Anything welding

I got 2 100 amp square D sub panels and 1 200 amp panel about 25 breakers for like $100.00 at a garage sale .

For that money I could not say no. They are all in use.

 

So I've been watching more videos and looking into this more, sounds like it's a pretty dang good machine.
The reviews are great almost all 5stars out of 340 Reviews 322 were 5stars ~ 18 4stars~ unless they faked all those haha... But seems to match what most are saying on the videos..

https://primeweld.com/products/tig-225x-ac-dc-tig-welder

 

Not much, but I cut my steering shaft a little shorter to fit with a bigger Tundra steering rack. Since it is kind of an important part, I just tried to lay a smooth hot bead.

 

A little double pass from today

 

I also pulled my motor out last night and started burning it in!

 

Funny how all the bad reviews get lost??

Being this thread is geared for hobby type welders .

Any of the low end welders are going to be hit or miss the multi process welders even more so.

They all lose something it seems some seem great little tig machines but suck as Mig some the other way.

Compared to the Lincoln 350 MP around $7,000.00 depending on set up or the Miller Pipe Worx 400 around $14,000.00 yet they still have only DC Tig but both will run Aluminum Wire Guns.

As it was the American companies all wanted a piece of the small cheap multi process machines it is very hard to compete with countries that most industry is supported by the government and labor is cheap compared to the USA.

The fact in the past there were only a very few machines that had AC tig and DC and could also run wire the demand was never there Because the company just bought a dedicated Tig and Mig machine for the Shop.

It was only about 30 years ago the smaller 120vac machines hit the market.

Which was great if you needed to make one 4" weld up on the 25 floor.

 

Im curious if you see many HTP or Fronius machines? I know they are sort of newish to the US market but have been popular over in Europe for awhile. Being "higher end" just curious if you'd seen any being brought in (more so than miller/hobart/lincoln/ect)

 

Being honest we really don`t repair either of those brands

I don`t see any in the end users plants and shops I have been in.

Earl Beck out of Baltimore Md got into the Fornius line a few years ago.

They sale and repair them.If they have lots of issues they are not going to tell the competition .

Miller has a real good hold on the market in this area. with Lincoln knocking at the door.

For anyone else to get even close there going to have to sell below cost to get a toe hold.

 

Yeah you bring up good points.

I borderline want to go on a rant about how our country and we the people, we're sold out, by these globalist scumbags systematically for many years.... And how much better things would be if that hadn't happen and we would've kept manufacturing and many other things right here in the US and not wang hu hong chi dong..

It'd be nice to go pick up a welder or any other product like many years ago, and know you could count on it for years to come..

Oh well.

 

People want new designs .

Your Transformer rectifier had very few parts to fail take decent care they last a long time.

Even in Fab shops hotter then hell in the summer and colder then space in the winter they endured.

Then Kapowcon invented the inverter technology for welding machines A 100 pound machine can take the place of a 500 hundred pound machine and use far less electric while doing so.

Though I swear they exploded if you looked at them wrong or so it seemed to me way back then.

 

Transformer rectifier?

 

You have your incoming AC line voltage .
A transformer that has a variable tap you then have a rectifier to put simple changes AC to DC to give you the DC welding Current

A rectifier converts AC to DC

 

Oh haha, I thought you were talking something in a welding machine.

 

I was!!!

 

Never mind me I'm not firing on all cylinders today.

 

Getting started.

 

That's the same thing bias ply trailer tires are. Look at 'em sideways, and boom! You were changing to the spare!

 

My compliments to you doing that fabrication in such a small space.

Watch the hots!

 

Gotta work with what ya got, it's the only "flat" space I have. I'm just happy to have that much space, it's been a long time working to get there. Still a long ways to go but this workbench should help clear up floor space.

 

copy/pasting question from thread...
Do you weld? Is it hard?

I am thinking of getting into it, for Tacoma projects and repairs
it seems worth it. Especially if you get crashed into (normal), take the $1300 insurance payout, then spend $500 on a Coastal bumper kit, $600 on a welder, build it, then keep the welder for later uses.

Here is my theoretical game-plan if I decide to pull the trigger; I'm curious to know your thoughts
-education: community college classes, YouTube, books
-practice: on scrap metal, maybe stress testing the weld with bends and hammer blows to see if it holds
-welder: 220v, 180 amp, around there. Reputable brands, probably new, like Hobart, Miller, etc. usually $600-900
-supporting tools: auto darkening helmet, corded grinder and bits, skin UV burn protection including gloves, etc.

am worried about power supply; like if it has to be a true 220v (I hear some 220v outlets are actually slightly under that)
and grinding prep. Shops try to tell me grinding is hard and takes a while. But regular people tell me it takes 3-5 minutes.
So I am wondering which is true.
Maybe shops are just creating a lie of "Oh no! Grinding the metal bare takes hours and hours!" to try and dissuade me from DIY'ing and tricking me into handing them over thousands to facilitate their profession
Which is cool and all, but we can't all always do that

It seems to have so many uses
-fabricate armor like bumpers
-weld on sliders
-reinforce frame
-add swingouts
-suspension improvements
etc.

Honestly if you tell me grinding is quick and easy I'll probably pull the trigger.
Because that's really the only on-the-fence factor at this point. Like if I find out metal is strong as fuck (pardon my french, no other way to put it) and literally takes 8 hours of super loud sparking BZZZZZZZ causing noise complaints, then I can justify taking it to some shop that does that in an enclosed facility in a commercial building area
but if it's quick and easy, then DIY all the way...