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Welding Forums - Welding of materials for manufacture & repair.
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Posted by HC on June 27, 2008, 1:12 am
Please log in for more thread options
Someone named/going by Steamboat Ed (steamer) read the following post
I had put in rec.metalworking and said I should post it here and ask
Ernie so here it is below. Thank anyone for your time. I basically
got two responses over there and only one really tried to address my
base question which is about a couple of machines I'm thinking of
buying to replace my current welder.
Original post below------
Hey, all, I currently have a Hobart Stickmate 235/160 AC/DC machine
and I am thinking of buying a larger machine; what I'd like is to know
thoughts and opinions about what would be a good machine to get.
I mostly do hobby welding but that may include hours of continuous
welding (I sometimes, rarely, will weld for a couple of hours non-
stop). I build smokers and have also built metal brackets to use to
raise my concrete foundation on my house (and lots of other projects),
and almost all the material I weld on is 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch thick.
Mostly I use 6010 or 6011 rods which are 1/8 inch diameter, although I
have found a really good use for 3/16 inch diameter 6010 rods. I have
also used 5/32 6013 and 7014, and most all of this has been done with
DC at the maximum output of my welder, 160 amps (well, whatever it
puts out when it's cranked up fully, nominally it is 160 amps).
I was in the middle of building 35 brackets to go under my foundation
last year when, POP, my little Hobart went from humming along to being
noisy as hell and it's never gotten quiet again. I'm not sure what
changed, maybe an adjustment screw on the slider in the thing fell
out, who knows? It gets hotter than hell (even with a 120 V, 112 CFM
fan scabbed over a hole immediately over the rectifier in the thing).
I don't use it all day any day, but, from time to time, I will crank
it up and burn rods for, literally, a couple of hours. I do a fair
amount of welding in the 90-120 amp range with 6011 rods that are 1/8
inch diameter, and also some 7018, 6013, 7014 rods, all at 1/8 inch
diameter at various amperages, but never anything below 75 amps.
I feel I'm asking too much, at the higher output, from my little
machine and would like a larger one. I live in rural (sort of, we
have a 24/7 Supercenter about 4 miles from me; how rural can it be?)
north central Texas and my power feed from the grid is what we call
220 VAC, 60 Hz (but, with my RMS meter is really 250 VAC). Whatever
it is, it is single phase and not strung between two of the grid's
phases (208, I believe) as I have spoken to the utility to be sure.
My shop is fed off a 100 amp breaker from the power pole and has a 100
amp main breaker in the power panel/breaker box.
So, I started looking at the Lincoln Idealarc 250 with PFC (power
factor correction) it can draw as much as 68 amps at 230 VAC supply (I
presume that is what I have here as it is the closest of the voltages
I've seen to my voltage). I looked at a comparable (sort of) Miller
unit the Dialarc 250 AC/DC which, with PFC, gets me down to 60 amps
draw at less than its rated max output (225 amps output, DC).
It seems both could do what I need and run on my available power,
although, my outlets in the shop are 50 amp, so I may have to change
receptacles and breakers (or, at least breakers). But, the Miller rep
was at the shop I stopped at and he gave me the sales pitch on the
Shopmate 300 DX. Skip most of the tedious details and it seems like
it's the equivalent of a giant switch-mode power supply (like in our
computers). It draws less amps at max output (57 amps) and has a
higher duty cycle at 60% at 250 amps. It weighs about half as much as
the Miller or Lincoln machines I mentioned previously (testament to
that it probably is a switch-mode power supply), and can support TIG
if I choose to do that, and, according to the rep (who would probably
sell his mother for a nickel so I'm not hanging on his every word
here), it has arc characteristics that are similar to a three-phase
machine (which I've never used so how would I know three-phase
characteristics from meatloaf?). It can also support MIG, but since I
have a Millermatic 210 that I'm happy with for my light-weight stuff
that is not an attraction for me.
