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What I should have said in my last post was that; in my old days; we always butt welded 2" and smaller, Schds 10 through 80, with an O/A torch. One pass around and no cleaning of welds. Only needed one grinder to bevel and clean up O/A cuts. Today O/A is becoming a lost art, that small pipe...

Good informative posts never die. My latest issue with transformer types is a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 225A unit, current model 69029, that had a sticky adjustment. You can barely turn the adjustment screw. HF just discontinued making this unit last year and they are closing them out...

Brimfield has not responded on his projects and success with his black iron pipe which I am sure is just plain old mild steel pipe. Obviously, Gary has done miles of steel pipe like I have. No special cleaning is required. Schedule 20 and larger wall thickness, you need to bevel and multi...

Belated congratulations! Since getting older I am not on here as often. Fully retired now and staring at 88. Happy for you Jim on getting your Century working for you. You can operate on a 30-amp outlet but if you are using 5/32 at higher amps probably will trip the breaker. Thats why I...

Responding to the previous two posts: MIG and TIG gas shielding is tricky outdoors. Any stray air currents can blow away the shield gas. We always built an enclosure of some sort around the weld area for insurance. MIG flux core works same as SMAW on that score. Welding aluminum requires...

I will reiterate my previous; there is only one moving part in those old welders, the shunt plug that varies the amperage. There are no contacts or relays even in the AC/DC units. I seriously doubt any of the new solid state stuff will still be around in 50+ years. My MW welder is that old...

Jim, I have owned several of those welders in the past and had them apart. There is only the one moving part; the movable shunt that selects the output amps. If the exterior of the transformer core gets rusty that is what is causing the adjustment to be hard. You have to pull the shunt out...

OP-You may have found out by now that gas shielded MIG and TIG do not work well outdoors from air currents carrying your shield gas away. On material more than 1/4" takes multiple passes for the full penetration welds necessary for repair work. Weld material deposited on top of two pieces of...

Gary, missed this one back then. I doubt you can afford the freight even if it got to you, still have several. Guy was looking for an Argon cylinder. Traded an O2 at the LWS filled. Got my money back on that sale. The rest are gravy. I make more selling sets than the individual pieces...

I don't have MIG so use stick or O/A. I would never try to weld material as thin as the OP's with arc. I would use my Victor O/A with a 00 nozzle. Gaps are a big problem with sheet metal. A tight fit is best no matter what you use to weld it. I don't gap till approaching around 1/8" with...

Most of the old transformer type welders came with a 30A 240V short cord. They were not designed to be used for production work so worked fine on the 30A circuit. Guys like me changed them out to 50A for running longer distances and more production type work. I have had the 30A cords get...

Find the problem yet? Those little 10 CF tanks don't provide much flow. They are primarily used for light duty soldering, brazing, and welding. The flow it takes for cutting with the valve depressed is not available. Oxy will deplete real fast when cutting. Those sets are mostly used in the...

COVID slowed down the selling process. Just had neck spinal surgery a few months ago. Kept me down but getting back in the groove. So I am now back on the site. Sold all those welders except the Miller Dial-Arc. It may be an albatross. Need to start clearing out some O/A sets. Have...

I have a chance to buy a Lincoln Weldanpower 225 G7. Age and condition unknown at this time. Any one have a idea of top dollar to buy something like this. I will gamble on cost to get running. Also there is available a K 799 High Frequency unit for TIG welding. say I get it all working add...

Gary, I don't know yet. As soon as I get done with the Craftsman buzz box 230 amp I am currently prepping for Sale. They have a slide mechanism for adjusting the amps which needed some TLC, cleaning, and lube. This one had no leads when I got it; the tapered plugs are not made any more so I...

The automated computer operated orbital TIG gas pretty much taken over in the piping industry, especially for the exotic metals tubing. Used in both fab shops and field work. It is a pipe welders specialty for the UA and sure it is also in the non-union sector.

Those were good machines. My current weld is a Power-Kraft 230 AC/DC. Works great and cost $35 at the auction. Had to cleanup and adjust the buzz out of it. This my second one. No sense buying a new machine when everything I do this one works fine. I don't buy new "just because I can". Ron

Do you really need that much amperage? The MP350 is a production machine hence the cost/value. New they cost $5100 + $250+/- EA for the bottles. I do not add value for accessories and consumables. I always start at 1/2 price on used and work up/down based on age and condition. I buy and sell...

Fillet welds and horizontal position are the hardest. Secrete is to get full penetration and still keep from undercutting the upper side. I use a figure 8 weave pattern with heat concentration on the lower but not so much it runs out the bottom. You are using the force of the flame to control...

