Welder

[David G]

I have two welders right now, Millermatic 255 MIG, and an old 230 Amp AC/DC welder. I am using the Miller all the time now, is there a reason to keep the
other?

 

[kevinj54]

Mig don't work well outdoors if windy......

Stick gives a lot of versatility like welding cast.

I never got a mig, still run all stick.

 

[rrlund]

I sure wish you were in mid Michigan, I'd take that arc welder off your hands in a heart beat. I had the old Lincoln 180 that Dad bought new in the early 50s. It finally gave out on me. I went to use it yesterday and it wouldn't work. I took it apart today and have power to and from the switch, just no vroom.

 

[Goose]

Yes.

I've had a MIG welder for years, but I still fall back on my stick welder for heavy stuff.

 

[markct]

Mig sure is the go to welder for most stuff nowadays, that being said my stick still sees plenty of use, a lot easier to drag a lead outside and up on top of a machine than a whole mig welder, although for light work my 110 mig is very portable. Also a lot easier to grab a hardface electrode and protect a worn corner than to change to hardface wire in the mig. If you have it I would hang onto it

 

[Billy Shafer]

Because when you sell it. You will need it. Works every time..

 

[K Effective]

I sure wish you were in mid Michigan, I'd take that arc welder off your hands in a heart beat. I had the old Lincoln 180 that Dad bought new in the early 50s. It finally gave out on me. I went to use it yesterday and it wouldn't work. I took it apart today and have power to and from the switch, just no vroom.

Randy- I've got a 230V AC stick welder I can do without. Since i have my MIg and bought a Miller TIG, it will stick weld, also, I don't need three! Interested? I am in SW MI, so a little bit of a drive. Give me a shout, keffective at sbcglobal dot net

 

[Welding man]

That would be your decision. At present time I have 7 and would consider buying another one if the right deal came along.

 

[Janicholson]

If the transformer is open internally, it is toast. With the switch off, unplugged, there should be continuity across both primary and secondary leads If no flow, Open, nothing will fix it. If there are corroded terminals, that is easy to fix. If it is AC only, it is pretty simple. A bad heat range selector wiper contact will also create issues. Jim

 

[Janicholson]

At my SCSU lab, we run everything from Phase adjustable aluminum MIG, to TIG, spot weld, SMAW, and MIG. We realized that the SMAW (stick) does important things, like welding high alloy, or Ni rod, or just deep penetration but welds, that MIG just does not do (or at least without having to purchase and fiddle with special wire that we would never use up). Jim

 

[Dusty MI]

(quoted from post at 15:53:48 12/27/20) I sure wish you were in mid Michigan, I'd take that arc welder off your hands in a heart beat. I had the old Lincoln 180 that Dad bought new in the early 50s. It finally gave out on me. I went to use it yesterday and it wouldn't work. I took it apart today and have power to and from the switch, just no vroom.

Maybe I could look at your welder and find whats wrong with it.

Dusty

 

[rew1953]

I have a variety of welders for various purposes. 120 volt MIG 120 and inverter 100 amp DC. Good to carry to remote locations within 200 ft, the length of my 10 ga extension cord. a 220 volt MIG 100 amp MIG, old technology, a 220 volt MIG, DCARC 250 amp inverter combo with 35 ft of 220 8 ga extension wire with 50 amp plug, a 220 volt Miller AC 225 amp with 200 ft of cable and 225 ft of ground. The AC machine runs 7018 rods better than the DC machine. The only one I would part with is the old Century 100 amp old technology MIG that is a big and heavy machine. The inverter based new welders can be hand carried with ease at about 20 pounds MT. Not so for the older units which top 90 pounds. They new MIG has reversable leads so I can use the flux core wire when welding outside, or gas when welding inside.

 

[M-MAN]

I would say yes. Farm equipment breaks and a stick is usually a better option to repair it. It's better and faster on heavy steel. Bust a cast piece and with a stick you can grab a few Ni rods or stainless rods and repair it easily. The stick works better on broken bolts too. I have an old Craftsman AC buzz box I plan on giving to my son. The Lincoln Idealarc 250 will be here until I expire along with the Hobart 190 mig.

