I'm interested in learning how to stick weld and would like a decent quality welder for under $500. What would you gentlemen recommend?
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Decent quality stick welder
- Thread starter psharon78
- Start date
Why do you want to stick weld? Most stuff these days can just be done with a Mig welder and its much easier. Do you have any welding experience or are you just trying to get into it to be able to repair stuff as needed? Harbor freight has decent welders for a good price just get the warranty...
I have a little experience. When trying to weld on angle iron, myself watching my dad weld with a mig welder couldn't get the metal hot enough. He bought this welder to solve the problem: https://www.northerntool.com/produc...-technology-120-230-volts-160-amp-max-5875869
Just wanted everyone's experience for a decent quality stick welder. Not a fan of Harbor Freight when it comes to their electronics.
Just wanted everyone's experience for a decent quality stick welder. Not a fan of Harbor Freight when it comes to their electronics.
Here is what you want, and in your price range. I love stick welding with a buzz box. That is what I trained on, and they will do darn near anything! I tried a wire feed, and they are junk to me.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lincoln-Electric-225-Amp-Arc-Stick-Welder-AC225S-230V-K1170/100041326
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lincoln-Electric-225-Amp-Arc-Stick-Welder-AC225S-230V-K1170/100041326
Lincoln 225 ac/dc buzz box....I had over a hundred shop welders and 1/2 doz engine driven machines...always had a buzz box.
If you really want a stick welder get one but Id recommend a small mig welder. I run a fence and gate shop all my field welders are flux 125 harbor freight welders. They weld gate with flux wire and are super light for how powerful they are. Stick welders are for pipe fitters and old guys that don't like mig...
I picked up the harbor freight titanium 225 to weld up a MOVE heavy bumper kit for the 1 inch thick material(tow lugs and frame mounting brackets). I used 220vac. It worked awesome. Lots of good reviews on YouTube. I used wire feed on the thin material.
Most of the newer inverter tig machines will do stick and tig. Im still a fan of Mig welders for almost any job. I use a tig when needed but have yet to find a use case for stick. Ive built everything from tube chassis race vehicles to gates. A normal mig welder is all that is needed in almost all cases.
Ac is for tig welding aluminum and DC is for welding carbon based alloys.
To really recommend a welder it be best to kinda know more of what you'd like to do with it. If you want to be able to do nice welds in your garage or shop with shielding gas then you'd want something that can take a regulator.
Ac is for tig welding aluminum and DC is for welding carbon based alloys.
To really recommend a welder it be best to kinda know more of what you'd like to do with it. If you want to be able to do nice welds in your garage or shop with shielding gas then you'd want something that can take a regulator.
i have a small miller that looks like its in a pelican case, runs on 110 or 220. real easy to use i have it on a cart with the gas bottle
There is a really old Lincoln stick welder, I believe it is call the Tomb to Tomb marker, because of the shape. It welds exceedingly smooth. However probably weighs 400 lbs.
Stick is very good for thick material. With MIG, you can make a weld look strong but really there was not enough penetration.
Lots of used welders on Craigslist, but for a newer inverter welder probably will have to buy new.
Stick is very good for thick material. With MIG, you can make a weld look strong but really there was not enough penetration.
Lots of used welders on Craigslist, but for a newer inverter welder probably will have to buy new.
I have been running an Amico Power stick unit for years. Love it. Gets the job done, runs on variable input and is portable, allowing me to carry my own rig around for extended periods when work requires it. Was $160 at Home Depot when I got it.
For gunsmithing and precision work, I have an Everlast TIG inverter in my home shop. Also runs off of standard wall power and is rugged, simple, and durable. That one cost me $750 which might give a pause to someone looking for a strictly budget setup but that is the nature of TIG. Without it I wouldn't have been able to complete work on 3 Civil War Smith carbines that needed a complete rebuilding of the action mechanism and the ignition channels, one which was an original from 1862. Also countless Uberti open top Colt pattern revolvers which at one point were notorious for having "short arbor syndrome", cylinder pins too short which did not bottom out with their recesses in the barrels, and recoil put a lot of strain on the barrel wedges and accuracy. They needed metal to actually be added to lengthen the cylinder pins which are then final finished and ground down to correct length.
To second what @N_Turs said above, if you want a decently priced, most likely caddy-portable, and all around rig for ANYTHING, MIG will be the way to go. Since 2020 or so, newly developed flux coated feed wire would allow you to use it without the shielding gas necessary. The flux wires function exactly like stick electrodes, the shielding supplied by the vaporizing flux as you gun it through.
