Louie1961 wrote:Trying to do a solid for a fellow nutmegger. Hate to see a young guy in school spend more than he needs to.

I will look into those links tomorrow if I do end up buying a welder for practice it will most likely be used unless I win the lottery

There have been a lot of old round top AC/DC Lincoln Idealarc 250's on Craigslist as of late, and they are pretty cheap...a couple of hundred bucks usually. You will not find a better stick welder for the money. Everyone you ask seems to love their arc quality. If stick is your thing, I am not sure...

This has nothing to do with tig welding but all I wanted to do was just spread the cheer and wish all forum members a very merry christmas!!!

Just make sure they're not in stripes or orange jumpsuits... :lol: Steve S Or in Oregon, wearing jeans and jean jackets, with letters stenciled down the arms and legs! Good reminder though, go to the users or maintainers and get their opinion, rather than the vendors who are always ready and willin...

Many thanks to both of you for getting me hooked up and headed in the right direction! I will continue to look for used machines and if I happen to have anymore questions I will be sure let you guys know

I will second the recommendation of the Invertec 275. It's performance exceeds it's ratings. The Miller XMT series is very similar in features and performance. I'd price both, new and used, in your area, and talk to your local weld supply about whether red or blue has better/faster/closer service i...

Honestly I feel a used machine is a good value. Your not gonna be using it for a business, just for practicing I take it. New a Invertec is $2500. Used is $500 to $1000. A miller XMT 304 is $3500 new, but can be found for $1000-$1500 used. If it welds good, buy it. I've bought dozens upon dozens th...

I will second the recommendation of the Invertec 275. It's performance exceeds it's ratings. The Miller XMT series is very similar in features and performance. I'd price both, new and used, in your area, and talk to your local weld supply about whether red or blue has better/faster/closer service i...

I buy my grinding disks from the local metal recyclers. These guys know exactly what works, they use it every day. I did the same thing with 'weed whacker' grass trimmers. I stop and ask the road crews along the highways. Most times, they give me healthy samples to try out. Many years ago, I had tr...

Merry Christmas to you. What kind of welder are you looking for? What stuff are you gonna weld? I will mostly use it to practice for my pipe and plate certs that I will take senior year. I also plan on building a couple of things such a smoker and anything else that happens to come across my mind ....

Merry Christmas to you. What kind of welder are you looking for? What stuff are you gonna weld? I will mostly use it to practice for my pipe and plate certs that I will take senior year. I also plan on building a couple of things such a smoker and anything else that happens to come across my mind ....

I have been watching Jody's vids for about a year now and I remember he made a video titled "3 stick welders" where he presented 3 different stick welding machine. A Miller Thunderbolt, Lincoln AC buzzbox, and some kinda Everlast machine (forgot the name). Ever since that video I have been...

Kind of a tough question. How thick of metal you gonna be working with? If it's 5/8" steel or less (40 amp machine) get one from Harbor Freight and get the extended warranty. They're not the best machines but, if it gives up the ghost, they just hand you a new one. The material will be from 1/...

I've never regretted the money I spent on good tools. My fear would be that if I got a plasma cutter that'd only last for one small job and maybe a once every two months cut, that it wouldn't really cut worth a shit right from the start. You get what you pay for, and I realize that most of us ain't...

My cousin and I are planning on fabricating an engine mount for his volvo and we need to cut some metal in order to have it all welded out. The plasma needs to be cheap but also reliable enough to last him for the entire project and for the occasional cut once every 2 months or so...any recommendati...

Slightly off topic but here goes, this might be useful to someone: Best grinding lesson I've learned I picked up from a magazine years ago. There was a feature on a home workshop. The guy had four angle grinders hanging up. His advice? "Grinders are cheap. Rather than endlessly swapping discs ...

I currently use a hitachi 4 1/2 inch grinder with dewalt discs. Not the best brand, 1 disc only lasted me about a week. Any good brands that last a decent long time would be much appreciated! Brand names aside, having the right disc for the material (stainless, aluminum?) is the real issue here, fi...

AKweldshop wrote:Norton, Dewalt and Metabo for me.

Can Norton brand discs be found in local big box stores like home depot or do they have to be ordered online?

ex framie wrote:Pferd.

Haha I dont understand, is that a brand for grinding discs?

Norton or Weil both make good wheels. I think they make them for most of the big names. How long a disc or wheel last usually depends on using the right grit and kind for the job your doing as well as how you use it. I stock flapper wheels in 40-60-80 grit on my truck as well as hard wheels 1/4 - 1...

I currently use a hitachi 4 1/2 inch grinder with dewalt discs. Not the best brand, 1 disc only lasted me about a week. Any good brands that last a decent long time would be much appreciated!

My instructor is always known for making our class do insane projects at my local tech school but this one really caught my eye. Yesterday she had us start our first project with pipe, these are the specs and what the material is. 2 4x4 pieces of mild steel plate with 2 2" pipes with a 1/4 wall...

Btw are you polish? Just wondering cause Iam also polish, my uncle was a welder in fact before he moved to the U.S and became a machinist.

I think I'd start within the 110-115A range on any given machine for what you're working at. I feel it's a good "middle ground", even if your machine is out of calibration (yes, welding machines can be calibrated, and often are for stricter code work). The trick, as I'm sure you've heard ...

Thank you so much I will try my best tomorrow...maybe even send some pictures in if I get some decent stuff