For those with welders....

I have the chance to pick up an older Lincoln 220volt stick welder for pretty cheap. I'd really like a mig but its not in the budget. Is it worth while to have the Lincoln in the stable? Haven't used one since high school but I remember it can handle any thickness metal so that that would be good. Not sure if it can weld stainless or aluminum. What do you think?

If it is cheap and you want it go for it. They are great for "farm" type uses like lawnmower and other equipment repairs. Stainless and Aluminum can be welded with MIG but are best handled with a TIG welder.

The mig will be more flexible. If you're on that much of a budget, consider a flux core... Pretty much just a mig without the gas.

socalboomer said:

The mig will be more flexible. If you're on that much of a budget, consider a flux core... Pretty much just a mig without the gas.

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But you can pretty much kiss any chance of welding Stainless and Aluminum good bye with flux core wire.

Are the stick welders strictly mild steel? I figure I'm only able to do mild steel with a flux core and not nearly the thickness I can do with the stick welder. I can get the Lincoln for under $100. I can also get a cheapo flux machine from HF for the same. Which one would have the bigger advantage?

If you are going to weld plate or heavier angle the stick will have the advantage. With thinner sheet metal the stick is just gonna blow holes. The wire welder whether Flux or MIG will have more adjustability and handle thinner stuff much better while sacrificing power to burn the thick stuff.

Good welder and always great to have around. Especially if you mess with any kind of farm equipment, trailers, heavy metal, etc. They are awesome.

They do make electrodes for stick welding aluminum, but I'd only using them on the thick stuff...and even then, don't expect great welds.

As a general purpose welder for steel, stick is pretty nice.

Buy the Arc welder then practice welding with it while you save up for a MIG. The arc welder will always be useful.

If it is an ac/dc stick welder, you can add a tig torch, and "scratch" start tig.

Do NOT buy the HF MIG. It has a box inside that contains magic smoke which, when released, renders the unit inoperable. They don't last long at all.

Welders like many good tools, you get what you pay for.

Stick welding is useful to have around if you might end up welding something a bit heavier but that's pretty much it. My little MIG does just fine up to 1/4"

dont even bother with the little harbor frieght welder. It is a piece of garbage. I just tossed mine. I just bought a Lincoln 140HD MIG on craigslist new in the box for $350. I saw plenty others also. It is night and day welding with it. I can do aluminum with it with argon no problem but SS is another animal. TIG for that. I'm sure someone with mad skills could do it with MIG but from what I hear it is real hard. You get what you pay for.

The stick welder isn't ideal for most brew-related stuff, but as some people have mentioned it is do-able. I wouldn't go out of my way to get one, but if it's a good machine for a good price there's nothing wrong with having it. Worst case scenario, if you find it's not working out then sell it and get your money back (and if it is indeed a good deal, you may even make a profit to go towards another welder). And as someone also mentioned, you can add a torch and bottle of gas to some stick welders and do TIG.

Even if you stay with stick, it is possible to do thinner materials and different metals. It's not as nice as MIG, but if you're welding up a brewstand there's nothing wrong with stick welding it. You can also stick weld SS if you buy the proper rods (I've heard of stick welding aluminum, but have never done it so I can't really comment on that). I wouldn't recommend stick welding any sanitary fitting onto an SS pot, but don't let anyone tell you that you can't stick weld SS. Like anything, it's just a matter or knowing what you're doing. Get the right type of rod, the right size rod and set the heat right, plus practice a little bit.

What else might you use it for ? Like I said, even if it's not great for brewing projects there's nothing wrong with having it. I have a Millermatic 135 (110V MIG) and I love it, but I would be hesitant doing anything structural on steel heavier than 1/8", or maybe 3/16". And while wire-feed is nice to use, a Lincoln stick welder is just a better machine than a Harbour Freight anything.

schupaul said:

dont even bother with the little harbor frieght welder. It is a piece of garbage. I just tossed mine. I just bought a Lincoln 140HD MIG on craigslist new in the box for $350. I saw plenty others also. It is night and day welding with it. I can do aluminum with it with argon no problem but SS is another animal. TIG for that. I'm sure someone with mad skills could do it with MIG but from what I hear it is real hard. You get what you pay for.

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You can MIG weld SS, but you don't want to use Argon. Helium Tri-mix is best, but an Argon/CO2 mix can be used as well.

RonRock said:

Buy the Arc welder then practice welding with it while you save up for a TIG. The arc welder will always be useful.

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Fixed that for you, with the stick you can do "industrial" welding of steelwork (even SS) for a brewstand type job. Then the TIG will come in handy for the small stuff that needs finesse. I would not want to MIG anything on to a brew pot (you can but I wouldn't pay for it).

