[AT] Welders

[Cecil R Bearden]

I would second that on getting a stick welder.  If you are not going to 
weld aluminum, then you probably could be fine with a AC buzz Box.  I 
seem to collect welders as at last count I had over 30 sitting around 
here.  They weigh so much the freight is ridiculous to send them anywhere..
My favorite stick welder is my 225 AC/DC Lincoln.  It is the heavy 
version of the tombstone lincoln that sells for about $200.  If you can 
find one used expect to pay about $300 to as much as $800 for them.  
Look at farm sales, as that is where I have found all of mine.  Like I 
said I collect old welders, as the history of them is fascinating.  I 
have one built during WWII that is a wooden box due to the shortage  of 
steel...

A welding course at a local vo-tech will find several welders usually...

Cecil in OKla

On 12/5/2011 12:13 AM, Chuck Bealke wrote:
> On 12/4/2011 6:01 PM, charlie hill wrote:
>> Mike this is a good site to look around on.  Their prices are good too.
>> http://store.cyberweld.com/millerwelders.html  Unless you know how to weld
>> already I think you'd be better off to go with a  stick rig.
>> MIG is nice but it's expensive to buy, cost a lot to use and can be
>> problematic and require repairs with the feed mechanism.   It's just not
>> really worth it if you just want to do some welding now and then and you
>> want to weld a variety of thickness of metal.
>>
>> Charlie Hill
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Mike M
>> Sent: Sunday, December 04, 2011 6:39 PM
>> To: at
>> Subject: [AT] Welders
>>
>> Hi all,
>> I'm in the market for a welder and would be interested in getting opinions
>> as to what type to get. It would get used for machinery repair (tractor,
>> brush hog etc). I was looking at some of the MIG welders at TSC the other
>> day, and they looked nice, but were pricey if they are able to weld thicker
>> steel. I've never used a MIG welder, but have used an arc welder in the
>> past. An arc welder seems like a simpler choice, but I would be interested
>> in other opinions.
>> Thanks,
>> Mike M
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> Charlie,
>
> Sure agree with using a buzz box for your first welder.  Used an OLD
> Craftsman 180 Amp AC for a few years and though 'twas a bit light, got
> most of my jobs done just fine.  As was stated here, a DC welder is
> preferable.  With an AC buzz box with less than a 200 or 225 Amp rating,
> the lower duty cycle time can get to be a real nuisance (forcing you to
> pause after much welding).
>
> Don't forget to set up good air movement/exhaust for any indoor areas
> where you locate an indoor welder, as you don't want to inhale fumes
> when you weld - especially on galvanized metal.  A short and cheap high
> school evening class for adults on welding was a great investment of
> time when I started. Since moving to town, I sure miss welding and
> cutting with stick and gas. Always lusted after a Heliarc welder ($$$)
> for aluminum and wanted to learn brazing, but access to a
> friend's oxy-acetylene aircraft size torch at least allowed me to build
> some very handy special wrenches and other steel tools cheaply.
>
> Chuck Bealke
> Dallas
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