Welder recommendation

The advantage to stick is versatility, it's easy to change rod size and purpose, and can weld just about anything. No need for shielding gas, and easier to operate than a mig, less moving parts to adjust. The mig with flux core is basically a continuous stick rod. To change rod size or material you have to change the spool and adjust the machine, on a stick machine you just grab a different rod and mad one or two adjustments and back to welding. Argon makes things a bit nicer, but not worth the trouble of keeping a bottle at the ready for me.

I did try the HF welder and was rather disappointed with it. I guess I got a bad one, but it wouldn't even burn a 1/8" 7018, so it went back to the store for a refund. Could have swapped it out for a different one but didn't want to take the chance on having to go back and forth to town till I got a good one. To be fair it's got nothing but 4-5 star reviews.
 
Another advantage to stick welding (SMAW) is that it's damn hilarious to watch someone do it for the first time, as the electrode sticks to the work over and over and over again. It takes a deft touch and more practice and skill than mig, imo. The penetration is way better than mig, you can make huge multi-pass structural welds, and it can be done in windy conditions. However, mig is better on dirty materials and the absence of slag to brush and chip off is really nice.

Here is my favorite video on how stick welding works, if anyone is thinking about trying it:

[video=youtube;TeBX6cKKHWY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeBX6cKKHWY[/video]

Stainless steel stick electrodes work wonderfully, and I've had good success welding with aluminum stick electrodes as well! Each of the welding processes has advantages for different jobs. If you REALLY want to be a badass, tig is the ultimate process.
 
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Zaph

Have you tried using Co2?

Apparently it's a bit hotter than the mix

That and better prep might be all that you need ?
 
So what would be a good stick welder to buy, that would be sufficient for the purposes I listed: welding a piece of rebar with a tapered end to a piece of barstock to make a handle for forging without tongs, or forging the rebar to a smaller billet of damascus, without having the weld fail and make the piece of barstock (say about 1/4" thick) All I know it that it has to be capable of doing this using only 110 volts, since that's all that is available to me and because the 90 amp Harbor Freight flux core welder I have sucks at doing this task, and the handle or weld rather, breaks of after the first or second forging heat.

I'm just wondering if somebody knows of a few stick welders (brands/types) that aren't crazy expensive, that are capable of doing this with 110 volts.

Please, somebody help maaaay! :D Thanks! :)

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
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coldsteelburns said:
So what would be a good stick welder to buy, that would be sufficient for the purposes I listed: welding a piece of rebar with a tapered end to a piece of barstock to make a handle for forging without tongs, or forging the rebar to a smaller billet of damascus, without having the weld fail and make the piece of barstock (say about 1/4" thick) All I know it that it has to be capable of doing this using only 110 volts, since that's all that is available to me and because the 90 amp Harbor Freight flux core welder I have sucks at doing this task, and the handle or weld rather, breaks of after the first or second forging heat.

I'm just asking sombody to name a few stick welders (brands/types) that aren't crazy expensive, that are capable of doing this with 110 volts.

That's all that I'm trying to find out. Please, somebody help maaaay! :D Thanks! :)

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
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If you can get 220v 50 amps from an electric stove outlet, you can use many good welders

110v 15 amps, you are SOL
 
None young man, go gas It'll do it all.Solder.Braze ,Cut, Weld at this point i feel your just
trolling us. Good Luck.
 
coldsteelburns said:
So what would be a good stick welder to buy, that would be sufficient for the purposes I listed: welding a piece of rebar with a tapered end to a piece of barstock to make a handle for forging without tongs, or forging the rebar to a smaller billet of damascus, without having the weld fail and make the piece of barstock (say about 1/4" thick) All I know it that it has to be capable of doing this using only 110 volts, since that's all that is available to me and because the 90 amp Harbor Freight flux core welder I have sucks at doing this task, and the handle or weld rather, breaks of after the first or second forging heat.

I'm just asking sombody to name a few stick welders (brands/types) that aren't crazy expensive, that are capable of doing this with 110 volts.

That's all that I'm trying to find out. Please, somebody help maaaay! :D Thanks! :)

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
Click to expand...

Go here...
www.cyberweld.com

Anything you purchase from them will be fine....
 
Not aware of any decent welders that run on 120v, but then I'm out dated on welding tech. Until recently I wasn't aware that the newer welders have the option of an inverter vs transformer.

To be fair, I have issues with re bar welding to billets. If I do everything rite I still have to re-weld at some point because (with damascus), the rebar gets too small at the billet. As far as welding to a high carbon bar for forging into a knife, try pre heating the metal and welding with a 7018 rod. Even then keep an eye on it as depending on the alloy it can start to crack while forging. If your having trouble with a flux core wire welder, I guarantee you'll have trouble with a stick machine until you learn how to use it.

Stick welding does take a bit more skill than a wire machine, but once you learn to stick weld you'll find your welds with a wire machine are better as well.

A miller thunder bolt or Lincoln tombstone cracker box will do 90% of what we need it to do. I've built trailers with one before, though the low duty cycle and lack of decent DC current was a PITA, I got it done.

I'm real interested to see how well the Longevity welder works for me, never used an inverter based machine before and it's supposed to have clean DC power, we'll see.
 