Now that I live with a Pacemaker I will be doing more O/A welding. I can arc weld as long as I stay under 160A DC. Always have use O/A for thin materials like sheet metal and tubing. Ron

Wrought iron is a little different. It has a high carbon content (less than cast iron). Hobart makes a good MIG wire. Practice on scrap a lot first till you get the technique down. I have always welded WI by torch brazing, leaves the little yellow line. Surprised you are using a small MIG...

I buy and sell a lot of welding stuff. Everything but the cylinders and gauges I consider junk. Ron

Youall in the Puget Sound Area, I have 4 used arc welders for sale: Miller Dial Arc, 250 amps, 1980s vintage, extra cables with all with DINSE connectors, manual, slag hammer, wire brush. Sell as is for $300.00, after cleaning and adjusting $400.00 This is a production/serious user unit...

Gary, in both my refrigeration time and industrial piping time we got a lot of overtime. Many times on plant shutdowns for repairs and changes we worked as much a 96 hours straight thru. when doing refrigeration a company I worked for did a lot of work on ships especially Navy. After...

My experience mirrors Gary's. As a pipefitter/welder our apprentice/journeyman welding classes are premier in teaching those skills. I still always consider 6010 as my basic rod. Field cutting and welding of both small bore and large bore pipe is not a precision process. It has many...

As a pipefitter/welder back in the old days before MIG and TIG. I was ASME power piping and pressure vessel certified on both gas and arc. Was silver braze certified for pressure vessels, mostly heat exchangers, and CG certified for silver brazing high pressure piping. Was always a better gas...

Nice wood work Mark. Way beyond my capability. Wonder what it is going to look like after many drilling sessions in steel and getting cutting oil all over it. I used a steel HF power tool base with a plywood insert in the top. The plywood is now saturated with oil and metal chips in every...

Looking for a manual for the welder I just acquired. MW Power Craft 230/180 Amp AC/DC model 110-086. Any help out there in Welding Land? Any help will be appreciated. Ron

Sounds good in their promotional type add. If I was to buy one I would keep my 60 yr old transformer/rectifier 230A M/W AC/DC machine till this one proves itself. I am always leary of these Chinese products dumped on our market. A lot of negative reviews never see daylight or folks just throw...

My old HF 12" 16 speed DP has been a real work horse. !" holes in 1/2" plate are no problem. Have even run up to 4" hole saws in mild steel. Bought 10 tears ago at an estate sale for $75. It has been a good investment.

I can relate to that. Before COVID Fever stopped live auctions I went almost every month to a local auction. Auction fever is rampant here also. I look for stuff like welding equipment I can resell. Early in the day (biggest crowd waiting for the auto sales) they have a tools only hour...

Remember we are here to help you so ask questions. Ron

I have a little side line where I buy and sell used welding equipment. Buy at garage and estate sales and off Craig's List. Seldom find stuff that is complete especially in O/A sets. Common to pick up buzz boxes both AC and AC/DC at the auction for $25-50. Clean them up (some look like they...

"D", as others have said above, AMPS is your problem. Those little 120V input units are designed for casual use on light weight material such as sheet metal. Trying to weld 1/4" material would require almost full depth beveling and several layers of weld material. I have a old MW AC/DC...

Interesting side light to my dissertation: Quite a show to watch a Boilermaker doing a deck closure patch on a ship using 3/16 7018 rod. They wind up with a 3/4" wide cover pass w/o weaving. Talking 1/2" steel beveled one side. They have fun sometimes making the root pass as the flame...

Yeh Gary, as construction guys like us know, DC has a lot more cable loss than AC so cable size is important for long DC runs; not so much for voltage drop but the amp capacity drop. Even the average electrician does not really understand DC power distribution as they never encounter it. On...

I assume by soft you mean mild steel as opposed to high strength alloy. Good old 6010 or 6011 will do fine depending on whether welder is AC or DC. More than 1/8" stuff you need to bevel either one side or both sides depending on accessibility to both sides. If there is not a visible bead on...

What is the pipe size (OD) and wall thickness? Small/thin pipe/tube is very difficult if not impossible to do with stick or MIG. TIG is normally used on tube. I would use O/A if it is 2" or less. Ron

Lincoln owns Century brand. They have limited support but do have the manuals, just got one from them. Ron

On he subject of longer leads: If you have the money for new cable they now make them in black and red for polarity quick ID, you can even by in sets of one each. I paint the ends of one lead Red as I am cheap. I watch for lead material at garage sales and auctions. One time was at the scrap...

A good quickie when in a bind is to just use a car battery. 3/32 rod works pretty good till the battery runs down. Ron

Here is a cable (called lead in the trade) story from the archives. In my younger days as a pipefitter; at times we worked in the commercial ship yards. When starting out welders drug there lead from their assigned machine to the first work site. As time went on and work locations changed...