Yes you can do all this with a mig and several extra gas tanks along with spools of wire you probably won't ever use up. Your welders, your money, your call.

 

[rrlund]

I sent you an email Dusty.

 

[Dusty MI]

(quoted from post at 05:26:20 12/28/20) I sent you an email Dusty.

I don't find an e-mail from you. Go to Profile and try sending a private e-mail.

Dusty

 

[MarkB_MI]

How badly do you need that two square feet of shop floor your stick welder is occupying?

 

[DeltaSteve]

Keep it. Stick is better for heavier and dirty 'farm iron'. Plus it's easier to drag leads out than push the mig machine out side in the dirt.You may not use it for a year,or 5 year,but one day you will NEED it. And you will be glad you still have it.

 

[dr sportster]

The resale will not be that great. Arc is often the fastest easiest way to make a quick repair. Unless the MIG does arc [which it does not] Keep it.

 

[Ultradog MN]

An old stick welder is like an old revolver.
They always work.
You can drag one through the mud and it'll still work.

 

[RusselAZ]

I used to think that also. Had two ole Forney red box welders. Still have one but the other got so you (or I) couldn't keep an arc going using it. Come to find out it had a big capacitor in it that shorted and went open. The other one still works great.

 

[bc]

You always need space in the shop to set something on to keep it off the floor,, even a storage box or coffee pot. Makes a big door stop and will help hold the floor down. Move it around with your skyhook.

Maybe use the cables for a temporary extension cord or jumper cables. Can use rod and burn holes in metal.

I think they run around 24 to 36 volts and I don't know if you can charge batteries or not and don't know if you disconnect a battery and if you could use one to run a starter on a diesel tractor on DC in the winter or not. All I can think of for now.

 

[David G]

I appreciate all the advice, I will keep the welder.

 

[Bret4207]

In a farm situation I would get rid of the MIG before I ditched the stick. I have 2 MIG's, one with gas and one set up for flux core. Neither one of them is worth a crap in welding through paint, dirt, grease, manure, rust, etc. The reality of it is that MIG is great on clean metal, especially thinner stuff and excels on sheet metal. Once you get over 1/4" or so and if there's the above mentioned contamination involved, stick rules. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I just stink with MIG, but there's very little sense to me of running multiple passes of wire that can't get the penetration you need vs using some deep penetrating stick and getting the job done.

If your situation is one where everything is capable of being cleaned to bare metal and maybe you use a lot of new material, that's different. MIG is really nice in those cases if you can get the penetration you want, and I surely wish we'd had the option 40 years ago in the body shop!

 

[rew1953]

(quoted from post at 12:10:21 12/29/20)

In a farm situation I would get rid of the MIG before I ditched the stick. I have 2 MIG's, one with gas and one set up for flux core. Neither one of them is worth a crap in welding through paint, dirt, grease, manure, rust, etc. The reality of it is that MIG is great on clean metal, especially thinner stuff and excels on sheet metal. Once you get over 1/4" or so and if there's the above mentioned contamination involved, stick rules. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I just stink with MIG, but there's very little sense to me of running multiple passes of wire that can't get the penetration you need vs using some deep penetrating stick and getting the job done.

If your situation is one where everything is capable of being cleaned to bare metal and maybe you use a lot of new material, that's different. MIG is really nice in those cases if you can get the penetration you want, and I surely wish we'd had the option 40 years ago in the body shop!

I heartily agree. I also have 2 MIG's with gas for indoor, a120 and a 230 volt, and a 230 v flux core/ DC arc / TIG combination for out doors, and a Miller 225 AC( my first welder that still works great) with 220 ft of lead and 225 ft of ground. The AC machine produces a better weld with 7018 . than the DC machine. Recently added a 50 amp plasma cutter to cut costs on the torch kit. It willpay for itself in less than a year.

 

[Dick L]

I didn't ever think I could have to many welders! But then!