For gunsmithing and precision work, I have an Everlast TIG inverter in my home shop. Also runs off of standard wall power and is rugged, simple, and durable. That one cost me $750 which might give a pause to someone looking for a strictly budget setup but that is the nature of TIG. Without it I wouldn't have been able to complete work on 3 Civil War Smith carbines that needed a complete rebuilding of the action mechanism and the ignition channels, one which was an original from 1862. Also countless Uberti open top Colt pattern revolvers which at one point were notorious for having "short arbor syndrome", cylinder pins too short which did not bottom out with their recesses in the barrels, and recoil put a lot of strain on the barrel wedges and accuracy. They needed metal to actually be added to lengthen the cylinder pins which are then final finished and ground down to correct length.
To second what @N_Turs said above, if you want a decently priced, most likely caddy-portable, and all around rig for ANYTHING, MIG will be the way to go. Since 2020 or so, newly developed flux coated feed wire would allow you to use it without the shielding gas necessary. The flux wires function exactly like stick electrodes, the shielding supplied by the vaporizing flux as you gun it through.
First welder I ever struck an arc with was a Lincoln Buzz box and that was over 50 years ago. Currently have 9+ welders in my home shop including mig, tig, stick, plasma and oxy/acetylene. The problem with small inexpensive mig welders is getting the settings dialed in order to produce an acceptable weld. If you don't have enough experience to read the puddle or bead it will be a real PITA getting it dialed in. Stick takes practice but is not difficult to learn and with small machines amps is the only parameter you have to adjust. Buy 10# of 7014 or 7018 and go to town on scrap metal. Lots of good videos out there on getting started.
Wants to learn to stick weld. Don't know why that's so hard to understand for some here.
If you can afford it, get the Lincoln buzz box that does both AC and DC. Many rods just perform better with DC.
If you can afford it, get the Lincoln buzz box that does both AC and DC. Many rods just perform better with DC.
Lincoln pipeliner. Does the buy once cry once theory not apply here?
You wanna stick welder, trust the tried and true! Not the other crap people are advising
Lincoln buzz box, or death! Heck, you got me wanting one again. You want heat and penetration, and running good beads etc...
My teacher was a God in the welding education program, Mr Wooten was a real pro who taught us right
My welding education started in the 7th grade at Blue River Valley High School
Lincoln buzz box, or death! Heck, you got me wanting one again. You want heat and penetration, and running good beads etc...
My teacher was a God in the welding education program, Mr Wooten was a real pro who taught us right
My welding education started in the 7th grade at Blue River Valley High School
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If you haven't found a use for a stick welder then you haven't done much welding.
I've built everything from machine guards out of 5/8 expanded metal and/or 16ga sheet metal on 1" square tubing frames to farm implements, sprayer booms, liquid and dry fertilizer spreaders to ram racks, bucksaw frames, broke knuckle boom frames and log trailers for loggers, welded grouser bars on bulldozer tracks, built, repaired and hard surfaced the cutting edges on buckets for wheel loaders, track loaders, excavators, ect. in the last 46+ years all with a stick welder.
Tig and mig welders are good for shop use but they are nowhere near as versatile as a good stick welder.
Try welding 50' away from the machine with a mig or Tig.
Or weld outside on a windy rainy day with either and see what you end up with.
You can weld in a wind storm with a stick and not have problems with porosity from the shield has being blown away.
You can't even weld in a shop on a hot day with a fan blowing on you with migs and tigs.
Not to mention you can weld on rusty, dirty, greasy and painted metal with a stick when it's not feasible to grind it clean first.
And stainless, and cast iron, and aluminum, ect.
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AC/DC 225/125 Stick Welder
The AC/DC 225/125 is the same proven design as the renowned AC-225 arc welder but adds the smoother more stable DC welding arc. This stick welder is ideal for farm shop and home use where improved arc welding performance is desired.
www.lincolnelectric.com
Pay the extra $ to get this one over the AC only machine.
As to your desired budget, talk to the welding store and see if they have refurbished trade ins. Remember to trade yours in when, and if, you upgrade so someone else can start out.
Thank you,
MrSmith
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You’re just a good ol boy country welder it’s all good I understand your use case and experience. For someone learning a lil mig is much more useful. No one stick welds anything high end in the fab world.
With flux wire you can weld outside just fine with a mig.
