What type welder

[Bill V in Md]

I would like to get a welding machine for my garage. Only interested in making minor repairs to the tractor (48 Cub), and maybe occasionally building something very simple. Would only be working with mild, carbon steel. What would you guys recommend? Also, I don't want to break the piggy-bank, and I am by no means an experienced weldder (but I want to learn). Thanks

[batty54]

I bought a lincoln stick welder from central tractor years ago. Tractor Supply Co. (TSC) will have them now.
I learned to weld on it and it is great, the best improvement was to buy an auto darkening helmet. My older eyes cannot see through the regular dark lens to strike an arc.
The only draw back is trying to weld light metals like sheet or just a bit heavier they will burn through easily. The wire welders are great for that type of work but tough for me to justify the expense.

[SONNY]

Lincolin 225 amp stick!!--may now have the ac-dc combo feature!--I prefer dc-rev.-pol., but ac, once mastered is just fine! --as for wire, I wouldn't give a dime for a truck-load of-um!!---they just not for my kind of weldin'!!---they might have a place, somewhere, but the cost is too high for me!
Just my experience and opinion, others will disagree, but my vote is stick, and ac, for the most economical/ease of use/ learn on type of machine! thanks; sonny

[D.Nickerson]

I would like to get a welding machine for my garage. Only interested in making minor repairs to the tractor (48 Cub), and maybe occasionally building something very simple. Would only be working with mild, carbon steel. What would you guys recommend? Also, I don't want to break the piggy-bank, and I am by no means an experienced weldder (but I want to learn). Thanks

Bill, that would depend on a few things. First and most obvious would be, what process, stick or mig? There are alot of good mig machines out there, and there are alot of good stick machines out there.

Second would be 110v or 220v? And AC or DC. If you want a stick, I would not recomend learning on an AC machine. DC is much more forgiving for a beginner. Again, there are good machines in both those catagories too.

Third, thickness of material you'd be welding. Sounds like you would rarely ever weld anything over 1/4" or 3/8" thick. So for that matter you'd be able to save alot of money with a smaller machine. For stick, a good machine would be a Hobart stickmate 205, or a lincoln AC225C, or a miller Thunderbolt series.

The list for good possibilities for stick or mig is endless. I could write 3 pages of recomendations and price ranges.

The best thing for you to do would be to check out these: lincolnwleds.com, Hobartwelds.com, and Millerelectric.com.

I would not recomend a cheap no name brand, you'll have nothing but trouble. You can get a decent machine for under $400-$500.

Bill,my e-mail is always open if you have questions about a specific welder that might catch your eye on one of these sites. I've been welding for over 20 years, and have used quite a variety of machines.

[gitractorman]

I learned to weld in my dad's shop, some 20+ years ago, and have not done much since, but I wanted a welder. My garage does not have 220V outlets, so I wanted to try and not have to spend the money on that installation. So, I read up on a bunch of things, and found that the new wire welders are fairly idiot proof, and are very easy to "re-learn" on.

I picked up a really nice Lincoln HD3200 135 amp welder off of the internet, but they sell them right at Home Depot. It is nice for a couple of reasons. It is a 110 volt setup, so you can plug it into a 110-20a outlet. It is a wire feed welder, so all you do is pull the trigger and move it. It is the simplest welder that I have ever used, and because it is not hot until you pull the trigger, it is sooo much easier to line up your work with your face shield up, then drop the shield and pull the trigger.

I was welding 3/16 steel with it, and it was no problem. I was more afraid of tripping a breaker in the garage, but that never happened either. Also, I got this welder because it comes pre equipped for welding with gas, including the regulators, if you ever wanted to, but so far all I have done is flux core welding.

Another nice feature, it is light enough that I can turn the amperage down and weld some really thin stuff without burning through.

Bill

[junkman1946]

I too am not a welder, just a hacker. I have a Hobart A.C. D.C. stick machine, plus a Miller 135 Mig. I purchased both at the local Welding supply house. Doing price comparison I paid $20. more for the stick, and same price for the Mig, as the local Big Box store. The difference is; these guys at the welding supply are a wealth of knowledge and techniques, plus they gave me a crash course in running the Mig. See if the local Home DEpot will take you out in the back room and fire up a machine and show you how to run it. Or if you can go there and but 4 stainless rods just to do that little one time job. Frank

[TOOLMAN]

Hi all
I too have a tomb stone welder
I have a lot of older welding rods that were given to me when I bought it used
They are old but still look like there in great shape
Are they still OK to use?
Someone told me they would be no good because the air got to them?
I was also told to try drying them in oven before using them
I have not tried them out so I figured I wou;d ask here
Thanks

[SONNY]

I have been using older rods,--(e-6011 &e-6013) that I have aquired from a friend and ther'e in good shape so I use them!--might have to play a little to see what heat setting is needed, but they hold my stuff together!--Now don't use like 7018 or "special" rods that way,-- they might not be too good!--I figure as long as the coating is still tight on the rod, I will try them before I throw them away!
New rods here are around $1.89 or so a pound for 1/8" E-6013 at TSC in 50 pound boxes! ---hope this helps!--thanks; sonny

[D.Nickerson]

Now don't use like 7018 or "special" rods that way,-- they might not be too good!

Sonny, even if you used 7018 after being around awhile it won't hurt. As long as it isn't an X-ray weld, it'll hold anything you want it to.

[Into Tractors]

Man, lots of "GREAT" info here from the folks. I have both types, and as the others already mentioned, really depends on what you want to weld.

I'm not a pro, learned from my Grandfather, my Dad & my FIL on the techniques, and bought some books to help me out more.

[Bill V in Md]

Thanks guys. It always helps to have meaningful input from people who have the experience.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

I have a lot of older welding rods that were given to me when I bought it used
They are old but still look like there in great shape
Are they still OK to use?
Someone told me they would be no good because the air got to them?
I was also told to try drying them in oven before using them

Actually, it is moisture not air that is a problem. If you have trouble using them try drying in an oven set at 200 for an hour or so. If you still cannot use them, don't thr0w them away. keep them for use when you need to fill in a wide gap. use a hammer to knock coating off and feed them into the gap as you are welding or ray one in it and weld over it.

[Eugene]

They are old but still look like there in great shape Are they still OK to use?

Actually, it is moisture not air that is a problem.

Correct moisture is the problem. When stationed in Panama we had a moisture/humidity problem with typing paper. I made a metal box to store the paper in then put a lit 60 watt light bulb in the box. Worked well. Others store welding rod in an old refridgerator.

I have 3 plastic welding rod containers to store welding rod. These containers have a gasket on the lid to seal out the humidity. Available at stores selling welding supplies.

I used to teach welding. 7014 is a good all purpose rod - easy to use.

MIG welders. For some reason the kids learned to weld much faster on MIG than the stick welders.

[SONNY]

I also have 7014's in the batch, and they lay a nice smooth bead/sticks good/and is a good "fill" rod. If weld don't look real good after a pass,--clean and make another pass!--the old rods are a lot cheaper to use for just "fill", then use a new rod to top it off!--beats wasting them!!--Right? thanks; sonny

[junkman1946]

If you have a fair amount of rod you would like to keep "fresh". Obtain and old refrigerator, wire the light so it stays on all the time, dont need to plug in the compressor part. Just need a decent gasket around the door. Put a 15-to 25 watt bulb in the socket and your rods on the shelf. Warm and dry. Frank