Like whitescout said unless that machine has only AC current your limited to what you can do with it. That's the most important thing to consider about those machines.
If it's an AC/DC machine then go ahead and grab it.
I wouldn't build a kettle with it, but a brew stand definitely.

And keep your welding rods dry.

I realize the HF units are junk but I'm working with a shoestring budget. Broken shoestring.
Haven't seen it yet so I can't comment on the condition or exact model it is. I plan on using it mostly on tubing(brewstand), round bar and angle. I have no need to weld thin stuff unless I were to tack some plate or grating to the stand or to a trailer etc. I have a trailer I'd like to turn into a smoker too. How thin is too thin for one of these?

Get some 3/32" and/or 1/8" 6013 rod for the thin stuff, and some 3/32" 7018 for the 'heavier' stuff. Flip the piece over so your doing as much as you can in the flat position. If you have to do some really thin stuff in a pinch, use 3/32" 6013 and do it vertical downhand.

I haven't had to do a lot of really thin stuff with stick so I can't tell you exactly what thicknesses you can do, but it is possible to do lighter stuff. 6013 is meant for thinner materials, and using 3/32" 7018 is a good compromise between heat and strength.

I have an Arc welder, a Mig, a Tig, oxy-acetylene, and a plasma cutter.

I use the Mig by far the most. No, I don't do kettles.

M_C

schupaul said:

dont even bother with the little harbor frieght welder. It is a piece of garbage. I just tossed mine. I just bought a Lincoln 140HD MIG on craigslist new in the box for $350. I saw plenty others also. It is night and day welding with it. I can do aluminum with it with argon no problem but SS is another animal. TIG for that. I'm sure someone with mad skills could do it with MIG but from what I hear it is real hard. You get what you pay for.

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Stainless welds just fine with MIG

What kind of setup were you using? I might be willing to find some stainless and practice on it and give it a go.

You have a 140HD, just get some tri-mix gas (90% Helium/8% Argon/2% CO2) for it. Run about 15 psi and use .023 to .025 316 SS wire.
Better yet, buy one from us...

Thanks I will get some and do some practice....

dmfa200 said:

Like whitescout said unless that machine has only AC current your limited to what you can do with it. That's the most important thing to consider about those machines.
If it's an AC/DC machine then go ahead and grab it.
I wouldn't build a kettle with it, but a brew stand definitely.

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Found out the machine is a Lincoln AC-225a. What is the benefit of an AC/DC machine over just AC?

You need the DC to be able to use the machine as a scratch start tig. If you were able to find a good deal on an AC/DC model, you would still have to buy a regulator/flow meter, and a tig torch with a gas valve on it.

There is a pretty steep learning curve with Tig.

I own a Tig, Mig, Stick, and a plasma cutter. I would never try to weld on a keg,or thin material with a stick. If I didn't have a tig, I would use my Mig with Tri-mix gas.

You should be able to find a 110 volt Miller or Lincoln Mig pretty cheap.

I've never welded stick with AC, so I can't say specifically what it's like but I think DC just gives you a better arc. If you just want a machine to burn rod with, it'll do the trick. I just skimmed the thread and couldn't find whether or not you posted the price, but just compare it to what new ones are going for. The machine itself is nothing special, but if the price is right then go for it.

whitescout's advice is good, but you mentioned earlier that you're not really going to be welding stuff to kegs or doing super thin material, so you might be okay with this machine. The tubing for your brewstand might be a little tricky depending on wall thickness, but with the right type and size of rod, plus good fit-up and paying attention to your heat, you should be okay.

I have a 110V Miller wire-feed (and I want to look at getting a 230V Stick/TIG machine), so I agree with the points whitescout made, but I also understand that not everybody can spend that kind of money. A small MIG welder is great for home projects but if you're handy with a stinger then stick works too. Try to find an old welder and ask him what welding stick with AC is like.

GreatWetNorth said:

Try to find an old welder and ask him what welding stick with AC is like.

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It works, but it STICKS. Be ready to stick the rods to the pieces often before you understand how to scratch start. MIG is far superior in that regards.

M_C

Smashing said:

Found out the machine is a Lincoln AC-225a. What is the benefit of an AC/DC machine over just AC?

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Almost all stick electrodes use DC positive or DC negative current when welding.
Some rods can be used with both AC and DC, but DC provides a more stable smooth arc.
Because AC current switches from positive to negative throughout it's cycle you will experience that current change while welding in AC with stick rods.

Although it's happening 60 times a second you will still see the difference.

I'm talking about spending $80-100 on one of these. For them beginner that is highly mechanical and has a very fast learning curve - is this worth the money?