Ok I am considering the lincoln 225 arc welder and I want to know what the drawbacks are in comparison to a mig welder. If I don't get this one now I will wait a few months and get a 175 mig welder. What are some safety drawbacks and versatility drawbacks of this unit if any. I have only welded once before so this will be the welder I will be learning on. Can you hold the actual rod with a welding glove while welding or is this a safety hazard. It felt akward to hold the handle since it put me so far back from the surface I was working on. I am aware that it is supposed to be more difficult to learn on an arc welder but practice and hard work are not things I fear. I will be using the unit for basic fabrication like rock sliders, rear bumper etc. Will this unit be enough for my needs or should I just save longer and get the other unit. Is learning arc welding a good stepping stone to learning other types of welds. Thanks for your input guys.
What is the downside to an arc welder.
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imacsae said:
I would say no. I know the rods get quite hot while you're welding. Not to mention you would have to continually stop to reposition your hand as the rod became shorter. I know what you mean about it feeling awkward holding your hand so far back, but as you practice it will start to feel a little more comfortable.
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my entire rig is put together with a 220 craftsman stick (ARC)welder(bumpers, exo, spring hangers, etc). it is messy(slag chippin/wire brushin) and sometimes a real pain in the ass to strike the arc when outta position and in restriction welding overhead, etc.... whenever i can, i take something over to my brothers house and use his millermatic 175 and actually brought it to my house to do my 4link...
if your having problems with the rod being so long and away from the area your welding, try cutting the electrodes in half with a good set of dikes...
save for the MIG, however arc welding is a valuable skill for trail repairs with batteries....
if your having problems with the rod being so long and away from the area your welding, try cutting the electrodes in half with a good set of dikes...
save for the MIG, however arc welding is a valuable skill for trail repairs with batteries....
The stick welder will be good for welding on older metal that has some rust or dirt on it. With the right rod you can weld up hill , upside down and fill in holes. I'm taking a welding class right now and have never welded before have didn't think the stick was any harder that mig. So far I have found tig to be the easyest. I would still rather have the mig but if you don't have the $$ for the mig get the stick.
The ARC welder is the best way to get a welder with some power for the least spent. The arc welder has some great flexability in what it can weld but takes some more practice than a mig and isn't as fast but most of us don't care so much about speed in getting it welded we just want it ON THERE! and an arc welder will have the power to do it.
With an arc welder you will have the stiger ahead of the weld you are putting down where with a mig you would have the gun pointed in the direction you are going is one big difference in the way you have to weld with them.
With an arc welder you will have the stiger ahead of the weld you are putting down where with a mig you would have the gun pointed in the direction you are going is one big difference in the way you have to weld with them.
Dean hit the good points of the arc...the main downside is you cant weld the real think stuff like body work very easily...I think the two best methods to learn are arc and oxy/acetylene...if you know how to do those two properly then you can pick up most any other style fairly easily, a blind monkey can learn to mig and tig is VERY similar to oxy/acetylene...another thing is make sure you get the ac/dc arc welder and not just ac...your machine will be more flexible that way...and I like welding dc better anyways...
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all true........i hadn't used the ac setting in awhile,so the other day i tried some ac to remind myself why i like dc- so much.Supergper said:
i almost always use 7018 ac rod on dc negative. with some practice you can lay beads that look just as good as mig. when you do you'll know it cause the slag peels itself for you.
Ok well that adds a whole new wrinkle to the subject. I can get the ac225 for 227 locally. Looks like the ac/dc is running in the 400 range. For that money looks like a mig 175 can be had for not much more. Does the dc function give you an advantage worth 200 dollars. Given the difference in price of the ac/dc a mig 175 seems like a better idea. Do yall think it is a good plan to use the ac225 till I feel I am ready to step up to more complicated projects and then sell it to put towards a mig. Sorry for all the newbie questions but the prospect of working with metal has really caught my attention. I just started fooling around with my angle grinder and borrowing friends welders to modify my truck and I am hooked.
ac will work fine, dc is just much nicer...but if you dont have dc then you wont know how much nicer it is for $227 its not a bad deal...I would suggest learning arc before youmove to mig...most people dont though...AND you will have a 225 machine vs. a 175 machine if you go arc...meaning you can weld most anything...
for $227 its not a bad deal...I would suggest learning arc before youmove to mig...most people dont though...AND you will have a 225 machine vs. a 175 machine if you go arc...meaning you can weld most anything...Re: Re: What is the downside to an arc welder.
seriously tho.....the rod does not get too hot to handle with gauntlets on.....
Damn dude......you're makin life hard on yourself......it's much easier to weld with your stick if you're holdin it.....:flipoff2:Grnscru said:
seriously tho.....the rod does not get too hot to handle with gauntlets on.....
So how does this thing look to you guys.
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here is the site
clarke welder
Does it seem to be a crappy welder or what.
here is the site
clarke welder
Does it seem to be a crappy welder or what.
although the price seems decent, another thing to look at is consumables...if you are welding on a weekend and need a contact tip, can you get it? With lincoln or miller or hobart I'm sure you can find someone around town that will have it...I honestly have never heard of clark welders...and I spend far too much time around the welding shops so are you gonna have to order your consumables on line??? Not telling you not to get it, just bringing up another point...
so are you gonna have to order your consumables on line??? Not telling you not to get it, just bringing up another point...
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just compared it the hobart,pretty similar. with an arc welder you get 100% duty cycle......weld till your eyes bleed. 30% duty cycle weld till it shuts you down then wait for it to cool,beats a 20% duty 110v flux machine though.imacsae said:
$460=bottle,regulator,wire. was shipping included?
I can usually talk companies into free shipping. The consumables issue is a real one though. Thanks for all the info guys you really gave me some things to think about. Looks like I won't impulsively be buying one tomorrow. Time to call some local welding supply shops and see what they have.
duty cycles are based on 10 minute intervals...so you could weld for 3 minutes then let it sit for 7 weld for 3 sit for 7 etc...unless you get to the higher end migs you will; usually have a low duty cycle...arcs are usually higher 90-100% duty cycles...you will never hit the duty cycle on an arc.
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Your statements on Duty Cycles are misleading. The small Lincoln Arc machines sold at Home Depot are only rated at 20% @ 225 Amps AC and 20% @ 125 Amps DC. You won't see 100% duty cycles until you hit the big industrial machines. However for example my Miller Maxstar 200 has a 60% duty cycle at 200 amps DC which translates into 100% duty cycle at 155 amps.larryboy said:
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