a welding question

I am going to buy a welder for my shop to use on my engines and old tractors. I have been looking at Lincoln, Hobart, and Miller MIG welders. I also found a site for Daytona welders that I had never hear of. There are so many models, accessories, etc that it is mind bogling. Any advice on do's and don'ts, or any feed back on welders you are using that you like and the pro's and con's would be appreciated.

Lastly, happy and healthy New Year to all you wonderful folks. Harry - we'd ask you to run for President, but we don't want to share you !!

Thanks for all the great tips and conversation.

Jim

Of the welders you mentioned I believe the Lincoln may be the only one with infinate power vatiation. The others have a click setting that may not let you drop low enough to weld thin material. I am definately no expert so anyone feel free to correct me.Bill

[Paul Spence]

Jim: I have a Daytona Revolution Combi Cebora 130A MIG welder that operates on 110VAC. I've been using it for years and only had one problem. I called the Daytona 800# and the technician on the other end solved my problem in 30 seconds after I described it to him. Easy fix. I have welded sheet metal to 1/4" with no problem. For heavier stuff I have a plain old Sears 30-200 AMP A/C buzz box type of welder that works for what I need. Both items were bought on sale and a lot cheaper than the other brands mentioned, and I looked at a lot of them. If I was a professional welder and using them for continous duty, I would have bought something else. Sure would like to get a TIG welder, but they still just cost too much for my use. Someday, maybe, if I find a deal .

Have a Happy and "SAFE" New Year to all

Paul in Lakewood, NJ

Just for the record---Miller (Appleton, WI) is building Lincoln welders. That should tell you something. Customer who was the the Miller plant told me just a few days ago. Don't know if they are doing the whole Lincoln line but I heard Lincoln sold their welding division. Craig

As a kid I started with a Lincoln buzz box, in 40 years of welding since, I've concluded Lincoln makes the best stick machines, DC rotary, Chemtron is the best in Plazma Cutters, P&H makes sweet TIG machines, and Miller definitely makes the best MIG. I've run an MM 225 for 20 years with very few problems, most were caused by humidity in the shop. The biggest part of any machine is the dealer you buy it from! I know too many guys with bargain welders parked on a shelf, usually several from places like SnapOn and Northern Tool, and no place to get it repaired. By the way, a Miller will weld steel just fine with straight CO2,and that will save you bucks over time. Find a welding supplier who wants you as a customer, and stick with him. It may cost you a couple extra dollars, but he'll be there when you need him.

For my shop I have a Century AC-DC stick welder with a arc-starter which I would recommend if you use high flux rod like 70-18 or if you weld rusty metal, it has been one heck of a welder. For my service truck I have a Lincoln and it has been a excellent welder. I don’t really care for the 20-HP Kohler but the welder is just fine. Something to think about, I don’t know how much welding you are planing to do but if it’s not a whole lot I would look in to a portable welder for your shop. You can pipe the exhaust out side very easy and you can mount it on a cart to pull around or if you have a hoist or front-end loader you can just toss it in the pickup. This way you don’t have all your money tied up in a shop welder that can only weld, With a portable welder you will also have a good-sized generator to use. Just ask the people here in Oklahoma they would kill to of had a generator sitting around. If it was me I would stay with a good stick welder, wire welders have a place, but the type of welding you will most likely be doing (rusty metal, cast iron) a stick welder will do you a whole lot better job. Plus they are cheaper to run, fewer moving parts and no gas to leave on and lose. my 2 cents Jay

A LINCOLN 250/250 AC-DC MACHINE IS WHAT YOU NEED FOR YOUR SHOP. MIG WELDING IS TO HOT SINCE YOU CAN USE A FAN. THE FAN WILL BLOW ALL YOUR SHIELDING GAS AWAY. BELIEVE ME YOU WILL ENJOY IT. YOU CAN ALSO GOUGE WITH IT USING A 5/32 GOUGING ROD, WITOUT MESSING YOUR MACHINE UP. THIS DOES AWAY WITH PLASMA CUTTER IF YOU GOING TO CUT CAST IRON.

I have had both a buzz box (AC) and a MIG. A good AC/DC stick welder will do a lot of nice work but takes some practice; stay away from an AC-only machine, the DC is a lot easier to weld with. The Millermatic 130 MIG was a great machine and I did a lot of nice work with it. As I worked on larger projects, It just would not put out the power I needed to weld the heavy stuff. I like the Miller machines, they cost more but Keen Gas carries all the tips and supplies and is close to me.They are built like a BSH and will take a lot of use/abuse. My advice is; first, buy a 220 volt machine be it MIG or stick, that one time you need the power you'll regret not having done it. Second, buy a good one which has the duty cycle. A good welder should last you a lifetime. My Marquette AC buzz box was my grandfathers from the 60's and I finally sold it in 1995. I like the stick as you can weld dirty metal if you need to, but I sometimes need the precision nice welds a MIG can do. The only down side of MIG is the prep work to make nice welds and changing wire is a pain. Those gas free MIGS are no better than a good stick welder; if you buy a MIG- get the gas and use it. Finally- a friend was willing to buy my Millermatic 130 for a very good price and I invested in the miller Synchrowave 180 TIG. I absolutely love this this machine.... It can do anything and was only ~200 bucks more than the 220V MIG . TIG prices have come way down in the last few years. I have welded cast iron, stainless and it has a LOT of control. TIG does require a bit more skill to run the power pedal, feed the filler and hold the torch.

Jim, -I have a 225 Lincoln that I have welded with for years. It works just fine for all my heavy welding(3/16" - 3/4"). I also used to weld cast iron with it with nickel rod. I've preheated and peened till I was blue in the face and still was not happy with my work, then one day at Colgate University in Hamilton NY, (where I deliver wood chips for their wood boiler)I got talking to the welding Instructor,trying to get a few hints and techniques for welding cast iron. He first laughed and said "the first thing you need to do is get rid of that old fashioned stick rod" He then pointed to his Miller 110 volt wire feed welder. He said that there is no preheating,and no slow cooling and a child can do it.You just v it out and weld it in. So I went out and bought a cheap 120 amp Century wire feed welder( self shielding wire, no gas)and in the last 7 years I've welded tons of cast iron with it with absolutely no problems. Probably the best $250 I ever spent! Now I'm no professional welder, butI can do a wonderful job on cracked and broken heads, rocker arms,etc. I guess it depends on the job, this welder would not weld thick structural cast iron well at all. I still use the nickel rod for that. My 2 cents from cold snowy central NY, Mark Congden