Buying a stick welder

[bad_religion_au]

i want to start blowing holes in steel, and have a welder at home that i can just practice on. i'm not building anything structural or fancy, and a mig is out of my pricerange (i'll learn mig when i have the dollars). being on a limited budget, i've come down to getting a brandname (cigweld etc) second hand arc welder, i've seen many go in the 70-100 dollar range, and i'd budget a couple of bucks for new leads/stick holders considering their age.

the other option is getting a GMC type brand one, brand new from bunnings etc. they seem to be more powerful for the money, and new, with a warranty. now i know they have as many moving parts as your average park bench, so could someone advise which direction would be better to go in (after all they're not grinders, where the motors are under huge loads to show up the cheap components it's made from).

[eliteforce32]

mate for the best deal on ur normal type of AC stick u are talking of, the main thing to ask/look at is the transformer, make sure it is copper wound not ally based. u will no the difference when u pick one up they are heavy (copperer one) . These type of welder will just about out last ur life time if kept in good condition ......

anyway just my 2c ona home stick

simon

[44-40]

Gday,

You basicaly have a few options,
Inverter welders are a quater of the size and quater of the weight but 4 times the price so it depends on your budget.
If your not going for an inverter , get the heaviest one you can find within reason.
Known brands are generally better, like, BOC, CIG, WIA, Lincoln etc
One other thing to look out for is the amp adjusting knob, there is generally two types, one clicks from settings like 2.5, 3.25, and the other is adjustable ( turn freely between a scale of say 60-140 amps) , get the one that turns freely.
Cheers

[jungle_surfer]

I got the GMC one from Bunnings a few weeks ago. The choices were that one or an Ozito (sp?) one for the same price, the Ozito one having a cooling fan and being made in China and the GMC one being made in Italy. I have no idea what the transformer is made of, and I didn't think to try comparing the weight of the two.

It seems to work ok, although I can't compare it to anything else. After around an hour of intermittent welding the thermal overload did kick in and shut the thing down for 10 or 15 minutes.

[Guzzi]

My club has a ozito stick welder from bunnings.
Runs a neat weld for what it is. mainly 2.5 mm
What it isnt IMO is reliable.
Died between runs on me while tack welding a job, so duty cycle wasnt an issue. It just stopped, fuse OK, no smoke, just no go. This was about the 3rd time it was used.
Replaced under warrenty.
As the others above have stated get a KNOWN brand, with the highest amp range and duty cycle you can afford. Copper transformers are good.
The old CIG transarc buzz boxes are a good simple reliable unit that would suit some blowing holes in steel They do a good job when you have good rods.
Happy hunting

[RO8M]

IMO three things to look out for: Duty Cycle, Duty Cycle, Duty Cycle. Frustrates the Carp outta me, shutting down just when i' getting into it.

[Emo]

I picked up a CIG one not that long ago for under $50 on eBay. It's quite compact but heavy as all get up.

Something like this.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/CIG-METALCRAFT-A ... dZViewItem

[RoldIT]

Bought one of these for home use (repairs, minor fab work, etc) and works a treat for my average welding skills, never had the thermal cutoff go off yet ...

(First one on the page ...)

http://www.cigweld.com.au/uplFiles/prod ... ManInd.pdf

[LUX90]

I have an old WIA stick welder here that i got off my Grandad when they left their farm.
It has done a great job for years but doesnt seem to get much use anymore as i just use works MIG.
I pretty much learnt to weld using the stick and it has done a great job. Just make sure you get gloves, helmet etc and wear long sleeves, you would be amazed how sunburnt you get welding.

[macca81]

I have an old WIA stick welder here that i got off my Grandad when they left their farm.
It has done a great job for years but doesnt seem to get much use anymore as i just use works MIG.
I pretty much learnt to weld using the stick and it has done a great job. Just make sure you get gloves, helmet etc and wear long sleeves, you would be amazed how sunburnt you get welding.

on that note, i know a guy who was wearing stubbies and going commando while he was welding up a cage to go around the engine of our VW. while he was squating down for an hour, he found that when he stood up he had burnt right up the inside of his thighs and a certain appendage. he wasnt to keep on doing much in the way of moving for some days following

[eighty8]

Bought one of these for home use (repairs, minor fab work, etc) and works a treat for my average welding skills, never had the thermal cutoff go off yet ...

(First one on the page ...)

http://www.cigweld.com.au/uplFiles/prod ... ManInd.pdf

Bought the same machine not long ago. Built some sliders and am in the process of making a rear bar. Good unit for what i want to do. Hasn't tripped out, easy to use.
As much as i'd love a mig, i cant justify/explain the $$.

[Steve F]

I've got the Ozito from Bunnings, made front bar, sliders, rear bar and carrier, skids etc etc.





It cuts out on the odd occasion but by the time it does I'm ready to cut the next piece or clamp a few bits together and by the time I'm done it's ready to go again. The welder cost $99 and it's my first one.

Also making a camper with it as well



Cheers
Steve

[j-top paj]

like has been said before.. duty cycle is a major thing to consider..
but if the budget is tight then get the heaviest farker u can find

[bushy555]

Cheap GMC stick welders...

Lift them up by chucking four spacers underneath them as legs, to get air flow happening underneath.

Cut a hole in one end. Wire in a decent dirty big 240v fan in the other end, blowing air through pass the transformer. And I mean something like a 20 watt fan. Something that makes a bit of noise. Not a little computer power supply fan.

Can weld for 30 mins straight (ok, stopping for 10 seconds to swap out sticks) at 120+ amps with no drama's about overheating.... Did this within ten minutes of pulling it out of its box three years ago. Still goes mighty fine today and the thermo cut-out has never looked like cutting-in....

[RO8M]

Got a photo, Bushie?

