I am just re-learning how to weld again after an absence of about 36 years.
Since I have no big plans in mind, just the odd job here and there, I wanted to keep this as simple and cheap as possible, while knowing that the welder would do the things I needed it to do.
After a bit of research (things have moved on a bit in the arc welding industry since I was last doing any ... ), it became obvious that the cheap MIG welders were basically crap, expensive to run, and fine for welding non-structural steel unless one is very expert - and I am most definitely not! Oxy acetylene gear that I used to own is out of the question expensive for me these days.
Inverter welders are apparently quite good, but I know next to nothing about them other than that cheap ones aren't worth a bumper, and the expensive ones can cost a small fortune to repair, and they can be prone to needing repairs ...
.
TIG welders I know to be good, but again, very expensive; then there's the gas bottle costs ... .
I grew up using oxy and heavy Lincoln arc welders (stick welders) that were generally tractor driven!
Considerably later in my life, I acquired a domestic stick welder. 130 amp, dual voltage, 240V AC type that used a 15A supply. These welders are extremely simple and robust. There is almost nothing that can go wrong with them, being basically nothing but a transformer with an adjustable choke. One can buy them "by weight"
. If they are relatively heavy in the hand, chances are they will work OK. It's really that simple, and so are they.
So (shock, horror) I bought a 'complete' kit made by Ozito at Bunnings. Nice, heavy little fan-cooled 130A stick welder with 25% duty cycle, a 10A plug, and a 3 year exchange warranty for $97. This welder has an adjustable choke (amperage), from 55A to 130A, with automatic voltage adjsutment. Of course the included mask and chipping hammer were a joke. I expected that. I already had heavy leather welding gloves that are still good. These basic stick welders can weld light materials (like 1.6mm box section etc), but will give excellent penetration on much heavier materials where the cheap MIG welders struggle a lot. They can also be used to weld very heavy materials (6-12 mm) if one prepares the work properly, and uses multiple passes.
Unlike MIG welding wire, welding rods are very cheap, and are commonly available in many grades and sizes. This welder can use rods from 2.0 to 3.2 mm - adequate for most domestic welding.
Bought a decent chipping hammer at SCA for $8.
Bought a flip-up helmet with a flip-up filter. I grew up using these, so not a problem. Or so I thought
! Safety has also moved on! With the filter down, I could just see the work when in full, bright sunlight; and only then when at the right angle to both the work and the helmet. Ugh. I did manage to weld a stay each side of my spare wheel post using 2mm mild steel rods. The post is 3mm steel, but the side stays are only 1.6mm box. Not pretty, but considering that I could not even see the work until the arc struck, flaming amazing that I even got that far! There is no way that these welds could break, short of belting the hell out of them with a sledge hammer, even so.
Back to Bunnings, who happily exchanged the (used) helmet I had bought for a reasonably professional auto-darkening one with adjustable filter strength (#9-#13), with a "grinding mode", where the filter is switched off entirely. This cost just under $100 (less the $18.53 the returned one had cost me).
When there is no arc, the filter is about the density of a medium pair of sunglasses. Not as dark as my driving sunglasses, but slightly darker than my walk-around sunnies. It reacts to the arc in 1/16,000th of a second, turning the filter to the set strength all but instantaneously.
This is like magic to me! The weldors at the trailer repair shop I frequent use this exact kind and brand of helmet, and recommended it to me when I told them of the problems I was having.
Anyway. Way back when, I bought a little book to help me along with some of the work I had been doing in my twenties. Published by the Lincoln Arc Welding foundation, it is called "Arc Welding Instructions for the Beginner" by H. A. Sosnin. I still have it. It's a fantastic little book, aimed at turning out competent arc weldors.
No BS, a little necessary theory, just the bare practicalities of the art.
Blow me down if it isn't still in print today! I can highly recommend this book to anyone. Costs a whole US$15. Available here:
http://www.amazon.com/Arc-Welding-Instructions-Beginner-Sosnin/dp/9992859865 Haven't had a chance to use the new helmet during the last week, but I expect it to overcome the problems I was having.
Sorry to be long-winded, folks. Just though I would share my personal journey with the OP.
