
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I admit I don't know much about electric welding even though I seen a whole lot of it done over the years. Seems like there's a few schools of thinking on the electric welding, one bunch of fellows seems to claim the new inverterd machines are finer than frogs fur and another keeps saying the weld ain't in the machine its in the man behind the mask. Well that's a whole lot of help to a fellow in my spot, being that I'm saving up my dollars to buy myself a welding machine.
I asked down to the welding store when I was there and the fellow told me he sells welders that ain't changed a whole lot since 1950 and he sells welders that hook up to a laptop computer so you can program em to make the weld you want and even turn a robot loose to drive the thing. He said it would be best for me to make up a list of the things I want to weld and stop back when I have a few hours so he can let me test drive some machines. I could barely believe they got a place they call a lab right there in the store, and they got some kind of hookup with the school district to hold adult welding classes there. They even bring kids in from the school robot teams and teach them to weld right so their robot don't fail. He said they consider it investing in their future as a business. Now that's the kind of people I like dealing with.
When I asked about the inverterd thing against the old fashion kind he told me I'm probably best off not starting with the inverted thing or even getting all heated up for one till I know how to weld. Well, with all my yard work and them mower blades I'm sharpening for a few extra dollars I really ain't gotten to the buying a machine yet.
So then I asked Harrison what he thinks, and he just eyeballs me and says look around Ferdie, you see any inverted welders in here? Nope, I sure didn't! Harrison got into some half hour long explanation of how them inverted welders ain't a whole lot more than updated World War II airplane electrics using modern transistors and such. Then he goes to explaining how them things called chips like yo got in a computer work like light switches being in either an on or off state (got no idea what that means), and how they do that switching with little holes in something called a silicone chip. He tells me them holes got a lifespan to failure, (that must be a lot like running on a bald tire and wondering where it'll let go) and how as them waferchips get older they loose capacity to switch. Harrison says they begin failing one little hole at a time as the hole collapses, and when enough holes close up the whole thing quits working. Then he tells me them chips got something called a mean time to failure, and that the harder you push em the quicker they fail. I think that's something like my bald tire idea. He says these inverted welders push the living heck out of them chips for maximum efficiency, and they ain't a one of them got enough cooling air blowing across em either. Harrison says they all use small fans to save power, and get away with it cause most people buying them machines never run em full out.
He even tells me Miller and Lincoln both got little plugs on em to hook up to the phone so some fellow back at the welder factory can troubleshoot the machine by remote over the phone. That is clearly beyond my understanding.
Well, best I can understand that, the inverted welder is only going to last a few years. On the other hand Harrison's favorite machine is this Lincoln IdeelArc that's from 1963. He says that macine ain't ever let him down and all the maintaining it needs is pulling the cover off once a year. I did a little adding up and that Lincoln is 47 years old and still working. Don't seem like any of the inverted ones are more than 10 years old, so really can't anybody say how long they are going to last.
It's sort of like my Power Wagon compared to Harrison's little truck. Either one will get you to town and back but I bet his truck don't last as long as mine already has.
Then I got to thinking about other things that are new and improved. Seems like the old Amana microwave lasted 10 years give or take, and the one that replaced it and the one that replaced that one only lasted a couple or 3 years. Well, I got to asking a fellow with a welding job over to the College maintainence what he thought about them inverted welders up against the big old welder like Harrison has and he tells me he can weld with either one but he's real tired of going to lunch and coming back and his machine's missing. Seems them little welders up and grow legs if you don't chain em down or carry them with you. Of course he don't much care cause he don't have to pay for the replacement. I ask why nobody likes them big old ones any more and he tells me cause they are heavy and nobody wants to move one. Well HELLO, (removed) made a good living for 40 years moving things that were heavy, and I can sure still. How far am I going to move a dang welder after I get it anyhow?
This fellow from the College tells me they replace a few of the big old machines every year because of some budget thing, and if I want he will tell me when they get rid of the next batch. You know I gave him my phone number right then. He says I should keep an eye on Craigslist too.
Right deal comes along I think this old boy is going to jump on and ride it off into the sunset.
