Beginner set up

[Gary Fowler]

I also started out welding on the farm with a Lincoln 225 Amp tombstone AC only machine. This was after I had learned welding from experts in pipe welding on a construction job. It welded 7018 but you really had to keep the arc close (and just a few thousandth of an inch too close and it would stick). It was a bit hard to start also. But I managed to build 2 each 8 wide x 30 feet long cotton hauling trailers. The only store bought thing on them other than the 6011 and 7018 rods was the axle spindles, rims and tires. Nothing ever broke on them and we routinely loaded 12,000 pound of cotton on them. We had $500 in material invested in each one which was about 1/4 of the value of a new store bought trailer.
So fast forward 50 years and I now have a Miller AC/DC 250 amp transformer type welder and a couple of baby inverter style wire feed welders for sheet meta plus an oxy-fuel torch. Am now looking at purchasing a Plasma cutter.

UPDate: I did get my plasma cutter and my TIG rig plus a bottle of 100% Argon to run it. I just finished my homemade cart to handle my wire feed welders and two bottles if I need them. I originally put swivel wheels on all four corners but it is a bit heavy with bottles on it for the light weight HF wheel. I removed the wheels from my Craftsman air compressor that I have permanently installed on a slab and put them on the cart. They work great and will easily support the weight of Two bottle and all of my inverter machines. I am undecided if I want to put my plasma cutter on it even though it will fit. There would be an excessive amount of cables to wrap up with 3 machines on one cart.