are folks getting rid of their arc welders?

[e9999]

I'm seeing a ton of arc welders on CL. But relatively few MIGs and TIGs.

Is it that a lot of people are switching over to the latter and getting rid of the "older" technology? Seems indeed like modern MIGs are particularly easy to learn and do passable work with.

 

[fj40charles]

I'm seeing a ton of arc welders on CL. But relatively few MIGs and TIGs.

Is it that a lot of people are switching over to the latter and getting rid of the "older" technology? Seems indeed like modern MIGs are particularly easy to learn and do passable work with.

I think it really depends on the arc welder. I see lots of Lincoln tombstone AC arc welder for sale on craigslist.

AC arc welding sucks compared to DC arc welding. I don't see people unloading DC

"Older" technology Lincoln SA200 is possibly one of the best gas powered stick welders out there. Used heavily in pipelining.

 

[Pin_Head]

AC buzz boxes are the entry level welder for many people and they never break, so they get passed around more than Lindsay Lohan. Everyone needs one, if only to learn stick welding.

 

[GAS-A-LOT!]

At least in the petro chemical industry...(refinery pipe welding) they still use everything under the sun. Tig, and Stick.... I might be missing some in there cuzz I'm not a welder but I hear them talking....

 

[94cruisercal]

SMAW "stick" welding generally requires a higher level of skill than MIG,FCAW welding. TIG requires high skill and the equipment is more expensive. People probably buy cheap A/C smaw machines at Home Depot and find out that it wont do everything they thought it could or their skill level is so low it just sits in the garage for years until they finally unload it.

 

[Trollhole]

I bought my first stick welder when I was 14. It was only 70amps 110v. Rods were the size of a coat hanger but I used it learned to weld well with it. I can honestly say it made me a better welder.

I still have it. Good times.

 

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

In the words of the guy that taught me to weld "If you can't stick, you ain't sh*t".

 

[Farmer_Fred]

hi,
we've recently gotten rid of mig as you could never seem to just go to it and weld, it would always be a matter of the wire jamming or gas running out, etc. So now it's a case of whacking a stick in and going. Plus, we weld some rough looking metal that a mig couldn't handle.

 

[fj40charles]

hi,
we've recently gotten rid of mig as you could never seem to just go to it and weld, it would always be a matter of the wire jamming or gas running out, etc. So now it's a case of whacking a stick in and going. Plus, we weld some rough looking metal that a mig couldn't handle.

What kind of mig welder did you use?

I have not experienced wire jamming on my mig welders. Yes, you might get some burn back, but nothing a new contact tip would not fix.

Gas running out sounds like a planning problem to me.

Mig, stick, TIG all have their place.

 

[brownbear]

What kind of mig welder did you use?

I have not experienced wire jamming on my mig welders. Yes, you might get some burn back, but nothing a new contact tip would not fix.

Gas running out sounds like a planning problem to me.

Mig, stick, TIG all have their place.

Oh gosh...on my Lincoln(230v) running .023 I would get fused ends from not pulling back and then when I hit the trigger again the wire would ball up in the cable just as it exited the drum. Total pain in the ass. .030 is better though.

Most times my MIG is just like that, turn it on and weld. Simple and easy. I've even had the same gas cylinder for about 2.5 years. Last a long time.

 

[Farmer_Fred]

im trying to think of the make of mig we had. Had to keep the reel in a cupboard and not in the welder as it tended to corrode in damp air, then bunging up. Brilliant though when running right.
fred

 

[Albin]

I bought my Lincoln SP-175 Plus Mig welder in Nov. 1999 and I haven't used my Lincoln AC-225 stick welder since then. There just hasn't been any need.

It's for sale for $150 plus all the leftover weld rod I have.

Al

 

[hydrogeo]

I have both a mig and an AC Tombstone and use them about equally. I am too cheap to buy new steel for many of my projects and the mig just does not like the rusty crappy stuff from my stockpile of freebie treasures. Plus I need to figure out how not to forget to turn the gas bottle off when I'm done

 

[94cruisercal]

Just remember to lightly (Or sometimes heavily) grind that metal clean before you weld with a mig setup. Its like painting - you have to prep if you want good results