Show your stick welders

[DMacLeod]

I only use it a few times a year and I'm a hack. Here I'm modifying a set of forks for the tractor.

 

[seagiant]

Hi
My Miller Dialarc 250 AC/DC!
Now she will burn a rod!
Found her on CL for $325!
50 ft. leads and a cast iron OEM cart!

 

[PILOON]

LOL, my first welder was a DIY re wound using 1/4 tubing for the output and all that in a plywood box.
BUT it welded! Heck my first rod holder was gloves and vice grips.
OK, today I have a 200 amp Hobart and that does every and anything I need to do.

 

[FrighteningRod]

I remember my Dad had an oxy acetyline set-up but by the time I was old enough to want to do cutting or welding it was long gone. He never told me he had another welder but after he passed away I found this- and realised why he hadn't shown it to me

Note the name I have used for the photo....


Welder To Die For

Obviously home made. The welding "rod" looks to be a piece of coat hanger wire.
Dad was never into safety fearures, none of his machinery had guards fitted. I'm surprised he had added the 30 amp fuse.

Needless to say I have never tried to even plug it in. It must be at least 60 years old, that transformer must be awful dodgy by now. Kept it for sentimental reasons.

 

[Yomax4]

I really like the old stick welders. I remember selling Miller Dial Arcs, Blue Stars, Legends, Old Lincoln Welder Generators that looked like mini submarines and R2D2's. Total Old School welding.

 

[StuckRod]

It would probably shock people because I am a retired welder, and now a welding instructor, and yet my welder at home is a Sears AC welder from 1980 or so.

It still works, and I can get good welds out of it, so I just keep what I got.

I never felt I should get anything better because I was always used to 3 phase, 480 volt power on welders with 100% duty cycle. How could I do better than that at home, I am nowhere near 3 phase power!

 

[SIO]

Man oh man, wish I could afford a big DC welder, what a difference!

Don't know what your budget is, but you can get a used 250 amp DC welder for under $300 easily, FWIW. This is mine. Bought it for $200 at an industrial surplus place. Works perfectly. A couple weeks later they had another one just like it for $150.

 

[Gary Fowler]

My two stick machines 250 amp Miller AC/DC and my new Everlast SuperUltra 206 SI multi-task stick, TIG and Plasma cutter.
Also added in my two wire machines: HF Titanium 125 FCAW and my 30 year old Airco MIGLite 100 which I have never hooked up. Gonna try it out soon as I get a bottle of 75/25. I will trade in one of my oxygen cylinder on a C25 tank.

 

[Gary Fowler]

250 amp Miller AC/DC transformer type and my new Everlast SuperUltra 206 SI stick/TIG/Plasma cutter

 

[seagiant]

Hi,
I made a "Newbi" mistake years ago.

I had a tombstone Lincoln buzz box and decided to get a Italian 185 Mig Welder (Cebora).

It was a nice welder and I still have it and use it, but what I did not realize at the time is how many different sticks and processes you can do with a stick welder.

I found out real quick the Mig was great for steel but really only that.

It could be set up for aluminum but was a pain unless you were going to weld a LOT of aluminum!

Just sayin, one of the older, bigger, Lincoln or Miller DC stick welders should be in every shop!

 

[Gary Fowler]

Also a good flux core welder is right for some occasions. Even though I have bigger and more powerful machines, I use this little 11 pound Titanium 125 Fluxcore welder a lot. It is easy to move around and using 110V power, it can be used just about anywhere if you have a small genset. I have ran it using over 100 feet of extension cord and it worked fine. I removed the shoulder strap since I mostly just let it set on a table, but with it on, one could just hang it on your shoulder and walk around to weld all kinds of stuff.

 

[Old Irish]

I really like the old stick welders. I remember selling Miller Dial Arcs, Blue Stars, Legends, Old Lincoln Welder Generators that looked like mini submarines and R2D2's. Total Old School welding.

I love old welders to, I am a Lincoln fan but the thunder bolts have the advantage of infinite amperage adjustment I have 5 machines that will arc weld but I use my Lincoln 225 AC and Lincoln sw 200 mostly, mainly because both of them are already rigged out with 60 or 70 foot leads so I don't have to move anything. If I could afford it it would buy every old machine posted here, the old transformers are pretty much bomb proof.

 

[Old Irish]

It would probably shock people because I am a retired welder, and now a welding instructor, and yet my welder at home is a Sears AC welder from 1980 or so.

It still works, and I can get good welds out of it, so I just keep what I got.

I never felt I should get anything better because I was always used to 3 phase, 480 volt power on welders with 100% duty cycle. How could I do better than that at home, I am nowhere near 3 phase power!

I didn't learn it until I had already bought a DC machine but with all the electrodes available for AC you can pretty much do anything the average guy needs to do with AC. I struggled with undercut and worm tracks with 6013's until I had an old pipe welder turned esab rep spend just a very few minutes showing me some technique. he told me he learned it on a job that specified 6013 was to be used. I rarely use 6013 anymore but when I do it works fine for me.

6013 A C I believe is still the preferred pipe welding method in the uk??

 

[Lis2323]

Here's my "new to me" Miller Thunderbolt buzzbox I bought yesterday for $19 Cdn ($14.47 usd).

 

[Gary Fowler]

Here's my "new to me" Miller Thunderbolt buzzbox I bought yesterday for $19 Cdn ($14.47 usd).

View attachment 1360

If it still works, invest a few more dollars and get those insulators replaced and you will be good as new. Your local welding supply should have what you need to repair them (tweco brand is good).

 

[A-one]

Just got a stick machine yesterday. I had to jump in. Amico Power DC-160A. It's not top of the line, but neither is my work with it. 6011 and 7018 rods. In the pic the 7018 is super cold. I got a little excited and forgot to put a little more heat into the rod.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Just got a stick machine yesterday. I had to jump in. Amico Power DC-160A. It's not top of the line, but neither is my work with it. 6011 and 7018 rods. In the pic the 7018 is super cold. I got a little excited and forgot to put a little more heat into the rod. View attachment 1422

Since that is a DC machine, a 6010 rod will work better in it than a 6011 which is AC rod. Also looks like you for got the #1 rule of welding which is Cleanliness is next to godliness. Clean that steel to bright metal before welding and you will see a 10X better weld. Remember the old trick for setting your machine--Convert the rod diameter to decimal, i.e. 1/8" rod =.125 so start with 125 amps and adjust accordingly from there to achieve the perfect setting.

 

[Lis2323]

Also looks like you for got the #1 rule of welding which is Cleanliness is next to godliness. Clean that steel to bright metal before welding and you will see a 10X better weld. .

Maybe the best advice one could give.

I wish someone had told me 50 years ago.

 

[A-one]

I was just playing around. This morning the grinder with the cup brush has been locked and loaded. It's pretty warm too so I don't mind holding it.

 

[Sberry]

View attachment 1605
I have about 4 or 5 others. This is what I used today on brush hog repair.