Anyway, since any one of these machines is gonna set me back about
2,300 bucks I'd like to see what thoughts and opinions and experiences
you folks might be able to pass on to help me make a better decision;
I'd like to not spend that kind of money and hate it a few months
later.
Thank you for your time and information.
--HC
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Posted by Ernie Leimkuhler on June 27, 2008, 1:57 am
Please log in for more thread options
OK to sum up you fried your little Stickmate, and would like to upgrade
to something bigger.
You have reasonably stable mains power, but not a lot of it.
On the machines you list, any of the transformer machines would work,
but I would avoid the shopmate like the plague.
Miller invented that machine for schools, and that is where it should
stay.
The best machine that I can recommend is the Miller CST280 inverter.
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/stick/cst-280/
List price is around $2300, but the real price is more like $1900.
I bought one for my school 2.5 years ago and it has been a workhorse
ever since.
Absolutely excellent stick welder, and can be used for basic TIG.
It can use a foot pedal, but does not have high freq. start, AC output,
or a gas valve.
You can use a gas valve body TIG torch and it does have lift arc start.
Aluminum up to 1/8" can be TIG welded using DC Electrode Positive, and
a very large tungsten.
The best bit is the power efficiency.
It makes 6010 rod crackle with joy, and runs 7018 at a purr.
At school we run it for extended periods of 180 - 210 amps output and
it has never complained once.
I put it above all the transformers you listed, and also Lincoln's
comparable inverter machine, simply because Miller has inverters down
pat.
You will love the portability.
The other viable option would be a generator machine, but with fuel
prices soaring I am not sure how that would effect your bottom line.
BTW I built a HUGE smoker/BBQ for the school from an old 300 gallon air
tank.
Works great.
I have a 500 gallon tank I am tempted to build into a trailer mounted
Smoker/BBQ.
In article
> Someone named/going by Steamboat Ed (steamer) read the following post
> I had put in rec.metalworking and said I should post it here and ask
> Ernie so here it is below. Thank anyone for your time. I basically
> got two responses over there and only one really tried to address my
> base question which is about a couple of machines I'm thinking of
> buying to replace my current welder.
>
> Original post below------
>
> Hey, all, I currently have a Hobart Stickmate 235/160 AC/DC machine
> and I am thinking of buying a larger machine; what I'd like is to know
> thoughts and opinions about what would be a good machine to get.
>
> I mostly do hobby welding but that may include hours of continuous
> welding (I sometimes, rarely, will weld for a couple of hours non-
> stop). I build smokers and have also built metal brackets to use to
> raise my concrete foundation on my house (and lots of other projects),
> and almost all the material I weld on is 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch thick.
> Mostly I use 6010 or 6011 rods which are 1/8 inch diameter, although I
> have found a really good use for 3/16 inch diameter 6010 rods. I have
> also used 5/32 6013 and 7014, and most all of this has been done with
> DC at the maximum output of my welder, 160 amps (well, whatever it
> puts out when it's cranked up fully, nominally it is 160 amps).
>
> I was in the middle of building 35 brackets to go under my foundation
> last year when, POP, my little Hobart went from humming along to being
> noisy as hell and it's never gotten quiet again. I'm not sure what
> changed, maybe an adjustment screw on the slider in the thing fell
> out, who knows? It gets hotter than hell (even with a 120 V, 112 CFM
> fan scabbed over a hole immediately over the rectifier in the thing).
> I don't use it all day any day, but, from time to time, I will crank
> it up and burn rods for, literally, a couple of hours. I do a fair
> amount of welding in the 90-120 amp range with 6011 rods that are 1/8
> inch diameter, and also some 7018, 6013, 7014 rods, all at 1/8 inch
> diameter at various amperages, but never anything below 75 amps.
>
> I feel I'm asking too much, at the higher output, from my little
> machine and would like a larger one. I live in rural (sort of, we
> have a 24/7 Supercenter about 4 miles from me; how rural can it be?)
> north central Texas and my power feed from the grid is what we call
> 220 VAC, 60 Hz (but, with my RMS meter is really 250 VAC). Whatever
> it is, it is single phase and not strung between two of the grid's
> phases (208, I believe) as I have spoken to the utility to be sure.
> My shop is fed off a 100 amp breaker from the power pole and has a 100
> amp main breaker in the power panel/breaker box.
>
> So, I started looking at the Lincoln Idealarc 250 with PFC (power
> factor correction) it can draw as much as 68 amps at 230 VAC supply (I
> presume that is what I have here as it is the closest of the voltages
> I've seen to my voltage). I looked at a comparable (sort of) Miller
> unit the Dialarc 250 AC/DC which, with PFC, gets me down to 60 amps
> draw at less than its rated max output (225 amps output, DC).
>
> It seems both could do what I need and run on my available power,
> although, my outlets in the shop are 50 amp, so I may have to change
> receptacles and breakers (or, at least breakers). But, the Miller rep
> was at the shop I stopped at and he gave me the sales pitch on the
> Shopmate 300 DX. Skip most of the tedious details and it seems like
> it's the equivalent of a giant switch-mode power supply (like in our
> computers). It draws less amps at max output (57 amps) and has a
> higher duty cycle at 60% at 250 amps. It weighs about half as much as
> the Miller or Lincoln machines I mentioned previously (testament to
> that it probably is a switch-mode power supply), and can support TIG
> if I choose to do that, and, according to the rep (who would probably
> sell his mother for a nickel so I'm not hanging on his every word
> here), it has arc characteristics that are similar to a three-phase
> machine (which I've never used so how would I know three-phase
> characteristics from meatloaf?). It can also support MIG, but since I
> have a Millermatic 210 that I'm happy with for my light-weight stuff
> that is not an attraction for me.
>
> Anyway, since any one of these machines is gonna set me back about
> 2,300 bucks I'd like to see what thoughts and opinions and experiences
> you folks might be able to pass on to help me make a better decision;
> I'd like to not spend that kind of money and hate it a few months
> later.
>
> Thank you for your time and information.
>
> --HC
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Posted by HC on June 30, 2008, 11:38 am
Please log in for more thread options Hey, Ernie, thank you for your reply.
I looked that machine up and it sounds good to me. I like the lower
power consumption over the transformer/traditional styles. It's cool
that it could do some TIG work as, while I was working in the shop
yesterday, I was wondering if that process might work better for some
work I'm doing where I do short welds in an open area and my MIG is
leaving too much metal (even with the wire speed adjusted down).
Since I do all my work in the shop a generator machine isn't going to
do what I need; I have extended periods of setup and then intermittent
welds to make so a grid-supplied unit is ideal.
I'm not sure what part of the country you're in but I get my trailer
kits (axle, springs, hubs, bearings, hitch, et cetera) from
abctrailerparts.com in Alabama (I'm in Texas). It's a small outfit, I
think just the one guy, Randy, but he's been good to take care of my
orders for several years and the one time I had a problem with an axle
he got it taken care of. If you contact him, tell him Hartford sent
you. It won't get either of us a break on the price but it will
spread goodwill with him knowing I pointed business his way.
Just in case you've never done it, don't use an old propane tank if
you can help it. Whatever they put in those things to make the
propane smell is tenacious; I cut one up to make a charcoal cooker and
I took it to the car wash and pressure washed the inside (after I had
it cut open) and then make my cooker from it. It still smelled bad. I
had to build a couple of wood fires in it to get a coating on it and
I'm not convinced that I couldn't still smell that stuff some; I never
cooked on it. I did, however, not find any evidence of the "pockets
of gas" that everyone around here claim remain in the tank; the
propane had long since vacated the tank, it was jut the stink that was
left.
Thanks again.
--HC
> OK to sum up you fried your little Stickmate, and would like to upgrade
> to something bigger.
> You have reasonably stable mains power, but not a lot of it.
>
> On the machines you list, any of the transformer machines would work,
> but I would avoid the shopmate like the plague.
> Miller invented that machine for schools, and that is where it should
> stay.
>
> The best machine that I can recommend is the Miller CST280 inverter.
>
> http://www.millerwelds.com/products/stick/cst-280/
>
> List price is around $2300, but the real price is more like $1900.
> I bought one for my school 2.5 years ago and it has been a workhorse
> ever since.
> Absolutely excellent stick welder, and can be used for basic TIG.
> It can use a foot pedal, but does not have high freq. start, AC output,
> or a gas valve.
> You can use a gas valve body TIG torch and it does have lift arc start.
> Aluminum up to 1/8" can be TIG welded using DC Electrode Positive, and
> a very large tungsten.
>
> The best bit is the power efficiency.
> It makes 6010 rod crackle with joy, and runs 7018 at a purr.
>
> At school we run it for extended periods of 180 - 210 amps output and
> it has never complained once.
>
> I put it above all the transformers you listed, and also Lincoln's
> comparable inverter machine, simply because Miller has inverters down
> pat.
>
> You will love the portability.
>
> The other viable option would be a generator machine, but with fuel
> prices soaring I am not sure how that would effect your bottom line.
>
> BTW I built a HUGE smoker/BBQ for the school from an old 300 gallon air
> tank.
> Works great.
> I have a 500 gallon tank I am tempted to build into a trailer mounted
> Smoker/BBQ.
>
> In article
>
> > Someone named/going by Steamboat Ed (steamer) read the following post
> > I had put in rec.metalworking and said I should post it here and ask
> > Ernie so here it is below. Thank anyone for your time. I basically
> > got two responses over there and only one really tried to address my
> > base question which is about a couple of machines I'm thinking of
> > buying to replace my current welder.
>
> > Original post below------
>
> > Hey, all, I currently have a Hobart Stickmate 235/160 AC/DC machine
> > and I am thinking of buying a larger machine; what I'd like is to know
> > thoughts and opinions about what would be a good machine to get.
>
> > I mostly do hobby welding but that may include hours of continuous
> > welding (I sometimes, rarely, will weld for a couple of hours non-
> > stop). I build smokers and have also built metal brackets to use to
> > raise my concrete foundation on my house (and lots of other projects),
> > and almost all the material I weld on is 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch thick.
> > Mostly I use 6010 or 6011 rods which are 1/8 inch diameter, although I
> > have found a really good use for 3/16 inch diameter 6010 rods. I have
> > also used 5/32 6013 and 7014, and most all of this has been done with
> > DC at the maximum output of my welder, 160 amps (well, whatever it
> > puts out when it's cranked up fully, nominally it is 160 amps).
>
> > I was in the middle of building 35 brackets to go under my foundation
> > last year when, POP, my little Hobart went from humming along to being
> > noisy as hell and it's never gotten quiet again. I'm not sure what
> > changed, maybe an adjustment screw on the slider in the thing fell
> > out, who knows? It gets hotter than hell (even with a 120 V, 112 CFM
> > fan scabbed over a hole immediately over the rectifier in the thing).
> > I don't use it all day any day, but, from time to time, I will crank
> > it up and burn rods for, literally, a couple of hours. I do a fair
> > amount of welding in the 90-120 amp range with 6011 rods that are 1/8
> > inch diameter, and also some 7018, 6013, 7014 rods, all at 1/8 inch
> > diameter at various amperages, but never anything below 75 amps.
>
> > I feel I'm asking too much, at the higher output, from my little
> > machine and would like a larger one. I live in rural (sort of, we
> > have a 24/7 Supercenter about 4 miles from me; how rural can it be?)
> > north central Texas and my power feed from the grid is what we call
> > 220 VAC, 60 Hz (but, with my RMS meter is really 250 VAC). Whatever
> > it is, it is single phase and not strung between two of the grid's
> > phases (208, I believe) as I have spoken to the utility to be sure.
