Arc Welder

There are several kinds of "arc welders" The most common is an AC stick welder - also called a "buzz box". Then there are DC stick welders. Or AC /DC stick welders.

Then there are wire feed welders - known as MIG (metal inert gas) welders, and TIG welders (tungsten Inert Gas) - also known as Heliarc. The TIG is really an electric torch.

What you are looking at is most likely a "buzz box".

Just to add that the welder is a Speedway Series 100AMP Arc Welder.

Thank you,

That's a small, very inexpensive import welder. Maybe good for learning and hobby work (like porch railings, etc), but given the choice I'd keep looking. I have a similar one and it's not a lot of fun to use. Wouldn't pay more than $75 max for it.

GTO(John)

If you don't know what the available types of welders are, you aren't ready to buy one. You need to educate yourself a bit more...and asking here is one way to do that of course, but getting training in a class, reading some books, and doing some web searches are even better ways. I know this is true, because I'm interested in the same question myself, and have been working on it using those methods in my spare time for a few months now (except the "take a class" one...don't seem to be any around here at the moment).

Another responder listed the most common types available in the electric welder class, but don't forget OAW (Oxy-Acetylene Welding). It has some advantages over the electric types, as well as disadvantages, but it's worth considering depending on your needs. Having a torch around can be useful for cutting, heat treating, bending, annealing, pre-heating, and playing noisy practical jokes on unsuspecting victims...things you can't do very easily with any electric welder. A OAW torch is also portable (i.e. no need for a power source to plug it in). Most shops I've seen have one, even if they also have TIG, MIG or other types around.

The various methods of welding (not all of which require a torch at all...such as the thermite welding they use on railroad tracks on the D.C. Metro system) all have their uses, and limitations. Buying one without knowing ahead of time what you are going to use it for is like buying a wrench without knowing the intended use. You could end up with a nice ratcheting box wrench and actually need a pipe wrench.

My limited (so far) understanding says that it breaks down sort of like this in the electric arena (happy to hear corrections from those who know more if I've got any of this wrong):

Arc/stick welders: good for easy welding on steel, even fairly thick steel, without requiring a huge amount of skill in most cases. Not so good on thin (sheet) metal, or where a pretty bead is needed (you get breaks where you have to stop to change welding rods). The sheilding comes from flux, which you either dip the welding rod (which is also the electrode) into, or have pre-coated on the rods, and this flux will leave a glassy slag on the work which will have to be chipped off afterwards. Not very useful for welding stainless, copper, aluminum, etc., but they tend to be the cheapest form of electric welder.

MIG or "wire feed" welders: good for easy welding on steel, or, with the right wire and gas combination, other metals, such as aluminum. Used for things like welding exhaust systems, body work and light structural stuff (up to about 1/4" thick). They are fairly easy to use, and can come with a variety of capabilities, depending on price. They start at prices about the same as a good arc welder, and go up from there. Can be used with or without gas, depending on what you are doing and what sort of wire you are using. With gas, rather than flux-cored wire, you don't get slag, so cleanup is not required, except for appearance. Probably the most common welders for auto work or light fabrication and for hobbyists.

TIG welders: expensive, tricky to master (have to coordinate both hands and one foot, all doing different things at the same time), and the most capable of all. Can weld almost anything that can be welded, including steel, aluminum, stainless steel, and copper. The arc provides the heat, with the current controlled by a foot pedal, and fill metal is added with the other hand, same as with OAW. The electrode is not consumed by the weld (unless you screw up ;-). Some fancy TIG welders are programmable so that current is varried exactly as needed for startup, shutdown, and welding for the material being worked on so you get a predictable weld every time...with a skilled welder. The precise heat control can allow welding of very thin work without as much heat distortion as you will get with stick or MIG or OAW.

That's what I remember from my reading anyway. So far I've been concentrating on OAW myself, with the electric stuff left for "some day". OAW seems to be the most flexible system to start with, and the skills developed will come in handy if I ever try TIG welding (coordinating torch hand and filler rod hand while watching and controlling the melt puddle to form a good penetrating weld). It's also probably the cheapest way to start...though you can buy expensive torches if you want to (like the Henrob/Dillon II). I figure that a OAW setup will always be useful for something, even if I end up getting a MIG or TIG later, so I started there. YMMV.

Good luck! Whatever you do, learn and practice the safety rules for whatever you get. This stuff can kill you if you are unlucky and careless, and will hurt you in lesser ways in a hearbeat if you don't do it just right. Proper training, however you do it, is a wise move. Half the stuff I've found so far never would have occured to me on my own...(like all arc welders putting out strong UV, the vapors from some metals and fluxes being toxic, and being sure to stand in the right place when you first crack the valve on a high pressure tank of O2...all seems obvious enough *now*, but it wasn't until I read about it...)

