Stick welder. Entry level. What would you buy?

[ebinmaine 68,481]

5 hours ago, ZXT said:

Wow, 1928! That's getting on back there.

Up here in the Northeast 1928 is considered New.

But then the area has been inhabited by natives for around 10000 years. European folk started showing up around 1000 to 1500 years ago. The first colonization was 1607 like in Virginia.

 

The farm I just visited was a gift to the family back in 1790.

 

[ebinmaine 68,481]

Well everyone... I bought a welder last night!!

 

A Lincoln 225 AC.

 

I kid you not. I got a Lincoln welder from a man named Lincoln W.

 

And it was a tractor repair business!!!

 

An old one in fact.

4th generation is now coming into the business.

 

Absolutely amazing place as you can imagine.

I could just move right in there. 

 

The fella's father or grandfather bought the welder new a few decades ago. He's 44 and couldn't remember exactly when.

 

Has barely been used for the last couple decades.

It's been fitted with extra long cables. Both clamps have been replaced (again, decades ago) with very little use since. In fact the stinger still shows shiny metal in the clamp.

 

 

Reason for sale?

Well he has (had) 2 stick welders. The one he always goes to is a VERY old Marquette brand.

 

I got the welder, a few 6011, 7018 and a nice little demonstration for 100.

 

I'll be busy as all get out the next few days but I'll post pics when I can.

 

 

[WVHillbilly520H 10,374]

1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

 

Reason for sale?

Well he has (had) 2 stick welders. The one he always goes to is a VERY old Marquette brand.

 

Like the one of my FILs I pictured earlier in the thread?

[ebinmaine 68,481]

7 minutes ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

Like the one of my FILs I pictured earlier in the thread?

I can't tell how tall yours is in the picture but his was probably close to 3 feet. It appeared to be older based on the fact that the corners on it we're more rounded like an old refrigerator. Also, the one he had the cable holes were in two or three vertical rows instead of a dial.

 

[953 nut 55,882]

1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

got the welder, a few 6011, 7018 and a nice little demonstration for 100

You did very well.             Grab a stack of scrap metal pieces and start burning rods sticking them together.  Welding is an art and the only way you become better is practice!

[WVHillbilly520H 10,374]

20 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

You did very well.             Grab a stack of scrap metal pieces and start burning rods sticking them together.  Welding is an art and the only way you become better is practice!

Yep just like these...

[JPWH 6,101]

You did very well! The cables alone were worth that. 

Jay

[bc.gold 3,403]

EB when your welding you can weave the diameter of the electrode side to side, whenever I'm welding light material place a few tack welds along the seam, in addition to holding the pieces of metal together will act as heat sinks.

 

Always start your weld from an edge, a tack weld on the end your going to finish the pass will make for a nice completion.

 

 

 

 

[bc.gold 3,403]

On this weld I would have beveled the inside for my first pass.

 

[Rp.wh 1,103]

Well being a welder I will agree with all of you...everything has a good and bad but if I was you I would do a mig it will do everything and more that you'd want to do..gas mig to me is the way to go alot less mess weld is alot cleaner..I here great things about the welders at HB it's mig, tig machine which I would buy for my self or I herd good things about esab welders  very afford able machines. I don't mind stick welders I can run some good welds with one but if you want to go to 1/8 or small sheet metal it will be a challenge. Let us know what you plan on getting I am interested

[ebinmaine 68,481]

8 minutes ago, Rp.wh said:

Let us know what you plan on getting I am interested

I'm gonna get used to using the Lincoln 225 for now.

 

I'm leaning towards the HF wire feed you just mentioned.

 

Getting the gas tanks could be a challenge for a non business here in Maine. I need to look into that more next week sometime.

 

[WHX?? 49,190]

Good points Ryan.. I think if you practice abit EB you will do fine with what you scored. Heard tell the old timers did fine farmer welds with one of those with a coat hanger for stick with a wash of CO2 from a fire extinguisher. Not makin that up just what I heard. 

I guess the only question I would have is flux coated sticks were suposed to be kept in an oven or something to keep moisture out of them? What say you on that pro welders?

[Pullstart 63,109]

Weld’er up EB!  Have fun fixin’ and buildin’!

[ZXT 2,401]

17 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

Well everyone... I bought a welder last night!!

 

A Lincoln 225 AC.

 

I kid you not. I got a Lincoln welder from a man named Lincoln W.

 

And it was a tractor repair business!!!

 

An old one in fact.

4th generation is now coming into the business.

 

Absolutely amazing place as you can imagine.

I could just move right in there. 

 

The fella's father or grandfather bought the welder new a few decades ago. He's 44 and couldn't remember exactly when.

 

Has barely been used for the last couple decades.

It's been fitted with extra long cables. Both clamps have been replaced (again, decades ago) with very little use since. In fact the stinger still shows shiny metal in the clamp.