> > My shop is fed off a 100 amp breaker from the power pole and has a 100
> > amp main breaker in the power panel/breaker box.
>
> > So, I started looking at the Lincoln Idealarc 250 with PFC (power
> > factor correction) it can draw as much as 68 amps at 230 VAC supply (I
> > presume that is what I have here as it is the closest of the voltages
> > I've seen to my voltage). I looked at a comparable (sort of) Miller
> > unit the Dialarc 250 AC/DC which, with PFC, gets me down to 60 amps
> > draw at less than its rated max output (225 amps output, DC).
>
> > It seems both could do what I need and run on my available power,
> > although, my outlets in the shop are 50 amp, so I may have to change
> > receptacles and breakers (or, at least breakers). But, the Miller rep
> > was at the shop I stopped at and he gave me the sales pitch on the
> > Shopmate 300 DX. Skip most of the tedious details and it seems like
> > it's the equivalent of a giant switch-mode power supply (like in our
> > computers). It draws less amps at max output (57 amps) and has a
> > higher duty cycle at 60% at 250 amps. It weighs about half as much as
> > the Miller or Lincoln machines I mentioned previously (testament to
> > that it probably is a switch-mode power supply), and can support TIG
> > if I choose to do that, and, according to the rep (who would probably
> > sell his mother for a nickel so I'm not hanging on his every word
> > here), it has arc characteristics that are similar to a three-phase
> > machine (which I've never used so how would I know three-phase
> > characteristics from meatloaf?). It can also support MIG, but since I
> > have a Millermatic 210 that I'm happy with for my light-weight stuff
> > that is not an attraction for me.
>
> > Anyway, since any one of these machines is gonna set me back about
> > 2,300 bucks I'd like to see what thoughts and opinions and experiences
> > you folks might be able to pass on to help me make a better decision;
> > I'd like to not spend that kind of money and hate it a few months
> > later.
>
> > Thank you for your time and information.
>
> > --HC
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|
Posted by Ernie Leimkuhler on June 30, 2008, 10:35 pm
Please log in for more thread options In article
> Hey, Ernie, thank you for your reply.
>
> I looked that machine up and it sounds good to me. I like the lower
> power consumption over the transformer/traditional styles. It's cool
> that it could do some TIG work as, while I was working in the shop
> yesterday, I was wondering if that process might work better for some
> work I'm doing where I do short welds in an open area and my MIG is
> leaving too much metal (even with the wire speed adjusted down).
> Since I do all my work in the shop a generator machine isn't going to
> do what I need; I have extended periods of setup and then intermittent
> welds to make so a grid-supplied unit is ideal.
>
> I'm not sure what part of the country you're in but I get my trailer
> kits (axle, springs, hubs, bearings, hitch, et cetera) from
> abctrailerparts.com in Alabama (I'm in Texas). It's a small outfit, I
> think just the one guy, Randy, but he's been good to take care of my
> orders for several years and the one time I had a problem with an axle
> he got it taken care of. If you contact him, tell him Hartford sent
> you. It won't get either of us a break on the price but it will
> spread goodwill with him knowing I pointed business his way.
>
> Just in case you've never done it, don't use an old propane tank if
> you can help it. Whatever they put in those things to make the
> propane smell is tenacious; I cut one up to make a charcoal cooker and
> I took it to the car wash and pressure washed the inside (after I had
> it cut open) and then make my cooker from it. It still smelled bad. I
> had to build a couple of wood fires in it to get a coating on it and
> I'm not convinced that I couldn't still smell that stuff some; I never
> cooked on it. I did, however, not find any evidence of the "pockets
> of gas" that everyone around here claim remain in the tank; the
> propane had long since vacated the tank, it was jut the stink that was
> left.
>
> Thanks again.
>
> --HC
>
The chemical is called Methyl Mercaptan.
