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Posted by DSuperglide@gmail.com on September 5, 2007, 6:36 pm
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I am new to welding and hoping to learn enough to make some money on
the side. Am currently looking at the Lincoln AC225 but was wondering
if I should spend the extra money to get an AC/DC unit. What are the
main differences between the two and their applications?
Thanks all!
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Posted by RoyJ on September 5, 2007, 8:19 pm
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DSuperglide@gmail.com wrote:
> I am new to welding and hoping to learn enough to make some money on
> the side. Am currently looking at the Lincoln AC225 but was wondering
> if I should spend the extra money to get an AC/DC unit. What are the
> main differences between the two and their applications?
> Thanks all!
>
DC gives a smoother weld with less spatter and allows a wider variety of
electrodes.
The general trend on this NG is to tout the need for a DC welder as the
only way to go. I'm of the opinion that 90% of the hobbyist /small
repair users can get along just fine with the AC only buzzbox. 6011 for
repair/rusty/dirty steel and 6013 for nice looking work on new projects
(eg Jeep bumpers and similar) will go a long way.
If you are really trying to make some money you will need to be able to
run some of the higher strength rods (eg 7018 and similar)as well as out
of position where DC is pretty much mandatory.
If you are just starting out, see if you can find a decent used 225
transformer style AC welder. I see them on www.craigslist.com for $50 to
$200 on a regular basis. I'd try for the $100 range as a start. The
Lincoln 'tombstone' welder is the standard but it has a tapped
transformer rather than the moveable shunt transformer (Miller
Thunderbolt). Shunt style has a finer amperage adjustment.
Any of these will require a 240 volt 50 amp circuit to be able to run
them at full power. The price of copper wire is enough to scare you
lately so price out your costs to get a suitable power source. There are
ways to 'get by' for less but none of them are really long term
satisfactory.
Stick welding is a smoky process, you will want to be able to weld out
of the wind and rain but with LOTS of ventilation. I have my welders
sitting next to the garage door. In nice weather I weld out on the
apron. In cold weather I move a vehicle out, weld there, open the door
when I'm finished.
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Posted by on September 5, 2007, 9:57 pm
Please log in for more thread options I agree with Roy with the exception of needing DC to use the higher
strength rods. You can get 7018 rod that will work well on AC. You
can also get 7018 rod that will not work well on AC.
Dan
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Posted by xmradio on September 5, 2007, 11:20 pm
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>I agree with Roy with the exception of needing DC to
>use the higher
> strength rods. You can get 7018 rod that will work
> well on AC. You
> can also get 7018 rod that will not work well on AC.
>
>
> Dan
>
Lincoln AC225, here, burned a lot of sticks. 5 or 6
years of use....did have an old tombstone, but got
tired of moving it around...or when I moved...
xman
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Posted by jp2express on September 6, 2007, 2:24 pm
Please log in for more thread options I missed the start of this thread. Perhaps because it was tagged as one of
those spam messages and got deleted.
Anyway, somebody wants to know whether I prefer an AC only machine or an
AC/DC machine?
The AC machine will cost almost half (half the parts), but I prefer the
AC/DC machine if I'm going to spend the money. Mostly because I think a DC
weld is a lot nicer than a crackling AC weld. I've also got the option of
going DC- or DC+ (positive or reverse polarity) to adjust my penetration.
There are Inverter machines that run DC only. Those are nice, but I like
having the ability to run some AC specific rods if the need arises (like
stick welding Aluminum in AC mode if I'm in a pinch).
There's my 2 cents!
>
>>I agree with Roy with the exception of needing DC to use the higher
>> strength rods. You can get 7018 rod that will work well on AC. You
>> can also get 7018 rod that will not work well on AC.
>>
>>
>> Dan
>>
> Lincoln AC225, here, burned a lot of sticks. 5 or 6 years of use....did
> have an old tombstone, but got tired of moving it around...or when I
> moved...
>
> xman
>
>
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> the side. Am currently looking at the Lincoln AC225 but was wondering
> if I should spend the extra money to get an AC/DC unit. What are the
> main differences between the two and their applications?
> Thanks all!
>