 

 

Reason for sale?

Well he has (had) 2 stick welders. The one he always goes to is a VERY old Marquette brand.

 

I got the welder, a few 6011, 7018 and a nice little demonstration for 100.

 

I'll be busy as all get out the next few days but I'll post pics when I can.

 

 

Heck of a deal! Too many coincidences.. It had to be meant to be!

 

Glad it didn't thin your pocket book very much! It should last you as long as any new one you'd buy.. If anything ever does go wrong, parts are available. 

 

Most welders have extremely short leads on them. Definitely a huge plus that it has longer ones on it. 

 

As far as learning to use it, YouTube. Definitely a "millennial" way of learning, but watching videos will surely help out. 

Once you learn to use that, you'll be ready for a wire welder.

[cschannuth 3,816]

Have fun!  The most satisfying thing I’ve ever done is building my FEL after I “taught” myself to weld. 

[bc.gold 3,403]

EB just a thought, put aside your wish to purchase a Mig and use that $$$ to get a plasma cutter, I have the Chinese Cut 70 with high frequency start, the consumables are reasonably priced and you can get some mileage from them by keeping the amperage adjusted only to cut the thickness of metal your working with.

 

You need a decent compressor that will supply a constant supply of air at 60 psi, at times I had to wait on my 5 hp on an 80 gallon tank to catch up when cutting up scrap machinery.

 

Half and three quarter inch material no problem, severing a solid steel shaft 2" in diameter requires a bit of whittling. large nuts rusted solidly in place I slice each side vertically then the halves are easy to remove.

 

Preparing a bevel or an angle on metal to be welded, filled in then with a finish pass is a snap.

 

Eighty percent of welding is spent with preparation.

 

Edited September 20, 2019 by bcgold

[ebinmaine 68,481]

8 hours ago, ZXT said:

Too many coincidences

That's what I was thinking!!

 

8 hours ago, ZXT said:

YouTube

The tube is some of my favorite teachers!!

 

Both of us really. When we have a project to tackle that we don't know we get out "the Google box" (phone). 

 

Sooooooo many times we've learned from the various channels.

 

[ebinmaine 68,481]

9 hours ago, WHX24 said:

sticks were suposed to be kept in an oven

There are certain sticks that are low hydrogen. They absorb moisture from surrounding air.

ALL sticks need to be kept dry as possible.

The low hydrogen ones need to be used immediately or kept in a rod oven.

Or baked before use.

 

So I've read....

 

 

I've heard of the coat hanger trick as well.

With care and skills it does work.

 

[JoeM 7,874]

Hey EB you weld anything yet?

[ebinmaine 68,481]

10 hours ago, MrOiluj52 said:

Hey EB you weld anything yet?

Man oh man.....

 

Been so busy with work I ain't had a half a minute to spare.

 

SOOOON

I hope.....

 

 

[Lee1977 6,819]

This is my welder Miller Thunder Bolt. Bought it new in 1969, it still welds good, I don't can't see to weld anymore. Get a good auto darking helmet they sure make welding easier.

I bought 50 ft. wire made a 20 ft. ground and thirty ft. on welding handle.

I keep my welding rods in an old mini refrigerator.

 

Edited November 10, 2019 by Lee1977

[CCW 1,300]

This has been a great thread. Have done both stick and mig and was considering a Lincoln stick welder.  Reading has convinced me I need a flux core with the ability to covert to gas if I want to. Most of my welding will be outside where only 120 is available and wind can be a factor. Hence the flux core. Right now I am looking at a Hobart 140 flux core/mig with auto dimming Miller helmet for $450.  Bit more research to do. 

[CCW 1,300]

Made the purchase.  Hobart 140HD MIG / Fluxcore.

 

 

[ebinmaine 68,481]

On 11/9/2019 at 9:26 AM, MrOiluj52 said:

Hey EB you weld anything yet?

FINALLY....

 

Got to spend a few minutes cookin rods.

Note... I didn't write welding...

 

No worries.... Messed around with a couple different types.

6011 5/32

6013 1/16

 

Welder itself seems to do well.

I'll figure it out as I go...

 

 

 

 

[wallfish 17,084]

Woo Hoo, there's no limits now.

Practice Practice Practice

Get yourself a slag hammer to knock it off if you don't have one. COVER YOUR EYES as that crap is brutal on the eyeballs since it's sharp! And hot if you chip it off quick enough.

Pay attention to the puddle as you move the stick. Sometimes easy to loose if you try to go too fast. Be sure to grind the edges or faces of the metal you are welding as clean metal is much easier to get a good bead with good penetration. A bead may look good from the surface but without the penetration it will be weak.

 

Wait until you try vertical and or overhead welding, that takes some patience.

 

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