It is one of the stinkiest things on earth.
The only way I know to get rid of it is it burn it out with a BIG
rosebud tip.
For the home smoker I am building the main tank is going to be a 100
gallon air tank.
The smoker I built last year at school is a 300 gallon air tank that
came from our air system.
The BIG tank at school is a 500 gallon air tank I found at the junk
yard for scrap price of around $180.
> > OK to sum up you fried your little Stickmate, and would like to upgrade
> > to something bigger.
> > You have reasonably stable mains power, but not a lot of it.
> >
> > On the machines you list, any of the transformer machines would work,
> > but I would avoid the shopmate like the plague.
> > Miller invented that machine for schools, and that is where it should
> > stay.
> >
> > The best machine that I can recommend is the Miller CST280 inverter.
> >
> > http://www.millerwelds.com/products/stick/cst-280/
> >
> > List price is around $2300, but the real price is more like $1900.
> > I bought one for my school 2.5 years ago and it has been a workhorse
> > ever since.
> > Absolutely excellent stick welder, and can be used for basic TIG.
> > It can use a foot pedal, but does not have high freq. start, AC output,
> > or a gas valve.
> > You can use a gas valve body TIG torch and it does have lift arc start.
> > Aluminum up to 1/8" can be TIG welded using DC Electrode Positive, and
> > a very large tungsten.
> >
> > The best bit is the power efficiency.
> > It makes 6010 rod crackle with joy, and runs 7018 at a purr.
> >
> > At school we run it for extended periods of 180 - 210 amps output and
> > it has never complained once.
> >
> > I put it above all the transformers you listed, and also Lincoln's
> > comparable inverter machine, simply because Miller has inverters down
> > pat.
> >
> > You will love the portability.
> >
> > The other viable option would be a generator machine, but with fuel
> > prices soaring I am not sure how that would effect your bottom line.
> >
> > BTW I built a HUGE smoker/BBQ for the school from an old 300 gallon air
> > tank.
> > Works great.
> > I have a 500 gallon tank I am tempted to build into a trailer mounted
> > Smoker/BBQ.
> >
> > In article
> >
> > > Someone named/going by Steamboat Ed (steamer) read the following post
> > > I had put in rec.metalworking and said I should post it here and ask
> > > Ernie so here it is below. Thank anyone for your time. I basically
> > > got two responses over there and only one really tried to address my
> > > base question which is about a couple of machines I'm thinking of
> > > buying to replace my current welder.
> >
> > > Original post below------
> >
> > > Hey, all, I currently have a Hobart Stickmate 235/160 AC/DC machine
> > > and I am thinking of buying a larger machine; what I'd like is to know
> > > thoughts and opinions about what would be a good machine to get.
> >
> > > I mostly do hobby welding but that may include hours of continuous
> > > welding (I sometimes, rarely, will weld for a couple of hours non-
> > > stop). I build smokers and have also built metal brackets to use to
> > > raise my concrete foundation on my house (and lots of other projects),
> > > and almost all the material I weld on is 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch thick.
> > > Mostly I use 6010 or 6011 rods which are 1/8 inch diameter, although I
> > > have found a really good use for 3/16 inch diameter 6010 rods. I have
> > > also used 5/32 6013 and 7014, and most all of this has been done with
> > > DC at the maximum output of my welder, 160 amps (well, whatever it
> > > puts out when it's cranked up fully, nominally it is 160 amps).
> >
> > > I was in the middle of building 35 brackets to go under my foundation
> > > last year when, POP, my little Hobart went from humming along to being
> > > noisy as hell and it's never gotten quiet again. I'm not sure what
> > > changed, maybe an adjustment screw on the slider in the thing fell
> > > out, who knows? It gets hotter than hell (even with a 120 V, 112 CFM
> > > fan scabbed over a hole immediately over the rectifier in the thing).