-- Mike B.

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I should add that that $75 is for a new one. Used, less than $50.

GTO(John)

Given what I've paid for "real" welders, I'd be hard pressed to pay even half that. I bought a good Emerson 180 amp unit for $30 several years ago - and it is still being used at my brother's automotive shop when he needs a stick welder. The fan motor needed to be cleaned and lubed, and the "buzzing" had vibrated a connection loose inside - which simply required tightening a nut. It is a multi-tap type, not infinitely adjustable.

I also have a 230 Craftsman infinitely adjustable that cost me less than the asking price for the Speedway 100. And I'm talking Canadian Bucks.

I recommend that you begin with a MIG welder, preferably with gas shielding and solid wire. At the same time, remember that you will usually need to cut the metal to fit prior to welding. Fitting takes most of the time. The welding time is comparatively short. A metal-cutting blade in a sawzall or an abrasive cutoff saw are preferable to a torch.

I wanted to say "forget that little box of crap and buy a used Lincoln AC225 for $50" to the OP, but having looked for cheap welders locally I know it isn't always possible. I have yet to find a 230V buzzbox around here that was worth buying at the asking price. Seems like everyone else gets them by the pound at farm auctions and the like.

GTO(John)

Speedway is the "house" brand for Homier. They do a travelling truckload tool sale and they sell REALLY cheap tools. Although they do have a few decent deals they make Harbor Freight look like Snap-On in most cases.

The only stick welder they currently list on their site is a 100 amp unit that requires 220V and their current price is only $39.99 so I wouldn't pay more than half that for a used one and you still probably won't have much of a welder but for $20 it would be worth playing around with.

If it is that one, don't forget that it requires 220V so you'll have to be sure you have that available. A dryer outlet is usually the best option for a welder that small but they're not normally in the most convenient location.

To see if it's the same welder visit their site at:

Click on any of the "icons" on the main page and you'll see a search window near the top. Enter 01433 and you should get the welder. If not, search for "welder" and you'll get that one plus a flux-core wirefeed unit and a few welding accessories.

Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com

"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers (1879-1935).

For a good stick welder, I have one for sale. It goes from 25amp all the way to 235 amp. It is very quiet and only has approx. 6 hrs of use on it. It has been covered and kept very clean since new. I am asking only $200.00 Canadian for it.It is a 220 volt system as well and operates on a 40 amp input. I could email some pictures to you if you are interested. I am in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada but will ship whereever you are at you cost. It does not take up alot of room and is on a rolling frame as well.

Invest some money in classes instead of equipment. You could lose enough on buying equipment you know absolutely nothing about to pay for the classes, and your personal protective equipment. Go to the library and read books on the subject. Go to welding supply houses and pick up brochures on machines, and start reading up and learning the terms.

At the classes, you will be exposed to various types of welders and welding, and you will be able to make a much more informed choice when you are ready to buy a welder. Welding machines are as plentiful as leaves on trees. But they can be a large PITA if you buy one not suited to your application, or that you can't keep running because it a cheap POS or you can't get parts because it is obsolete, or made on Mars. Wait until you know EXACTLY what you want, then shop price. Lots of good "buzz boxes" out there that can be had for $50, and lots of crap that you would be just wasting money on. You need to know how to tell the difference.

If you are interested in welding, start at "GO" and go for it. Take every step, and don't miss putting every brick in your learning wall. That way, you will end up with a solid wall. Start at the beginning and take one step at a time.

But then again, there is something to be said about just getting a machine and some rod and a hood and gettin' after it. It just takes longer to learn and costs more in the end. Money that you could have spent on additional tools.

Steve, who has welded for 30 years now.

On Fri, 03 Sep 2004 04:32:58 GMT, "Keith Marshall" calmly ranted:

That is the most insightful description of Homier I've ever read.

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A machine tool dealer offered me a big old Lincoln 300amp single phase welder yesterday. Gray, round top..about the size of a Big washing machine. Tig with two different bottles. One argon, couldnt see the other. On a wheeled cart, and had the proper foot peddle and stick welding stinger and ground clamps.

It was behind a number of big machines so I couldnt get up close, but looked pretty good from a moderate distance. They went to an inverter machine and stuck this in the corner. Shrug.

He wants $500 and or take it out in trade/finders fees etc.

Any idea of what it is and is it worth that much money?

Thanks,

Gunner

"In my humble opinion, the petty carping levied against Bush by the Democrats proves again, it is better to have your eye plucked out by an eagle than to be nibbled to death by ducks." - Norman Liebmann

I like the "Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding Design and Practice" from the Lincoln Electric company. Good stuff in it and they want you to have it so badly, they practically give it away. (or used to)

bob g.

Mike Bartman wrote: