What welder would be best??

[ferrari99]

I know it has probably been talked about before but I asking again. I have a standard stick welder(big, not portable), if I were to replace it what would you suggest? Inverter? Mig? or what? I mainly use it for RHS up to about 3-4mm thick (don't know the conversion). And I know there another thread going on this but what would you suggest for making right angle cuts in RHS? What about this (I have a 9" grinder) 531406 - Buy Angle Grinder Stand 9" | Gasweld
What do you think of this? NEW Rossi CT312 DC Inverter Welder TIG ARC Plasma Cutter Portable Stick Welding | eBay
Thanks ferrari99

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Not sure what RHS is...either I'm still in a mental fog this morning, or it's something specific to Australia. For your market and area, inverters are the way to go. Although it says it's got Siemens in it (not siemens anymore btw) which are usually IGBT's it says "MOS" on it which is short for MOSFET. MOSFET's are not durable particularly on Chinese units...which that is.

Warranty is pitiful too.

Why don't you contact Everlast in Australia? Ask for Bob or Tom, and they can direct you to a closest dealer, or sell direct if no one is close to you. They have a full line of product overthere that can meet your need. Everlast Welders: home

 

[k0ua]

Rectangular Hollow Section.. What we would call square steel tubing. or something like that.

 

[SSdoxie]

Had to Google RHS, is Rectangular Hollow Tubing. 3 - 4mm = 1/8" & 5/32" rod. I have an Everlast PA200ST that will run these rods easily. I really like the light weight invertor weld. It is easy to move and carry and packs a lot of power in a small package.

 

[Shield Arc]

I'd get a Mig welder. Childs play to run.

 

[ferrari99]

Maybe RHS is australian I don't know. For my purposes how many amps would you suggest? The current welder goes up to 285A but I never use it that high mostly below 100A.

 

[ferrari99]

This is probably a very dumb question but do inverters still produce slag?

 

[ThomasH]

Slag is the left over byproduct of the welding rod "shielding", or chemicals applied to the rod that help clean or keep out oxidation while you are welding. It really doesn't have anything to do with the type of stick welder.

 

[ferrari99]

I didn't think it was related to type, but I was dumb enough to ask anyway.

 

[rankrank1]

This is probably a very dumb question but do inverters still produce slag?

Yep an inverter stick welder will produce slag just like a big heavy transformer welder will. The rod type you put in the stinger produces the slag not the power source. Typically the inverter will draw slightly less input power (20%) which can be signifigant for a business running a welder in a production environment but not so much so for a homeowner who only occasionally welds. The inverter will be lighter in weight but do not expect it to last 75-100 years like those big ole transformer based welders are typically noted for.

A mig welder will not produce slag if you outfit it with a gas bottle. (Of course you can drop the gas bottle and run flux core in the wire feeder too, but then you back to slag similar to the stick process).

Mig mode is great as long as you do not weld outside in the wind (wind blows the gas shielding gas away) and mig does not like dirty rusty metal either. Flux core is not affected by wind and does slightly better on dirty rusty metal. Course stick is still the best on dirty rusty metal.

If it were me, I would keep the stick welder you already have and add a decent wire feeder to expand your capability of processes. Even if you opt to run flux core for now to save on a gas bottle that wire feeder will still weld much thinner metal than the stick process is capable of doing. The wire feeders will excel on thin metals like 3 mm thick (and less) where your stick welder will excel on metals 3mm thick (and thicker). Yes you can purchase wire feeders that will weld thick metal but they pricey....