Getting about ready to buy a welder, want some recommendations

[nickel-city-fab]

It would be nice if they wiped the dust and dirt off the PowerMIG and had it plugged into power to at least show the displays working. It looks to be a multi purpose DC machine stick,TIG and MIG of course.

Yeah, but HGR doesn't operate that way: they buy out entire factories that are shutting down, and this is the last stop before they go to scrap. If a machine stays there for more than a month or two, I'll be surprised. You should see what they have in the Lathes and Mills... it would make you cry to see them if you know you can't afford to haul them home for scrap price. Big old Monarch's K&T mills, tons of Bridgeports, and a Pratt & Whitney lathe...

[john b]

Did you try looking at the Grizzly offerings. i just got my first catalog in 10yrs and noticed that they have some low cost welders and plasma cutters. john b

[wmgeorge]

Yeah, but HGR doesn't operate that way: they buy out entire factories that are shutting down, and this is the last stop before they go to scrap. If a machine stays there for more than a month or two, I'll be surprised. You should see what they have in the Lathes and Mills... it would make you cry to see them if you know you can't afford to haul them home for scrap price. Big old Monarch's K&T mills, tons of Bridgeports, and a Pratt & Whitney lathe...

If they expect you to purchase a machine from that that picture and no idea if it works or not then they need to lower prices a lot. Who wants to travel or pay shipping costs for a machine that may not work and those older ones with electronics may not have any parts available.

[nickel-city-fab]

If they expect you to purchase a machine from that that picture and no idea if it works or not then they need to lower prices a lot. Who wants to travel or pay shipping costs for a machine that may not work and those older ones with electronics may not have any parts available.

True enough regarding the welders (I tend to trust the older machines more, though -- no circuit boards in them)
For actual machine tools, I would not have a problem driving the 200 miles each way with no testing.
Simply because you are potentially saving thousands.
When you go there in person, you *can* inspect things, just ask the sales guy.
they don't expect you to drive 1000 miles for a line of BS, they'll tell you about any issues on the phone.

[DennisCA]

Mostly these old machines use standard components that can be replaced with modern equivalents

[J Tiers]

Mostly these old machines use standard components that can be replaced with modern equivalents

Just about all the welders that I have fixed used almost no standard items, other than bolts and nuts. Switches were contacts on machined GPO-3 or similar, every coil and transformer was special, I think even some of the pilot lights were special.

One old ESAB tig I fixed had all sorts of specials, even the fuseholders. I wonder if anything was a commercial part in it. It was a monster, about 1.2 m deep and high, maybe 300mm wide, and used HF start, getting the HF from a spark gap setup that was essentially the same thing as a Tesla coil.

[DennisCA]

I'm talking resistors, thyristors, capacitors and the like, they tend to be what breaks most often. Sure they change in size, brand and design but all work the same and a modern equivalent can be found and swapped in. That's usually the kind of stuff that breaks in my experience. Sure the new stuff might not physically fit, a friend had to mill copper adapters to fit new diodes to his 1960s unitor stick welder when the diodes gave up. But diodes of similar (better, actually) specs were easy to get a hold off.

[wmgeorge]

The machine referenced Power MIG had lots of electronics. Try finding a diagram or circuit board for those older machines. Yes the old Tomestone and the like are easy to fix no issues. But those old commercial machines that sold for $1,000's new, don't think so. As far as depending on a salesman to tell you the truth about a machine, that has never been powered up??

[J Tiers]

I'm talking resistors, thyristors, capacitors and the like, they tend to be what breaks most often. Sure they change in size, brand and design but all work the same and a modern equivalent can be found and swapped in. That's usually the kind of stuff that breaks in my experience. Sure the new stuff might not physically fit, a friend had to mill copper adapters to fit new diodes to his 1960s unitor stick welder when the diodes gave up. But diodes of similar (better, actually) specs were easy to get a hold off.

Kinda.... you have to know a fair bit about modern electronics to correctly select the new parts. I can do it, you can likely do it, but most cannot.

And there are details of the gate drive specifications of IGBTs, and even thyristors, that need attention paid to avoid premature failure.

And, there is the issue that many of the boards in welders from the bigger names may be cast into a block of epoxy..... not much chance of fixing whatever is in "the blob".

[jmm03]

so, did you ever come to a decision?

[J Tiers]

It got put off in favor of some other things. Still near the top of the list. There are projects waiting for it, but there are other ones in front of them. This happens a lot around here. A person can only do so much.

The good thing is that I can give it more thought and look at the likely projects, so I better know what I really need. That wavers back and forth between a mig and stick. Right now the needle is over on the "stick" side.

I also need to put in an outside outlet for 240V, because there will be no welding inside the shop. Too cold for that now.

[jmm03]

I hope you don't mind me being so nosy but what made you decide you did not want a TIG machine? It can do stick welding also which is why I ask. Jim

[J Tiers]

I hope you don't mind me being so nosy but what made you decide you did not want a TIG machine? It can do stick welding also which is why I ask. Jim

I will be welding mostly outside, and gas does not do well with wind. I really like tig, but the gas issue outside is a problem.