I wanna do the same. I've opened out the louvres on the sides and back, and generally have a desk-type pedestal fan blowing on it, but i reckon that does more to alleviate my frustration than cool the coils...

[Cruza62]

Good to see someone using a stick instead of mig for a change. I made rock sliders for my heap of junk and tested them out by jacking the car up off them, all welded with a $250 el cheapo 165 Amp arc welder which i would trust more than mates dodgey 190 Amp mig....
Used an inverter welder the other day at work... Well worth spending the money, I think it was a GIG.

[bastard]

Gday,

You basicaly have a few options,
Inverter welders are a quater of the size and quater of the weight but 4 times the price so it depends on your budget.
If your not going for an inverter , get the heaviest one you can find within reason.
Known brands are generally better, like, BOC, CIG, WIA, Lincoln etc
One other thing to look out for is the amp adjusting knob, there is generally two types, one clicks from settings like 2.5, 3.25, and the other is adjustable ( turn freely between a scale of say 60-140 amps) , get the one that turns freely.
Cheers

This man is spot on I use one every day and have done for the last 7 years.

[RO8M]

Got a photo, Bushie?

I wanna do the same. I've opened out the louvres on the sides and back, and generally have a desk-type pedestal fan blowing on it, but i reckon that does more to alleviate my frustration than cool the coils...

You there Bushie555? got a photo of the fan at all, or a supplier of something suitable?

[sanger]

As said above go for a reliable unit that will serve you well for a long period of time. My first welder was a CIG compact turbo 140 amp stick welder and i have made my sliders, rear bar, stinger front bar and my transfer skid plate with it. With correct techniques you can get away with welding 6mm steel with it. Good luck and have fun burning rods.

[Teg]

Bought a GMC type welder from the local hardware and the first time it was used the thermal cut out kicked in, this was in winter so I placed it outside the garage in the cold air to cool but took roughly 20 Min before I could start to weld again and then could only weld for a short time before it cut out, it also smelled hot. I took it back the next day and had it replaced, the replacement one has done heaps of welding, including tacking up jobs and not cut out once, go figger.
What I have noticed is though is that the incremental adjustment for amperage doesn't seem to make much of a difference unless a large adjustment is made, it has the smooth wind the knob type of adjustment.

Teg (not a welder)

[zagan]

Go for a CIGWELD, seem to do the job, have one at work never had a problem with it, I've taken it home etc to do welding, done deck rails etc with it.

the only other thing with the cheapie stick welders is that you'll only be able to really weld 3mm to 5mm thick steel, with a 2.5mm to 3mm rods, I've used 3.5mm rods on the CIGWELD and while they work. The stick welder just doesn't have the amps, to get started or to keep welding very well.

The old stick welders will have copper cores these days they don't use copper cores anymore, weigh too much and cost a lot more than what people would want to pay for them.

[chimpboy]

I got a good stick welder, but to be honest most times I use it I think to myself, "I should have just put the money towards a mig."

[mugginsmoo]

don't settle on a stick welder, get your self a MIG. you'll kick yourself if you end up needing one later.

you will have to hunt around for a cheepy though. i got mine at a garage sale for $500, its a BIG 190amp mig and came with everything. i don't even know it's duty cycle, but i have welded non-stop for about 4 hour with it. and after i bought this the mig store down the road had a trade in for sale for less than $300, and it was a similar welder.


but if you settle on a stick then wath the duty cycle as everyone else has pionted out, it will give you the S H I T S every time it cuts out

[Teg]

I could probably guess fairly accurately but whats "duty cycle" and how do you measure it, that is what is a good duty cycle, is there a figure to work with.

[eliteforce32]

in tools/equipment such as welders, the duty cycle is defined as the percentage of time in a 10 minute period that it can be operated continuously before overheating.

i.e. 35% duty at 120amps = 3.5mins continuos welding

[Eddy]

Saw a pretty good WIA in Crime Converters on N/East road 3-4 weeks back, Think they only had 70 on it.

Good s/h stickies come up often in there, and are usually a good buy, coz everyone thinks stick is crap ... gotta have mig.

Stick is the best way to learn welding, then go onto mig later. Versatile to ... repaired the boy's exhaust with the sticky last weekend, coz I ran out of mig wire.

[brendan_h]

ive got a cheap tig welder on ebay. does everthing i want it to do. never had a problem with it other then i bent the metal guard to cover the fan but bent it back out. it also has pulse tig

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/200-AMP-ARC-WELD ... dZViewItem

i also got a ac/dc tig for aluminium work

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/AC-DC-TIG-200AMP ... dZViewItem

and this little beauti for work because of it size and weight. great little machine never had a problem

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Firewelder-200am ... dZViewItem


and also own a mig

[neil_se]

I bought a $99 Ozito arc welder today based on Steve's and other recommendations. For something i'll only be using once a month or so to weld mild steel i thought it was the best value for money. Don't have to worry about ongoing gas costs, wire feeds, thickness etc.

[Teg]

in tools/equipment such as welders, the duty cycle is defined as the percentage of time in a 10 minute period that it can be operated continuously before overheating.

i.e. 35% duty at 120amps = 3.5mins continuos welding

Cheers, thanks

[bushy555]

Fairly easy to do:





Oh yeah, forgot pics about the legs. THey be just plain ordinary rubber bump stops, or door stoppers or whatever you find lying around.
Not much need to open up the sides unless you really wanna. I couldnt be bothered and them fins in the blue housing seem to be heaps enough anyway. I opened up the intake for the fan though. Rough as...

GMC be chunky chunk of steel. Hard to tell if windings are copper or alloy. Prolly cheapo wire, hence: cheap and needs the airflow to cool it.
Saw some other el-cheapo brand that supercheap were selling for around $120 came with a fan.