Thank you Will, I very much appreciate all the info! It's interesting to hear about your experiences regarding rebar not sticking to billets or barstock as well. I guess the answer to my problem wasn't as simple as I thought. I figured since I was able to easily get billets to "stick" together with my HF welder straight out of the box, I though the main problem was just the fact that my welder was from HF, and was the least powerful of it's type. This led me to believe all I needed was a bit of an upgrade to fix the problem.

I really didn't think 220V would be so necessary for such a (what I had percieved to be) small welding task. I haven't had any problems getting anything else I tried to weld to "stick", I've even tested the strength of a number of my poor looking welds with all kinds of hammering etc. and couldn't break them. This is the reason I thought there was a simple answer to my question, considering it was only the welds from my handles to my billets that were failing. Honestly I only wanted somebody to tell me to, "buy this welder, it will work just fine for that", cause that's all I thought it would take. So please forgive me for my ignorance guys :eek:

Count, could you recommend a good place to get a 220V extension cord? I just searched and they seem pretty dang pricey... I made the powercord or "pigtail" for my grinder by buying a length of thick guage cord and just bought and attached the plug end my self. Would Home Depot have supplies to make my own 220V cord in the same manner? I'm guessing if so, it would be a lot cheaper doin it that way..

Thanks again fellas :)

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
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+1 on how the conversation has evolved towards stick welding. Another positive to throw atop the advice is that a scratch-start tig setup is always within reach and the cost remains reasonable. I asked these same questions years ago and was iffy about stick welding, but after the first couple of funny frustrating moments that Mecha already mentioned, I honestly enjoy the process... my mig machine has collected dust since, and I still am slow to break out the tig torch for much of anything.

I think it some archaic fashion it has also enabled me to better understand the process of welding in general which goes miles with the other welding processes... It might just be my imagination but the times that I have picked up the mig I can dial in the amperage, wire speed, and lay down some decent work like it was second nature.

The count also mentioned prep... Preheating isn't cheating, and it goes a long way when it comes to good welds. It's a good habit to get into because it helps when it comes to a whole lot of other issues that come with welding besides poor penetration like HAZ cracking and distortion.
 
PUAL what he means by troll is it seems you are asking people to do the research for you. IM NOT TRYING TO BE RUDE. But why cant you look online where to get a 220v extension cord your self. By the way you will want to make one) This seems to be a new trend or something. When I am looking for info that I do not know or I am learning about I go and find it myself. I do not go ask somebody to go find it for it for me.

Sorry Brett
 
Oh, yeah, you'll want to make your own and it will likely cost as much as the welder. I have a 25' cable, I think it cost me around $100 to make it. It plugs in to the dryer outlet and has a common L6-30 receptable.
 
coldsteelburns said:
Count, could you recommend a good place to get a 220V extension cord? I just searched and they seem pretty dang pricey... I made the powercord or "pigtail" for my grinder by buying a length of thick guage cord and just bought and attached the plug end my self. Would Home Depot have supplies to make my own 220V cord in the same manner? I'm guessing if so, it would be a lot cheaper doin it that way..
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Absolutely

I like doing it that way, so you know what you get

When you buy chineeze sealed cords, you have no way of knowing how much or how little copper is in that wire.

fake CSA stickers, and fires are common


Doing it yourself will not be cheap, but it will work.
 
Thanks guys, appreciate the heads up on the chinese stuff as well Count :)

Brett, no problem, I understand what you're saying. I didn't mean for my question(s) to come across as asking people to do the research for me, I was basically wondering if Count or anybody else could recommend a reputable place to buy a 220V cord since they looked pretty expensive, only cause it sounded to me like they have knowlege in this area that I am pretty much completely new to. I always try to do my own research, but I figured I could save a good amount of time and possibly money by asking it here where I know I can trust the info I'll get due to my past experiences here. Sorry bout that, Deffinitely did not mean to come across that way. :eek:

Hey SinePari, thanks for adding to the convo, did you happen get a 220V stick welder when you first started using one?

Thanks again guys

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
coldsteelburns said:
Thanks guys, appreciate the heads up on the chinese stuff as well Count :)

Hey SinePari, thanks for adding to the convo, did you happen get a 220V stick welder when you first started using one?

Thanks again guys

~Paul
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I started with a Lincoln Pro-135 mig setup, then research and scouring CL I landing a killer deal on a Miller AC/DC Dialarc 250 (with leads) for $300 and run it on 220. While it is a big machine, I'll never outgrow it's capabilities. Its size is it's only downfall.

Even now, I'm looking at these inverter welders chewing on the fact that I'd be downgrading. For the cost of a new inverter welder I could get a high freq box, a water cooler, water-cooled tig torch, and a foot pedal setup for less $$$ and in the end have the same beast of a machine... I would recommend the same machine or similar to anyone that has the space to keep it, they're bomb-proof worth every penny and won't break the budget... most hang around that $500 price range, but I've seen them go for less than I paid for mine. keep your eyes peeled.... :D
 
Lots of neat info. I've been looking or something similar and from what I've been reading a stick welder is a good choice for a hobbyist. With those new auto darkening helmets it should be quicker to learn to avoid the comical pitfalls. ??What kind of amperage is necessary to weld 1/4" mild steel?? I'll set that as a benchmark at a 100% duty cycle and see if a used welder falls out of the cracks.
 
The duty cycle of a stick welder is not critical, because you'll run out of any stick in less than 2 minutes. Find something in the 200-230 amp range, 20-30% duty cycle, and it'll take care of business.
 
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