> > > I don't use it all day any day, but, from time to time, I will crank
> > > it up and burn rods for, literally, a couple of hours. I do a fair
> > > amount of welding in the 90-120 amp range with 6011 rods that are 1/8
> > > inch diameter, and also some 7018, 6013, 7014 rods, all at 1/8 inch
> > > diameter at various amperages, but never anything below 75 amps.
> >
> > > I feel I'm asking too much, at the higher output, from my little
> > > machine and would like a larger one. I live in rural (sort of, we
> > > have a 24/7 Supercenter about 4 miles from me; how rural can it be?)
> > > north central Texas and my power feed from the grid is what we call
> > > 220 VAC, 60 Hz (but, with my RMS meter is really 250 VAC). Whatever
> > > it is, it is single phase and not strung between two of the grid's
> > > phases (208, I believe) as I have spoken to the utility to be sure.
> > > My shop is fed off a 100 amp breaker from the power pole and has a 100
> > > amp main breaker in the power panel/breaker box.
> >
> > > So, I started looking at the Lincoln Idealarc 250 with PFC (power
> > > factor correction) it can draw as much as 68 amps at 230 VAC supply (I
> > > presume that is what I have here as it is the closest of the voltages
> > > I've seen to my voltage). I looked at a comparable (sort of) Miller
> > > unit the Dialarc 250 AC/DC which, with PFC, gets me down to 60 amps
> > > draw at less than its rated max output (225 amps output, DC).
> >
> > > It seems both could do what I need and run on my available power,
> > > although, my outlets in the shop are 50 amp, so I may have to change
> > > receptacles and breakers (or, at least breakers). But, the Miller rep
> > > was at the shop I stopped at and he gave me the sales pitch on the
> > > Shopmate 300 DX. Skip most of the tedious details and it seems like
> > > it's the equivalent of a giant switch-mode power supply (like in our
> > > computers). It draws less amps at max output (57 amps) and has a
> > > higher duty cycle at 60% at 250 amps. It weighs about half as much as
> > > the Miller or Lincoln machines I mentioned previously (testament to
> > > that it probably is a switch-mode power supply), and can support TIG
> > > if I choose to do that, and, according to the rep (who would probably
> > > sell his mother for a nickel so I'm not hanging on his every word
> > > here), it has arc characteristics that are similar to a three-phase
> > > machine (which I've never used so how would I know three-phase
> > > characteristics from meatloaf?). It can also support MIG, but since I
> > > have a Millermatic 210 that I'm happy with for my light-weight stuff
> > > that is not an attraction for me.
> >
> > > Anyway, since any one of these machines is gonna set me back about
> > > 2,300 bucks I'd like to see what thoughts and opinions and experiences
> > > you folks might be able to pass on to help me make a better decision;
> > > I'd like to not spend that kind of money and hate it a few months
> > > later.
> >
> > > Thank you for your time and information.
> >
> > > --HC
>
|
|
Posted by Bob F on July 1, 2008, 12:34 am
Please log in for more thread options
> For the home smoker I am building the main tank is going to be a 100
> gallon air tank.
> The smoker I built last year at school is a 300 gallon air tank that
> came from our air system.
> The BIG tank at school is a 500 gallon air tank I found at the junk
> yard for scrap price of around $180.
FWIW, I acquired a compressor tank (80 gallons?) free at a metal recycling
place. I called the "boiler and pressure vessel" inspector at the city (Seattle)
to find out what couold be done to test it to determine if it was safe. He
quickly said he would be in the area the next day and offered to come check it
for me. He came, and checked various parts of the tank for metal thickness using
an ultrasonic measuring device, and assured me it was fine. No charge. Thank you
for our fine government. Who says they can't do anything right?
|
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> I had put in rec.metalworking and said I should post it here and ask
> Ernie so here it is below. Thank anyone for your time. I basically
> got two responses over there and only one really tried to address my
> base question which is about a couple of machines I'm thinking of
> buying to replace my current welder.
