Please help me pick the right welder.

[tuolumne]

HSS is hollow structural section...what lay folk call tube steel.

It seems that an affordable stick welder now and a separate machine later for specialy work may be the way to go. Keep up the good advice.

 

[DanD78]

If you could find a used DC, Constant Current/Constant Voltage machine you would be good to go. You would be able to TIG stainless using CC and run a spool gun on Al. using CV. And of course you can stick weld using CC.
I have a Porter-Cable porta band deep cut saw and have good luck with blades lasting. My next best cutting tool is my Metabo grinder using 6" waffer wheels. The torch and chop saw draw dust.

Dan

 

[k0ua]

Folks keep talking about putting these welders on your shoulder and walking off. Just how long of an extension cord do you have!

Mine is only 30 foot, but it gets me outside!
get some SO cord 8 guage, and make one.. If you need a very long one, maybe 6 guage. The Inverter welders are tiny, yet still have a lot of power.
James K0UA

 

[gwdixon]

Folks keep talking about putting these welders on your shoulder and walking off. Just how long of an extension cord do you have!

Some folks have a large generator to make things portable. Of course, carrying a lightweight welder on one shoulder and a 500 pound generator on the other defeats the equation.

Nonetheless, only having to deal with the heavy generator is nicer than having to deal with a heavy welder also. The generator is in the barn so welding can be done there as well as in the shop with the "over-the-shoulder" method.

The generator is on a pallet so, with tractor forks, it can be hauled just about anywhere and the welding done at the destination.

 

[Shield Arc]

Folks keep talking about putting these welders on your shoulder and walking off. Just how long of an extension cord do you have!

This picture shows how small the PowerArc 200 is, that is a welding glove setting on top of it.
Mark could answer how long of an extension cord you could run. I have roughly 200-feet of welding lead I can use, in my shop 40' x 48' I get away with just using two 50-feet sections. For outside the shop I have a slew of engine drives.


Here is a stainless steel Tig weld made with the same machine. If you're interested, tomorrow I can run some stainless steel SMAW to show you how this machine runs that. But my Stainless steel rod is old, I got it in 1974, so I'm sure the welds won't be of the best quality.

 

[rjmack]

Folks keep talking about putting these welders on your shoulder and walking off. Just how long of an extension cord do you have!

good one.:laughing:

i'm with you all the way on the hss, but you're going to have to pony up for some tools. if you are setting yourself up in the country, there are going to be other projects. pretty tough to go wrong buying good tools.

btw, can you run the revit series?

 

[k0ua]

Shield, I would also be very interested in what you can do with SMAW on stainless with all the info on what you used and what settings and technique etc. I have actually never tried it.
James K0UA

 

[Shield Arc]

OK, might have put my foot in it now:laughing:. Old rod + old guy =

Just asked the wife where her camera is.............. Hope it didn't go in the garbage with all the Christmas wrapping.

 

[crazyal]

...except that the structural engineer moved away from Big City and is trying to make a go of homesteading and odd jobs! I do have angle grinders, wire wheel and a place to work.

Folks keep talking about putting these welders on your shoulder and walking off. Just how long of an extension cord do you have!

My take was you've decided to make a change in your life, maybe something less stressful? I know a couple of people who have either moved back or just moved here. They bought 100 acres or so of land out in the country in Vermont with the plan to tap some Maples and in the summer months doing some odd jobs. If so congrats.

I'm not up on the multi-function welders but maybe that would be a better option. Others could better answer the advantages on them. My take is if you're going to buy something you might as well get what will do what you want now and not spend the extra money later getting a second machine. The exception of course is if you enjoy doing it or if your business is based on the machine working each and every day.

 

[rjmack]

Shield, I would also be very interested in what you can do with SMAW on stainless with all the info on what you used and what settings and technique etc. I have actually never tried it.
James K0UA

same as 7018 but a few less amps.

btw, you don't need ss parent metal to practice on, just stainless rod and mild steel is fine... and a lot cheaper. also, stainless rods don't need to be baked.

 

[Shield Arc]

stainless rods don't need to be baked.

According to the Lincoln Bible.

"Stainless-steel shielded metal-arc electrode coverings are of the low-hydrogen type and must be protected from moisture pickup. Normally, electrodes packaged in hermetically sealed containers can be stored for several months without deteriorating. However, after the container is opened the coating begins to absorb moisture and, depending on the ambient air conditions, may need to be reconditioned after only four hours of exposure.

Usually, redrying at 500 degrees F for 1-hour restores the electrode to its original condition, and storing in a holding oven at 300 degrees F is satisfactory. Due to difference in material and processing, the supplier should be consulted if large amounts of electrodes are involved."

That being said: I have never stored Stainless Steel electrodes in an oven. The rods I have, I got when working in a Chevron refinery. I haven't done any real stainless work since the late 1970's.

 

[MBDiagMan]

To the OP. I would recommend that you get in some practice with your stick welding paying particular attention to the puddle seeing that you tie in well. Once you learn to move the puddle around you will be ready to stick weld with confidence.

A stick welder is cheap and versatile. With some practice you will gain confidence and be able to put things together to look good AND stay put. For the purposes you describe, stick with a stick.

My $0.02,

 

[Shield Arc]

Shield, I would also be very interested in what you can do with SMAW on stainless with all the info on what you used and what settings and technique etc. I have actually never tried it.
James K0UA

WHOA! Can sure tell these rods are old!
3/32 inch 316-L-16. DCEP, (used the 7018 lug on the PowerArc 200) 80-AMPS.




Had to beat the heck out of the slag to get it off of this fillet weld. This is very unusual, generally with stainless steel SMAW the slag will come off before you finish welding. You should always wear safety glasses when welding, but most especially when welding this, it will pop right off and get you in the eye, bet on it!

 

[k0ua]

Sheild, I am impressed, OMG rods as old as Methusala and some outstanding welds! I knew you were the guy for this test.. Thanks
James K0UA

 

[k0ua]

Shield over on the Miller site, there is a guy claims you can stick weld alum and make it look like TIG.. all the Alum welds I have seen with stick, were not airtight, and look like he**.. what say you? Have you ever run any of that Alum rod, and made it look like anything? here is the link.

How to Stick weld Aluminum

James K0UA

 

[Shield Arc]

Yes I know him, John McCracken, pipeliner from Northwest Arizona.

I've only tried aluminum SMAW a couple times, last time was about 1985. I never had any luck with it.
I would like to see an aluminum SMAW weld that looks just like Tig aluminum myself. Any aluminum Tig weld that has as much splatter as SMAW has, something is very wrong with it!:laughing:

 

[k0ua]

Yeah, that is kinda what I thought. You sure did good with that stainless tho. Maybe you just have to hold your mouth right to get that alum rod to run. I have tried to torch weld alum. with bad results also, but I have seen on U-tube some guys do a great job with that. With proper flux and technique it can look great. (and proper goggles to hide the sodium flare) I welded up a hole in my airtank that had rusted through,, but it wasn't aluminum tho:laughing: If it was aluminum, I would have JB welded it:laughing:
James K0UA

 

[Shield Arc]

If those aluminum SMAW rods weren't so darn expensive I'd buy some and give it another go.
I've never done much aluminum work, being a structural weldor, 90 to 95% of my welding has been gas less flux core.
Here's a couple of my aluminum Tig welds.