[TheForge] Traditional Smithing, and buzz boxes

[theforge@mailman.qth.net]

The great thing about the Lincoln AC225 is that it will outlive you.  A
lot of friends started there and then upgraded to migs, but none
of them got rid of their original lincoln.  It will take a lot of
abuse.   Regarding sheet metal, adjusting the lincoln welder is no
problem, its adjusting the weldor.   Or have I got the words
backwords.   In any case, welding thin sheet with an AC crackerbox takes
a
steady hand with lots of practice.  Burn through is easy.   You can
improve things somewhat by backing the weld up with a piece of copper
plate if the weld isn't structural, but its still a pain in the behind. 
I stuck with my lincoln longer than most of my metalworking
friends because I could lay a cleaner, stronger bead with it then they
could with their cheap flux core wire welders, followed by cheap
mig weldors.   Then one of my friends bought a high end Miller Mig.  
Now I want one.  Bad.  But I still wouldn't sell my lincoln.
Wether you buy a stick weldor or a Mig, don't even think of leaving the
welding shop without an autodarkening helmet.  In the past, the
hardest part of learning to weld was you had to do it blind.     An
autodarkening helmet will put you six months or more ahead in
technique, even more if you weld infrequently.   Another piece of advice
when you start to weld -- remember to watch the puddle, not the
arc.  Most beginners I teach are distracted by the bright shiny arc and
totally forget to watch the weld puddle and the weld shows it.
Final piece of advice, if you are learning on a flux core or stick,  get
a piece of quarter inch thick mild steel about a foot square.
Practice laying beads on this before you try anything more
complicated.   This will help you get the technique down in the best and
easiest circumstance.  I still do this after twenty years if I haven't
laid a bead recently.  Also, use your chipping hammer and knock any
and all slag off after laying each bead.  When your new, you cant tell
anything about weld quality when it is covered in slag, they all
look like crap.   Don't use an angle grinder to clean the slag off your
welds since it will remove not only the slag but many of  the
telltales of quality.   If you doing real welding you only use an angle
grinder to prepare for a weld, never to finish it.   If you want
to automate the slag removal process, get a needle gun.  These are also
great for peening a cast iron weld.

Anyhow, these are a few of the things I wish someone had told me twenty
years ago before I climbed underneath my car and performed my
first ever weld upside down and six inches from the gas tank on some
cracked differential mounting pins.


Charles




marilyn traber 011221 wrote:

> > Phlip:
> >
> > The first arc welder I had was a lincoln AC225.  It was a good machine.  If I was going to buy a low end arc welder today, I would
> probably go with the AC/DC 225.  You can typically do more (run a wider variety of rods) with DC.
> >
> > A number of folks on this list like the bottom of the line Miller better than the lincoln cause you can adjust it to a finer degree.
> >
> > I think the main thing is to stick with a brand.
> >
> > Phil
>
> OK, Phil, thanks for your opinion. Is the Lincoln wire feed or stick?
> Could it be adjusted to deal with light (20-12 guage) sheet as well
> as heavier bar stock? Since I intend to keep this machine for a while,
> would I be better off going for a higher end machine?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Phlip
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