welding

70 amps is pretty light-duty. I'd go with a 150 or 180, or something like that so you have some more power when needed. Most of the time, you'll need about 80 to 110 amps on a good-size chunk of steel.
 
do you think the welds it would produce would be adequate for the work mentioned in my earlier post. I really dont have any other use for a welder. Also it is only 87 dollars however if it is worthless for my purposes I wont get it.
 
Do yourself a favor and get a decent welder at least a small mig 110 lincoln,because you will be surprised how much you will use it, plus a name brand you will be able to resale if you need to.That welder might work but barely---My 2 cents-:) Regards Butch
 
butchesforge said:
Do yourself a favor and get a decent welder at least a small mig 110 lincoln,because you will be surprised how much you will use it, plus a name brand you will be able to resale if you need to.That welder might work but barely---My 2 cents-:) Regards Butch
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I followed this route and have not been disappointed. I think I spent about $110 bucks on my welder. I like the convenience of wire feed and I can do a little more than just tacking together damascus billets and welding rebar to bearing rollers. I've made tools for my hardy hole, etc., with no problems at all. You'll find uses for it that you'd have never thought of, once you have it!
 
I have welded for 30+ years so go with more power or you will have to pre heat everything over 3/16 of an inch.
 
pike3e said:
do you think the welds it would produce would be adequate for the work mentioned in my earlier post. I really dont have any other use for a welder. Also it is only 87 dollars however if it is worthless for my purposes I wont get it.
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I'm OK with stick for this as it seems easier to get more machine cheaper and it's a pretty useful format. If you're welding the ends of a billet, or a handle to the end of a billet that's, say 1" x 3" or 4", you're just not going to get the penetration with the little machine. If I'm welding a handle (usually 2 pieces of rebar welded side-by-side for a handle--much better control for awkward pieces), onto a billet of any size, I use my Tig machine in stick mode with about 3/32 stick or sometimes 1/8 if that's all I have, at about 100 amps, and that seems to be about right to 'dig' into the billet a bit with the weld. You don't want to be running your welder all the way up all the time for what you intend to do, so the more amps on tap the better.
Keep in mind, you'll probably want to build machines and other things in steel when you realize how useful welding is. You will be upgrading pretty quickly from the smaller machine. It's just not a bargain if it can't tow the line.
 
I'm a journeyman welder, and I've got to tell you, the more power the better. The reality is, you can weld two pieces of steel together with oxy-acetylene (torch welding - before new-fangled things like TIG and fancy inverter power sources came along) but it takes skill (lots of practice - lots of screwups) and a lot of patience. If all you have for a work area is a shack out in the woods that will have to do, If all you have access to is 110V 15amp household current, then the little machines will have to do. If you have three-phase power and about 4-6 grand to blow then you can be set up with an industrial machine that you can do everything with.

Basically what I'm saying is this, work within your limitations (both financial and electrical) and experience:

-wire feed is generally easier for a beginner to learn (once the machine is set properly, you pull the trigger and it welds) although this process is more limited than stick (more electrode options) and TIG
-Read everything you can get your hands on - there are specific welding procedures for medium and high carbon steels/tool steels (preheat, interpass heat, postheat, etc.) a little bit of metallurgical knowledge will help you understand the welding process and help you make better welds
-if you are limited financially (aren't we all) try not to buy a new machine. There are plenty of the 110V stick and wire feed machines floating around on the web and in pawn shops. Do some homework, find out what the new cost is compared to the resale cost (good tools are an investment, poor tools are an expense) get the best machine you can reasonably afford.
-practice, practice, practice (oh, and keep a supply of first aid stuff for burns on hand - it's gonna happen, no matter how careful you are)

Have a good one,
Nathan
 
advertise in the paper watch auction sales you can call around ask who has up graded there welders sometimes they will near give um away. When one of our departments up graded they threw out 20 welders and sold them for scrap metal price. I snoozed needless to say.
 
I picked up a used lincon 225 for $100 off criags list.
This is the old tombstone model. I am very pleased with it.
It is 220 volt though. That might make a differece for you
 
Get a small mig if you're a beginner. The Harbor Freight ones are crap, get a lincoln or Miller, you will only spend the money once, if you buy a cheap tool it WILL break and any money you think you saved you will lose when you have to replace it. You can buy the Miller and Lincoln machines set up for flux core, and then later switch to shielding gas if you want.

Oh by the way, do NOT buy from WalMart! Every time you buy from WalMart another American job moves to China!

-Page
 
sunshadow said:
Get a small mig if you're a beginner. The Harbor Freight ones are crap, get a lincoln or Miller, you will only spend the money once, if you buy a cheap tool it WILL break and any money you think you saved you will lose when you have to replace it. You can buy the Miller and Lincoln machines set up for flux core, and then later switch to shielding gas if you want.

Oh by the way, do NOT buy from WalMart! Every time you buy from WalMart another American job moves to China!

-Page
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Ditto!!
People need to stop buying disposable tools!!! Buy it once buy American ! (even go used)
I was looking for a small welder for the same purposes ended up finding a used 170 amp GAS POWERED machine for 200.00 money well spent !!

There are a few things you get Jipped out of when you save money on a new welder,duty cycle(you can only weld 20 minutes for every hour @20%) and heat as was mentioned you will need to pre heat for welding high carbon and bigger pieces. This falls under the you cant replace time with money problem....save money....spend time/ save time....spend money
( not save money live better :thumbdn:)
Sorry off my meds ;)
 
sunshadow said:
Oh by the way, do NOT buy from WalMart! Every time you buy from WalMart another American job moves to China!
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I disagree. Walmart carries many of the same items as other retail stores for cheaper prices. I agree with what you say is if you go with a foreign product, instead of a US product, but saying walmart is all foreign is wrong. (Synthetic motor oil is 5-10 dollars cheaper at Walmart, even though it is the same product as an auto parts store)
 
go mike said:
I disagree. Walmart carries many of the same items as other retail stores for cheaper prices. I agree with what you say is if you go with a foreign product, instead of a US product, but saying walmart is all foreign is wrong. (Synthetic motor oil is 5-10 dollars cheaper at Walmart, even though it is the same product as an auto parts store)
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Do a little research. Walmart forces suppliers to keep lowering their wholesale prices until they cannot keep manufacturing them domestically, then "helps them" by setting them up with factories in China.

Between that and predatory pricing until they have eliminated any significant locally owned competition, then raising their prices once they have a monopoly while they break labor laws with forcing employees to work unpaid overtime.

Sam Walton is probably spinning in his grave with what his children have done to his company

-Page
 
I cruise Craigs list a lot looking for a welder. I see lots of older 220 stick machines for cheap that would work well for most people doing small jobs. I would get one that does DC. I am looking for an machine that has CC and CV so I can do stick or wire with my LN25 wire feed. I really want something like a reasonable priced used Miller 304. I Have an old Lincoln AC/DC and a gas po wed Ranger but, want a shop money job machine.
 
I bought a hobart ezhandler 125 flux core machine, it actually works quite well. Great for tacking projects together, smaller/precision stuff thats a pain with the ac arc(like welding up forge bodies). The great thing about the higher end machines is infinite adjust ability. I find with my lincon ac arc welder, with the 6 or 8 settings is that none are realy ideal usualy, especialy for thinner stuff. Don't dismiss older ac boxes, especialy if the adjustments are infinite/variable.
 
I love my flux core welder, it's a cheaper, Italian made Deca brand 115V and has only 2 power settings but I rarely, if ever, have had to use the High setting. That's the nice thing about flux core, they burn so hot that penetration isn't a problem even with a low power unit.
 
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