Buying a Welder
Buying a Welder
Guys,
Anyone know a decent make & model welder that is capable of welding on my boat & others that will handle up to 1/4" 5086? Wanna add handrails , rodholders, outriggers etc.....
Anyone know a decent make & model welder that is capable of welding on my boat & others that will handle up to 1/4" 5086? Wanna add handrails , rodholders, outriggers etc.....
There are basically two types that can be considered, mig or tig. Mig is the wire feed type machine that was used to build your boat and is better suited to production type welding where you are laying down a good bit of weld. Tig is better suited to small work, is more controllable, etc.
You can sometimes pick up used tig welders fairly reasonable. I'd look for something with a minimum of about 200 amps with A/C high frequency start in a Lincoln or Miller. Older machines are generally big & heavy but far less expensive. If you go that route be sure you get a single phase machine (unless you have access to 3 phase power in your shop).
You can sometimes pick up used tig welders fairly reasonable. I'd look for something with a minimum of about 200 amps with A/C high frequency start in a Lincoln or Miller. Older machines are generally big & heavy but far less expensive. If you go that route be sure you get a single phase machine (unless you have access to 3 phase power in your shop).
Last edited by Chaps on Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
It doesn't sound like the stuff you want to do will involve welding 1/4" to 1/4" so it might handle the job. Some machines are multi-function power supplies and can both tig & mig with the proper gear attached but they are not too common so it depends on the model you have.AlloyToy wrote:Thanks, yeah I have a Hobart Tig now at the shop..... may try it, or add a coil feed attachment. I don't know if it's powerful enough to weld 1/4" aluminum.
I was thinking of a Mig for home. Never did Mig.
If you want to go with a mig at home the first thing you want to confirm is you have adequate power in your panel to run the machine you decide to buy. I have a Lincoln mig in my shop that welds aluminum beautifully of virtually any thickness but I could never run it at home, it would probably brownout the neighborhood if it was cranked up.
LMAO.......your neighbors would love you. I'll practice a little more with the TIG.......the last thing I want is to blow holes through any part of the boat.Chaps wrote:It doesn't sound like the stuff you want to do will involve welding 1/4" to 1/4" so it might handle the job. Some machines are multi-function power supplies and can both tog & mig with the proper gear attached but they are not too common so it depends on the model you have.AlloyToy wrote:Thanks, yeah I have a Hobart Tig now at the shop..... may try it, or add a coil feed attachment. I don't know if it's powerful enough to weld 1/4" aluminum.
I was thinking of a Mig for home. Never did Mig.
If you want to go with a MIG at home the first thing you want to confirm is you have adequate power in your panel to run the machine you decide to buy. I have a Lincoln MIG in my shop that welds aluminum beautifully of virtually any thickness but I could never run it at home, it would probably brownout the neighborhood if it was cranked up.
Thank you for you help
- JETTYWOLF
- Contributor/donator/Location Nazi
- Posts: 6074
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 9:11 pm
- 16
- Location: Tree-hugger, USA...they call it FLA.
Are ya thinking of welding a ladder together AlloyToy?
That would be good practice with some nice thick aluminum pipe and plate for the steps. Then Maybe even weld it to the trailer instead of like mine which is bolted.....certainly would be permanant then, huh.
I want to learn so bad too....that I often thought about seeing if the local community college has welding classes in the evening. They used to have Captain License courses, I did them years ago.
I'd go to them if they had welding. To learn the proper ways of doing it, rather than some friend just showing me his habits.
Then there's the buying of a unit. I'd have to sell off alot of my G. Loomis collection to do that, right now.
That would be good practice with some nice thick aluminum pipe and plate for the steps. Then Maybe even weld it to the trailer instead of like mine which is bolted.....certainly would be permanant then, huh.
I want to learn so bad too....that I often thought about seeing if the local community college has welding classes in the evening. They used to have Captain License courses, I did them years ago.
I'd go to them if they had welding. To learn the proper ways of doing it, rather than some friend just showing me his habits.
Then there's the buying of a unit. I'd have to sell off alot of my G. Loomis collection to do that, right now.
Yeah Capt. Dave..........your ladder ROCKS!!!!!
I'll have something by spring.
I own a Tig as I mentioned but it's in a tough local and hard wired in the welding room of my shop. Gotta get creative there.
Here's something.......the place I bought my welder years back offers lifetime personal classes. Just bring in whatever, and they work with you and teach you the do's and don't's specific to that project
Time Man Time..............I'd rather fish then weld, but even bringing the boat to a local fab shop..........get in line
That's why choosing everything you want on a boat is important when ordering.........live N learn
I'll have something by spring.
I own a Tig as I mentioned but it's in a tough local and hard wired in the welding room of my shop. Gotta get creative there.
Here's something.......the place I bought my welder years back offers lifetime personal classes. Just bring in whatever, and they work with you and teach you the do's and don't's specific to that project
Time Man Time..............I'd rather fish then weld, but even bringing the boat to a local fab shop..........get in line
That's why choosing everything you want on a boat is important when ordering.........live N learn
- welder
- Site Admin
- Posts: 4667
- Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 11:51 pm
- 16
- Location: Whitesboro, Texas
- Contact:
Alloy Toy , what it would cost and what you might do to your boat , it would be more cost efficent to hire a pro. and get it over with.
