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Stick welder

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84gmcjimmy

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Hey, I was wondering what a good stick welder is? And what is the price range for a good one? I will be wanting a Miller or Lincoln only, because that are the 2 best known names /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif Any help is good /forums/images/graemlins/bow.gif
 
the ac255 lincoln is a great machine and cheap, they have been around forever. the one we have, my dad used as a kid, and it still works great. /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif
 
Really a stick welder is pretty much a stick welder. They mainly differ in duty rating and power. I have a 30 year old craftsman cheapo stick welder and it has never let me down. I always suggets going for the options you want first and brand name second.
 
How come when I am looking at them they don't say how thick of metal they can weld? Just a bunch of the amperage numbers and whatnot /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif?
 
Because unless you are welding 1/2" or thicker plate it really doesn't matter. My 180A welder has welded everything I have needed it to from 1/8" angle steel to 1/2" plate (the 1/2" plate took multiple passes to fill the V notch but it is still holding as a repair to our backhoe to this day). I only change the amperage if I am welding thinner metal and I know at a higher setting it will burn through.
 
Oooh okay. Do you have any suggestions on what model I should get? It seems you know what your talking about, so you can help me /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Thanks
 
Actually everything I know is from 10 years of trial and error and reading welding books. I have only owned 1 stick welder and I discovered it in the basement of one of the cemetery buildings. It's a craftsman buzz box 180a stick welder that is older than I am. I know nothing about other welders. The main things I would look for is duty cycle, amperage, and cable length. If you aren't going to be welding hard core a 20% duty cycle should be plenty, it's what mine is. I wouldn't buy a stick welder less than 180a, 220a seems to be the sweet spot. And make sure the cables for the ground clamp and electrode holder are long enough. I hate having to weld something and the cable doesn't reach.

Incidentally I still use that stick welder. Between it and my 110v gas mig welder I haven't met a project I couldn't finish with my equipment.
 
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ac255 lincoln

[/ QUOTE ] I have the same machine. I bought it used for 150. It works great. I can weld anything I would ever mess with. What are your intentions with a stick welder? Why not go with a good millermatic mig or something of that nature? Then you can weld thick or thin.
 
Scoutillac, I already have a Millermatic 135 MIG welder, so I can use that for thin stuff, then instead of buying another MIG welder, I thought a Stick welder would be good for bumpers and thicker metal /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

Rootbreaker, I like the sounds of that welder you have. How do you like it? I also like the price compared to some Stick welders I've seen /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif
 
I just read the specs again, and Lincoln said they can only weld up to 3/16" metal, which is the same as my MM 135 /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif /forums/images/graemlins/doah.gif
 
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I have a Lincoln AC225 that I bought new for $239.00 and it does a great job. The AC only model will probably do just fine for you as opposed to an AC/DC model. I like stick welders because I am lazy and don't clean rust, paint, dirt, etc... from metal very well, but the stick blasts right through it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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Lincoln at Lowes
 
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I just read the specs again, and Lincoln said they can only weld up to 3/16" metal, which is the same as my MM 135 /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif /forums/images/graemlins/doah.gif

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I can burn through 1/4" plate with mine real easy, and it has welded 3/8 without a problem. On the site it says a 3/16" electrode, is that what you seen? /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif Electrode is the term for the stick, which would be 3/16" diameter.
 
This is what I read :
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• 225 amp AC output is enough for 3/16" diameter general purpose mild steel electrodes and most 5/32" sizes.

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So the 3/16 part means the electrode? What sizes of electrodes is there? I am assuming, the smaller the electrode, the thinner metal you weld? You said you can weld 3/8ths metal? Do you think it could weld 1/2"? Thanks /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif
 
I'm sure it could weld 1/2". I weld 1/4" on the 90 or 105 amp setting (usually 90) and it penetrates real deep. The settings of course go to 225.

Here is a good Electrode Link to read. It tells of different amperage, rod sizes, and types of rod. I usually use an 1/8" 6011.
 
I have the Licoln AC225 stick welder that my dad used when he was a kid and it still works great. And I have welded 1" thick metal with it in a single pass with ease /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
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And I have welded 1" thick metal with it in a single pass with ease

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1" with one pass? What kind and how much rod did you use? You didn't weld a full one inch thick weld did you? And aren't you "suppose" to cover pass with two beads over one and 3 over 2 and so on to fill that deep of a groove? I need a to see a pic of a 1 pass 1" deep weld with a stick welder to believe it.
 
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And I have welded 1" thick metal with it in a single pass with ease

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1" with one pass? What kind and how much rod did you use? You didn't weld a full one inch thick weld did you? And aren't you "suppose" to cover pass with two beads over one and 3 over 2 and so on to fill that deep of a groove? I need a to see a pic of a 1 pass 1" deep weld with a stick welder to believe it.

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Indeed 1" with 1 pass is not feasable with a 225a welder. It will not penetrate 1" deep. You would need to make a groove so your plates look like this when they meet \/ then you use multiple passes to fill that groove. I have done this exact weld on 1" thick plate.
 
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