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I admit I don't know much about electric welding even though I seen a whole lot of it done over the years. Seems like there's a few schools of thinking on the electric welding, one bunch of fellows seems to claim the new inverterd machines are finer than frogs fur and another keeps saying the weld ain't in the machine its in the man behind the mask. Well that's a whole lot of help to a fellow in my spot, being that I'm saving up my dollars to buy myself a welding machine.
I asked down to the welding store when I was there and the fellow told me he sells welders that ain't changed a whole lot since 1950 and he sells welders that hook up to a laptop computer so you can program em to make the weld you want and even turn a robot loose to drive the thing. He said it would be best for me to make up a list of the things I want to weld and stop back when I have a few hours so he can let me test drive some machines. I could barely believe they got a place they call a lab right there in the store, and they got some kind of hookup with the school district to hold adult welding classes there. They even bring kids in from the school robot teams and teach them to weld right so their robot don't fail. He said they consider it investing in their future as a business. Now that's the kind of people I like dealing with.
When I asked about the inverterd thing against the old fashion kind he told me I'm probably best off not starting with the inverted thing or even getting all heated up for one till I know how to weld. Well, with all my yard work and them mower blades I'm sharpening for a few extra dollars I really ain't gotten to the buying a machine yet.
So then I asked Harrison what he thinks, and he just eyeballs me and says look around Ferdie, you see any inverted welders in here? Nope, I sure didn't! Harrison got into some half hour long explanation of how them inverted welders ain't a whole lot more than updated World War II airplane electrics using modern transistors and such. Then he goes to explaining how them things called chips like yo got in a computer work like light switches being in either an on or off state (got no idea what that means), and how they do that switching with little holes in something called a silicone chip. He tells me them holes got a lifespan to failure, (that must be a lot like running on a bald tire and wondering where it'll let go) and how as them waferchips get older they loose capacity to switch. Harrison says they begin failing one little hole at a time as the hole collapses, and when enough holes close up the whole thing quits working. Then he tells me them chips got something called a mean time to failure, and that the harder you push em the quicker they fail. I think that's something like my bald tire idea. He says these inverted welders push the living heck out of them chips for maximum efficiency, and they ain't a one of them got enough cooling air blowing across em either. Harrison says they all use small fans to save power, and get away with it cause most people buying them machines never run em full out.
He even tells me Miller and Lincoln both got little plugs on em to hook up to the phone so some fellow back at the welder factory can troubleshoot the machine by remote over the phone. That is clearly beyond my understanding.
Well, best I can understand that, the inverted welder is only going to last a few years. On the other hand Harrison's favorite machine is this Lincoln IdeelArc that's from 1963. He says that macine ain't ever let him down and all the maintaining it needs is pulling the cover off once a year. I did a little adding up and that Lincoln is 47 years old and still working. Don't seem like any of the inverted ones are more than 10 years old, so really can't anybody say how long they are going to last.
It's sort of like my Power Wagon compared to Harrison's little truck. Either one will get you to town and back but I bet his truck don't last as long as mine already has.
Then I got to thinking about other things that are new and improved. Seems like the old Amana microwave lasted 10 years give or take, and the one that replaced it and the one that replaced that one only lasted a couple or 3 years. Well, I got to asking a fellow with a welding job over to the College maintainence what he thought about them inverted welders up against the big old welder like Harrison has and he tells me he can weld with either one but he's real tired of going to lunch and coming back and his machine's missing. Seems them little welders up and grow legs if you don't chain em down or carry them with you. Of course he don't much care cause he don't have to pay for the replacement. I ask why nobody likes them big old ones any more and he tells me cause they are heavy and nobody wants to move one. Well HELLO, (removed) made a good living for 40 years moving things that were heavy, and I can sure still. How far am I going to move a dang welder after I get it anyhow?
This fellow from the College tells me they replace a few of the big old machines every year because of some budget thing, and if I want he will tell me when they get rid of the next batch. You know I gave him my phone number right then. He says I should keep an eye on Craigslist too.
Right deal comes along I think this old boy is going to jump on and ride it off into the sunset.