Not doubting your work or skill lever but it would get done faster and you could do other things [ Like Fish ]
Either way we want pics before and after. :)
Not doubting your work or skill lever but it would get done faster and you could do other things [ Like Fish ]
Either way we want pics before and after. :)
Lester,
PacificV2325, Honda BF225
2386
PacificV2325, Honda BF225
2386
Little Things
Grab Rails, want to build a ladder like Capt. Dave's, Add rod Holders etc....just kickin it around
-
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2008 8:43 pm
- 16
- Location: Vermont
I have a Millermatic 200 w/spoolgun and have had good luck with it.
50 amp connection and puts out 250amps I feel comfortable welding
up to 3/8 and in some cases 1/2" plate though i will preheat in the case of the 1/2". I should think 150 to 200 amps of output should be fine for .25 to .25. With the mig you would either use a straight argon or if you need
a little more heat a helium 50% x argon 50% mix has always worked for me though welding with the mix is more tricky as far as torch postion and putting down somthing clean.
Being my first post I'd like to say hi to everyone. :D
50 amp connection and puts out 250amps I feel comfortable welding
up to 3/8 and in some cases 1/2" plate though i will preheat in the case of the 1/2". I should think 150 to 200 amps of output should be fine for .25 to .25. With the mig you would either use a straight argon or if you need
a little more heat a helium 50% x argon 50% mix has always worked for me though welding with the mix is more tricky as far as torch postion and putting down somthing clean.
Being my first post I'd like to say hi to everyone. :D
-
- Posts: 199
- Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:53 pm
- 16
- Location: Mexico
Bull, You mean pulsed mig? They are pretty cool. I've got a Lincoln PM350 that can weld .063 as easily as .250 with minimal distortion and heat affected zone. Skypoke has one too and he's pretty pleased with it. Python gun is almost mandatory if you want to take full advantage of the brains in the machine.Bullshipper wrote:We have 5 300 amp Miller migs at the shop, but no spool gun.
I was wondering if the newer square wave mig machines were worth the investment and if the python gun was the way to go.
This is some .080" 5052 scraps mig welded with .035" 5356 wire, pulse-on pulse mode with the 350 and I'm not anything close to being what I would call a good welder. Welds so smooth it looks like extruded t-bar.
1987 24' LaConner pilothouse workboat, 225 Suzuki
please view and like: https://www.facebook.com/bottompainting/
please view and like: https://www.facebook.com/bottompainting/
Yes, I tend to go too slow but the machine doesn't penalize me too much (which is a good thing). Vertical and overhead are just as forgiving too . . . I call it "welding for dummies".
1987 24' LaConner pilothouse workboat, 225 Suzuki
please view and like: https://www.facebook.com/bottompainting/
please view and like: https://www.facebook.com/bottompainting/
-
- Posts: 199
- Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:53 pm
- 16
- Location: Mexico
That weld looks pretty good to me.
I see a lot of variations in price on these units running from $4-$6K new which I imagine depends on the guns and wire feeders.
Any suggestions as to which feeder is best for a shop that will use it a lot, and if the pulsed machine really runs cool enough to use the air cooled gun?
The machine will also do tig on tight areas too, right?
I see a lot of variations in price on these units running from $4-$6K new which I imagine depends on the guns and wire feeders.
Any suggestions as to which feeder is best for a shop that will use it a lot, and if the pulsed machine really runs cool enough to use the air cooled gun?
The machine will also do tig on tight areas too, right?
I think the machine with the air cooled Python push-pull is now going for around $5500 from the on-line sellers. Probably about $1k less with a spool gun.Bullshipper wrote:That weld looks pretty good to me.
I see a lot of variations in price on these units running from $4-$6K new which I imagine depends on the guns and wire feeders.
Any suggestions as to which feeder is best for a shop that will use it a lot, and if the pulsed machine really runs cool enough to use the air cooled gun?
The machine will also do tig on tight areas too, right?
I've heard that the shops that use it for production (continuous) hull welding of thicker materials upgrade to the water cooled gun. The pulsing definitely keeps things cooler overall.
The machine is a great tig unit (and stick) too but not on aluminum because it is a DC machine. Fact is though that a lot of alloy welding you would normally need to do in tig can be done in mig with this machine because it will easily establish and maintain an arc at very low power levels.
Miller has a pulse machine too but I think the Lincoln has more capabilities. There are also some euro machines, can't remember their names though.
1987 24' LaConner pilothouse workboat, 225 Suzuki
please view and like: https://www.facebook.com/bottompainting/
please view and like: https://www.facebook.com/bottompainting/
-
- Posts: 199
- Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:53 pm
- 16
- Location: Mexico
- welder
- Site Admin
- Posts: 4667
- Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 11:51 pm
- 16
- Location: Whitesboro, Texas
- Contact:
We can tig weld on just about any machine [ stainless or mild steel ] with an air cooled scratch start torch, piece of cake .
Now to do aluminum we are going to need a AC machine and a High Freq. unit . I had on on a Lincoln G7 portable . It was good for repairs on 1/16" and thicker as you could not controll the lower heat good enough.
Machines are like Boats no one machine can do it all , Perfect.
Now to do aluminum we are going to need a AC machine and a High Freq. unit . I had on on a Lincoln G7 portable . It was good for repairs on 1/16" and thicker as you could not controll the lower heat good enough.
Machines are like Boats no one machine can do it all , Perfect.
Lester,
PacificV2325, Honda BF225
2386
PacificV2325, Honda BF225
2386