Get an old ideal arc 250 AC /DC
The buzz boxes are a cheap imitation
The buzz boxes are a cheap imitation
Bro!… my dad had an idealarc when I was a kid. That’s what he taught me to weld with!
I have one of those, but it's AC only. That's what I built the grapple in my previous post with. Bought 7018's made specifically for AC welding, although I don't seem to have any trouble running normal 7018 with that machine. Don't know what the difference is.
That machine has a lifting padeye on it for a reason. Made back when America was strong with copper windings.
They're the real deal, big duty cycle will run hot and long.
Last on I bought at a Ritchie Bros auction in a nice cart with 100'+ of leads and a 50' power cord and a 50# box of 7018 for less than $500
They're out there and cheap if you look.
Ha. That's bullshit too.
Is the nuclear weapons industry high end enough for you?
I spent a fair number of years at the Savannah River Plant in the 80's and 90's with the Millwrights. Not a mig welder in sight, just stick and Tig.
Plenty of high end fabrication done there with stick that had to pass an x-ray test.
Just a hobbiest but I love my little esab. Can't tell you how handy it is to be able run 1/8 6011 for quick n dirty stuff off a 50ft 110 outlet.
It's sooo much smoother than other machines I've tried. Burns Lincoln red 6010 quite well too. There's some really impressive tech in there to maximize efficiency. Look up the Greg welding YouTube comparison to the harbor freight. I think it's worth the extra coin.
It's sooo much smoother than other machines I've tried. Burns Lincoln red 6010 quite well too. There's some really impressive tech in there to maximize efficiency. Look up the Greg welding YouTube comparison to the harbor freight. I think it's worth the extra coin.
In our shop we have a mix of a few newer Miller 210’s couple older 250’s and an older Lincoln 250. The newer welders with the slow start wire helps with start’s especially on short welds. Field welders are the cheap flux125’s they weld great for the cost. Extended warranty is needed. Ive no joke went through probably 60 of these running 4 crews for the past 3 years or so. They can not be repaired but for the portability and cost they can’t be beat. For welding up to 3/8’s they will get the job done if you do your part prepping as needed.
Lincoln Tombstone 225.
I learned to weld using one of those.
Another really smooth welding machine was the Lincoln Torpedo SAE-200A.
Haven't seen one in use in decades.
Yes high pressure pipe and other such items will be stick or tig. Mainly because of the passes needed and the need for no chance of a cold start or stop. Still not what I consider high end… more industrial. Aerospace and high end race car shit is all tig. This is my experience along with a bunch of mig. Which most just suck at and that’s why they don’t like it.
While I agree stick has its place. I just think the little welder I posted above is a great first welder for someone. How much of that x-ray welding did you do?
Very simple, harbor freight warranty keep returning it forever, can weld outside. They also have a similar one I believe can take a regulator which if they do I’d get that over the flux only.
I also like to stir the pot a bit so nothing personal.
Thanks for the reply. 210's are good little machines and had one years ago. Main mig I use in the shop is Millermatic 255 and especially like the pulse function on thick material downside is it's heavy and not really practical to use outside the shop. Little mig for use outside the shop or small projects is a Fronius 2200.
https://www.hobartwelders.com/equipment/welders/stick-smaw/stickmate-160i-m30147
My first welder was a Hobart stickwelder and it was great until I started welding car bodies. Then I switched to a MIG I got from Eastwood. (Chinese) But it works great and I have put about 80 lbs of wire trough it.
For heavier metal, I go to the stick welder. You can still get into a new Hobart for less than $500.00.
My first welder was a Hobart stickwelder and it was great until I started welding car bodies. Then I switched to a MIG I got from Eastwood. (Chinese) But it works great and I have put about 80 lbs of wire trough it.
For heavier metal, I go to the stick welder. You can still get into a new Hobart for less than $500.00.
Lincoln. There's a reason every farm store still has a buzz box on the shelf.
The one in my garage is probably 50 years old and still burns rod.
That said, I get about 99% more use out of the Lincoln 210. Metal hot glue gun.
I also learned how to weld with gas, stick, mig, and Tig. Knowing how and passing a bend test with your preferred machine is way more important than what that machine is.
The one in my garage is probably 50 years old and still burns rod.
That said, I get about 99% more use out of the Lincoln 210. Metal hot glue gun.
I also learned how to weld with gas, stick, mig, and Tig. Knowing how and passing a bend test with your preferred machine is way more important than what that machine is.