>
> Original post below------
>
> Hey, all, I currently have a Hobart Stickmate 235/160 AC/DC machine
> and I am thinking of buying a larger machine; what I'd like is to know
> thoughts and opinions about what would be a good machine to get.
>
> I mostly do hobby welding but that may include hours of continuous
> welding (I sometimes, rarely, will weld for a couple of hours non-
> stop). I build smokers and have also built metal brackets to use to
> raise my concrete foundation on my house (and lots of other projects),
> and almost all the material I weld on is 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch thick.
> Mostly I use 6010 or 6011 rods which are 1/8 inch diameter, although I
> have found a really good use for 3/16 inch diameter 6010 rods. I have
> also used 5/32 6013 and 7014, and most all of this has been done with
> DC at the maximum output of my welder, 160 amps (well, whatever it
> puts out when it's cranked up fully, nominally it is 160 amps).
>
> I was in the middle of building 35 brackets to go under my foundation
> last year when, POP, my little Hobart went from humming along to being
> noisy as hell and it's never gotten quiet again. I'm not sure what
> changed, maybe an adjustment screw on the slider in the thing fell
> out, who knows? It gets hotter than hell (even with a 120 V, 112 CFM
> fan scabbed over a hole immediately over the rectifier in the thing).
> I don't use it all day any day, but, from time to time, I will crank
> it up and burn rods for, literally, a couple of hours. I do a fair
> amount of welding in the 90-120 amp range with 6011 rods that are 1/8
> inch diameter, and also some 7018, 6013, 7014 rods, all at 1/8 inch
> diameter at various amperages, but never anything below 75 amps.
>
> I feel I'm asking too much, at the higher output, from my little
> machine and would like a larger one. I live in rural (sort of, we
> have a 24/7 Supercenter about 4 miles from me; how rural can it be?)
> north central Texas and my power feed from the grid is what we call
> 220 VAC, 60 Hz (but, with my RMS meter is really 250 VAC). Whatever
> it is, it is single phase and not strung between two of the grid's
> phases (208, I believe) as I have spoken to the utility to be sure.
> My shop is fed off a 100 amp breaker from the power pole and has a 100
> amp main breaker in the power panel/breaker box.
>
> So, I started looking at the Lincoln Idealarc 250 with PFC (power
> factor correction) it can draw as much as 68 amps at 230 VAC supply (I
> presume that is what I have here as it is the closest of the voltages
> I've seen to my voltage). I looked at a comparable (sort of) Miller
> unit the Dialarc 250 AC/DC which, with PFC, gets me down to 60 amps
> draw at less than its rated max output (225 amps output, DC).
>
> It seems both could do what I need and run on my available power,
> although, my outlets in the shop are 50 amp, so I may have to change
> receptacles and breakers (or, at least breakers). But, the Miller rep
> was at the shop I stopped at and he gave me the sales pitch on the
> Shopmate 300 DX. Skip most of the tedious details and it seems like
> it's the equivalent of a giant switch-mode power supply (like in our
> computers). It draws less amps at max output (57 amps) and has a
> higher duty cycle at 60% at 250 amps. It weighs about half as much as
> the Miller or Lincoln machines I mentioned previously (testament to
> that it probably is a switch-mode power supply), and can support TIG
> if I choose to do that, and, according to the rep (who would probably
> sell his mother for a nickel so I'm not hanging on his every word
> here), it has arc characteristics that are similar to a three-phase
> machine (which I've never used so how would I know three-phase
> characteristics from meatloaf?). It can also support MIG, but since I
> have a Millermatic 210 that I'm happy with for my light-weight stuff
> that is not an attraction for me.
>
> Anyway, since any one of these machines is gonna set me back about
> 2,300 bucks I'd like to see what thoughts and opinions and experiences
> you folks might be able to pass on to help me make a better decision;
> I'd like to not spend that kind of money and hate it a few months
> later.
>
> Thank you for your time and information.
>
> --HC