Help me buy DH a welder :)
 

DH wants a welder for Christmas, and I may have convinced some other family members to help chip in. He hasn't specified any specific model - did mention Lincoln as a brand name, and "stick". Whatever he ends up with (if anything) does need to be capable of doing farm equipment.

I'm presently thinking of getting a Lincoln - Light Duty AC/DC 225/125, as seen here:

http://www.weldingmart.com/Qstore/p000014.htm


Does this sound like a reasonable choice? That's already more than I originally hoped to spend, but from what I can tell, less expensive welders likely won't do the farm machinery. I know there are probably "better" ones out there but cost is a strong factor for me.

Thanks in advance.

You could'nt make a better choice imo. That is indeed a stick welder which is what he wants and ac/dc is the way to go. I bought a used Lincoln tombstone (basically the same welder) at a pawn shop 15 yrs ago thats probably as old as I am and it still werks great. When I needed a mig welder I bought another Lincoln and was just as pleased with it.

Kurt

I agree with Hurricane Kurt that this is a very good welder. I have been welding with one for 15 years. I have never had a problem with it.

The following are links to two great welding forums.

http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/

http://www.millermotorsports.com/mbo...isplay.php?f=3

I suggest that he join these two forums and use them as a source of welding information. There are some very knowledgeable people on these forums who are usually very willing to assist others.

If he is new to welding he may want to take a welding class at your local community college if one is available.

He will also need the following items at a minimum:

Welding gloves
Wire brush
Chipping hammer
Welding helmet (auto darkening is best)
Electrodes (E6013 in 3/32 and 1/8 is a good all around welding rod)

Absolutely the best farm welder out there. I sold mine for a larger ACDC TIG with HiFreq but I should have kept it too. I'll pick up another Lincoln when the opportunity presents its self!

Super welder, he will be happy at Christmas.

home depot or lowes is way cheaper, same welder (thats a good one)
home depot = $249
lowes = $249

plus no shipping and a real person to throw it at if it doesnt work.
lol

The welder that is bookmarked is an AC/DC unit. The welder at Lowes or Home Depot is an AC unit only. The AC/DC unit has more capabilities.

If anyone is interested in a Licoln AC 225 I have one for sale, used twice and includes a fair amount of rods with it.

I would have to agree, the Lincoln 225 is a very good welder.

It may be rated light duty, but there's nothing light about it to an old timer like me. You might want to buy the wheel option to make moving it around a bit easier. :haha:

Bob

welder sources
 

Here's my 2 cents worth.

www.cyberweld.com usually has the best prices, but not always.

HTP is also a good source for their brand. I don't remember if they carry arc welders though. What I like about them is that they carry all of their own parts and I have always had good luck getting stuff quick if I needed it. I worked in a shop that ran 1 welders 10 hours a day and our HTP's held up very well.

and it depends on what he is using it for... ac only might be more than enough.

Thanks to all for the replies - I'm gonna do it. Sounds like DH will be a happy man on Christmas morning. :D What are the added benefits of an AC/DC unit, vs. an AC only?

oldudbob, thanks for the links; I'm sure they'll come in handy. I knew we'd have to get a helmet (much to my dismay, the bottom-price welders *include* helmets but this one does not) - didn't even think about gloves, etc.

The advantage to welding DC versus AC are:

Easier out-of-position welding
Easier starts
Less arc outages and sticking
Less spatter (better looking welds)
Easier to learn "how to weld" in DC mode than in AC
Welds thinner materials better
Smoother arc

I got this information from the following site that has a lot of good welding related information.

http://www.welding.com/technical_articles.shtml

Thanks !!!!!!
 

Thank all of you for your help ..... I am a very happy camper !!!!!

can't wait to play with it ..... but have 20+ inches of snow here at the house
and a 1/2 mile of driveway covered up with icy trees down at the farm.... it's going to be awhile.

Just a comment that he may find the welder to be more useful if normally put beside a workbench with an good sized vise on that corner. Put an extension plate/lip out from the lug bolt to that size so you can clamp the ground to it. That way, when you have something being held in the vise you don't need to ground to it, as the vise itself is already grounded.

Also suggest looking around for a piece of aluminum plate about 3/8" x 3" x 6". It is a good backer plate for clamping work on in that the welding splatter won't stick (normally) to the aluminum. Just clamp the plate in the vise jaws.

Ken Scharabok

Good advice Ken,
Let's go furthur and it will help many with their welding.
The basic items are a helmet, gloves,chipping hammer,and fire extinguisher. You can get different lens shades for your helmet and also a magnifier lens which can eliminate your need for glasses if you wear them. I like my self darkening lens but it's not a necessity. Before I had it I liked a helmet with a flip up lens so I didn't have to flip the whole helmet if I didn't want to and it provided protection while chipping.Once you burn yourself or set your shirt on fire you'll want a welding jacket too.
One of the most important parts of welding is preparation. Now that you have a welder you will need plenty of other tools to help you weld better. A grinder and wire brushes are necessary to clean the spot being welded, the grinder will be needed to create the groove or chamfer that you actually weld in. You will also need clamps and a vise for holding your work in position. No one has ever owned enough vise grips! You can also use magnetic clamps for holding material at the correct angle.
Now that you have a welder, making a welding table is a good project. A good design is to use metal grating for the table as it allows you to clamp easier and all of the slag falls through. Attach a vise to the table and to help control sparks you can put a removeable back and side shields.

"You can also use magnetic clamps for holding material at the correct angle."

The few times I have tried to use one I have had trouble getting a spark. Seems like the magnet draws away the spark or something. What am I doing wrong?

For a welding table keep an eye out for an old table saw. You get a solid center part and might add grates (as noted above) to the sides of the table. Heck, my table saw top is the only flat spot in the shop.

Ken Scharabok

While we are adding tips, I finally syphered the right way to mount a vice. Place it at a cornor of a table at a 45 degree angle. This allows you access to a project at 270 degrees rather than the usual 180. And a round table also helps when you are building something that has a lot of repositioning to complete it. My wrought iron assembly table is about 4 feet across, is angle indexed in divisions of a circle includeing 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 segment angles. There are 1/4 inch holes drilled in 1 inch space rings on the above mentioned angles, the base is gimbled and swivel boat seat mounted, the downward stem fits a standard 2 inch trailer hitch reciever which is mounted in the floor. Any special clamp can be made and bolted through the holes so assembleing a 5 sided item is no more difficult than a 4 or 8 sided item. The final addition to the assemblysystem will be a sissor system so I can adjust the height toany project.

I've got a few of the magnetic angle pieces and haven't had any problems using them. Bad ground is usually the biggest culprit to a bad arc and even a bad weld. Always be sure to attach your ground to a ground off clean spot on your work.

Is there any quality differences in the brand of sticks ?? or are all of them made by one or two manufacturers and marketed under different names ?

...............You can never go wrong by buying either Miller or Lincoln . Don't know about the same company , different names but that could be the case . fordy.. :)

Eutectic Castolin (sp) is a large manufacturer of high quality welding rods. They probably make many of the ones sold under welder company names.


This brings up a real good welding tip. Welding rods tend to absorb moisture in their coating. This is very bad for a welding rod. It is very important to keep your welding rods clean, dry and fresh. I have stored rods on my furnace in the basement to keep them dry. Don't buy large quantities if you aren't going to use them in a short time. Buy a moisture proof container to keep your welding rods in.