I still keep my grinders handy. 1/4" wheel, cut off wheel, coarse wire brush and fine wire brush. 4 grinders stay plugged in at the welding bench all the time. Ron

Here is some stuff on used Arc Welder electrical supply: The older machines have up to four different plugs on the end of their cords. The 200+ amp machines many times have a 30 amp cord and a 50 amp plug. Others have a 30 amp plug. Never seen one with a 50 amp cord even though at 200 amp...

I have had good results with my HF one. Can't buy any cheaper, but it works every time. Ron

The Century machines are made by Lincoln. I had one and used it but it was the 220 V Machine. I am using an old Miller Thunderbolt AC machjine and it performs very well. Just got an old MW AC/DC 230A that I am cleaning up to replace the Miller. I have had them before. I am partial to the...

For lighter weight materials used in furniture frames you should look at a small O/A setup. Easier to get good looking beads on such material quicker unless you want to play with a small MIG set. Just an idea from an old time O/A guy. Ron

Handy charts. The amperage settings are approximate, every machine is different. If the end of your rod turns black you are too hot. If beads are stringy too cold. Don't forget the 18 series low hydrogen rod requires to be stored in a warm environment. It absorbs moisture very fast and...

O/A outfits still have their place. Great for in the field where power is not available and a repair must be done. The small tank outfits are handy and easy to pack around. The little MC size though uses up the gas quick if cutting or heating. On the small tanks through the B size acetylene...

What rods you use either AC or DC all depends on the application whether it is fabrication or repair work. 7018 is not a good choice for positions other than flat fabrication. As most of us here probably do some of both like myself it pays to stay with 6010, 6011, and 6013. I stock these 3 in...

Never heard of it before. I had 33 yeas with the military, Navy Seabees, yes we got very innovative. One time in Vietnam we ran out of cast iron plumbing fittings and needed to finish before the waiting concrete crew. I told my crew leader (I was the company commander); go get an OA outfit...

Be very careful there! Your torch may not provide the right air/propane mixture to create a stable flame. Definitely will not work for cutting, never get hot enough even with a stable flame. Let us know results. LOL, Ron

One problem those new to welding and trying to learn get befuddled with our unique vocabulary, lots of acronyms and slang. Us old timers can be of help by describing such things as we go along and not assume everybody knows what we are talking about. Those of you who do not understand...

Once you master SMAW (stick) the other processes, Mig and Tig have a shorter learning curve, especially positions other than flat. I can almost due SMAW by feel when working in tight places. MIG and TIG torches need a lot more space to maneuver in. SMAW you only have the rod blocking your...

See we are coming out of the bushes. I am actually a better O/A welder than Arc; although, I was ASME certified on power piping and pressure vessels with both (back in my younger day). Worked as a UA pipefitter. Normally went out as a fitter but welding skills kept me on the project longer...

Your acetylene regulator is the same. All fuel gases use the same tank valve. Do it all the time. You will need special tips to use your cutting attachment. Get a 00 tip, probably all you will ever need.. It will cut up to 1/2"+ material easy,. Most non-pros use too big a tip and wonder...

Ed, to add to your post; For those wanting versatility and have a little larger budget Everlast has a neat multi purpose machine, SMAW, MIG, and TIG. I believe it has the HF capability also. Comes with all the leads, hoses, and torches + regulator. I am considering one. Also the 80 CF tanks...

Ed you are right on. I have 4 HF 4.5" set up as: 1/4" grinder; cutoff, heavy wire brush, flap wheel. I also have a batt powered Ryobi for portable use when an extension cord is cumbersome. My light use lets the HF ones be throwaways. Ron

It would't be a TIG unit at that price unless used and well discounted. Some of the new low price stuff out there is junk so don't waste your money. Never seen a new one for under $500. Just the gas set up tank, hose, regulator and torch w/leads will cost almost that much. Ron

Old AC only Thunderbolt. Works great, paid $35 for it at a garage sale. Soon to be replaced by an old MW AC/DC machine. I had one before and it was a great machine. I bought this one at the Auction for $30 and it included a high frequency unit with TIG torch, cables, hose, and regulator...

You didn't post yours! Ron

Good, even fair, welders are diligent at practicing, it takes many hours to become proficient in all positions no matter the media; don't believe all the stories you hear or read about a certain procedure or rod being a panacea. Be safe, steel moves easily on other steel, use wood separation...

Built this year, just some minor simple things, nothing much. Made some short axles for HF vibratory compactor, added HF pneumatic wheels and tires, beats carrying the heavy beast from spot to spot. Also extended some fence post concrete anchors to give some more ground clearance. No more...