Handheld welder

[paulga]

Has anyone used a handheld arc stick welder?

It's said to be sufficient for light home projects, and portable. It has a plug that fits any standard duplex receptacle. While normal bulky welders require at least 20+ amp input, this welder's wire is 14 gauge which is rated for 15amp. So the wattage should be capped at 1875w. How can it have 4,600w rated "input power"?

Amazon.com

 

[KnotYet]

Haven't tried one but I'd pass.
A low powered stick welder doesn't do anything better than an entry level MIG, IMO.

 

[Delta Riverat]

yeah, me too.

If you want a cheap welder that works I can vouch for this one.

 

[TJM]

I am an Aerospace Welding Engineer and have seen these for a few months now and chuckled. I am not sure of the power ratings but to weld any kind of stainless steel or steel you need DC power. Typically, 9-11 volts and 1 Amp of current for every .001 of an inch in thickness.

Example: Butt joint on .125 thick steel requires 125 DC amps and 10 volts= 1250 watts of power.

 

[Shrew]

Reminds me of the battery operating soldering iron I bought. Thinking it would handle a small job, like soldering a VHF PL-259 connector. LOL...NOPE!!! If you were lucky you could solder a single, small gauge wire before you needed to change the batteries.

 

[ABfish]

I am an Aerospace Welding Engineer and have seen these for a few months now and chuckled. I am not sure of the power ratings but to weld any kind of stainless steel or steel you need DC power. Typically, 9-11 volts and 1 Amp of current for every .001 of an inch in thickness.

Example: Butt joint on .125 thick steel requires 125 DC amps and 10 volts= 1250 watts of power.

There are some stick rods made to run on the old "buzz boxes" that will work on AC power. A 6013 in 3/32 can do some fairly serious welding on carbon steel. I use the 3/32" to keep the amperage down running on 120 volts.

 

[Bmarler]

I am an Aerospace Welding Engineer and have seen these for a few months now and chuckled. I am not sure of the power ratings but to weld any kind of stainless steel or steel you need DC power. Typically, 9-11 volts and 1 Amp of current for every .001 of an inch in thickness.

Example: Butt joint on .125 thick steel requires 125 DC amps and 10 volts= 1250 watts of power.

i chuckled too. i've been welding for decades, all processes. that "tool" would be worthless to me.

 

[paulga]

i chuckled too. i've been welding for decades, all processes. that "tool" would be worthless to me.

is 4.6kw a misrepresentation? or is it a calculation process that transforms1.25kw into 4.6kw?

 

[Mac2]

Thanks for the post paulga. I was about to start a thread on the same welder. Does anyone have a recommendation for a 110v welder for minor jobs for all metals? I'm not doing any big jobs-just emergency repairs.

 

[Bmarler]

is 4.6kw a misrepresentation? or is it a calculation process that transforms1.25kw into 4.6kw?

i don't know how they came up with their numbers. as a complete stretch, it's possible there's some capacitors or something that charge up to give short bursts of power, but there's no possible way to run 4.6kw continuous or any meaningful amount of time off of a 15 amp plug.
do they list a duty cycle on it? that's the amount of time welding vs resting.

 

[Bmarler]

Thanks for the post paulga. I was about to start a thread on the same welder. Does anyone have a recommendation for a 110v welder for minor jobs for all metals? I'm not doing any big jobs-just emergency repairs.

i like the little miller maxstar. tig and stick. nice little welder. there are other similar ones out there for cheaper though, so look around.
i haven't used this little machine from everlast, but my son has a couple of their products that he really likes. he's a very talented stainless fabricator.

Amazon.com

 

[Bmarler]

oops, that everlast is a 240 volt. they make 120/240 though.

 

[paulga]

i don't know how they came up with their numbers. as a complete stretch, it's possible there's some capacitors or something that charge up to give short bursts of power, but there's no possible way to run 4.6kw continuous or any meaningful amount of time off of a 15 amp plug.
do they list a duty cycle on it? that's the amount of time welding vs resting.

duty cycle is 20%

 

[Bmarler]

I have no explanation for their kva number. 4.6 kva at 120 volts is around 38 amps.

 

[KnotYet]

Thanks for the post paulga. I was about to start a thread on the same welder. Does anyone have a recommendation for a 110v welder for minor jobs for all metals? I'm not doing any big jobs-just emergency repairs.

You ask a common question. TIG welding can be done to any common metal.
Bmarler's Miller suggestion is an excellent choice and should last for many years.
I have a similar Miller TIG that is going strong after 30 years. But $1500 is a steep buy-in for most casual welding jobs and users. The Everlast looks pretty good. If there is a
discount place near you like Harbor Freight, I would recommend seeing what
they have for, say, $150-350. If it works for you, great. If it fails you can take it back.

 

[rslifkin]

As a budget welder, I and a couple of other people I know have bought the Eastwood MIG 135 and had good results with it (both with flux core wire and with gas).

 

[Mac2]

The Everlast looks pretty good. If there is a
discount place near you like Harbor Freight, I would recommend seeing what
they have for, say, $150-350. If it works for you, great. If it fails you can take it back.

I was just at Harbor Freight, but really didn't know what I was looking at. I had the same thought process. I want something inexpensive as I would only have it for an emergency/remote purpose. For someone who has never welded, is TIG or MIG the way to go? I have aluminum, stainless, and carbon steel I could possibly be repairing. I'm not looking to weld hull plates, but rather brackets, equipment parts etc.

 

[KnotYet]

MIG welding is restricted to steel for the most part until you get into $pool-gun rigs.
TIG, while needing more practice and skill, will be able to weld nearly any metal.
Also, most TIG machines will come with a means to stick weld for heavier duty jobs.

 

[rslifkin]

MIG welding is restricted to steel for the most part until you get into higher $ rigs.
TIG, while needing more practice and skill, will be able to weld nearly any metal.
Also, most TIG machines will come with a means to stick weld for heavier duty jobs.

MIG can do stainless just fine as well. Aluminum is possible, but requires an add-on spool gun with most welders (and not all MIG welders support that).

 

[KnotYet]

MIG can do stainless just fine as well. Aluminum is possible, but requires an add-on spool gun with most welders (and not all MIG welders support that).

Yes, in a pinch I have even repaired a stainless exhaust riser with mild steel wire!
(Not recommended) Cheaper flux-core welders are better for steel, IMO, but then
I've always had my trusty TIG for other metals.

 

[paulga]

I have no explanation for their kva number. 4.6 kva at 120 volts is around 38 amps.

what is the name of this welder plug? its outlet feeds from a 30a two pole circuit breakers, it has two hots and the ground wired in, but does not connect the neutral. I think the two hots are on the same phase.
without the neutral line wired in, how does the circuit close?

video: youtube.com/watch?v=DINNg_hAWwI

 

[KnotYet]

Looks like a typical 230VAC plug. Not the same phase, though.
It connects both sides of the 230V service giving 230V so no neutral needed.
Think of the 230V as a +115V and a -115V combined into a 230V circuit.

Voltage can be measured in different ways so you'll see 110, 115, 120 and 125VAC
used to describe essentially the same AC voltage.
Likewise with 220, 230, 240 and 250VAC.

 

[Delta Riverat]

Yeah. Commonly seen in houses as range and dryer plugs.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Welding aboard a boat in a slip is a quick way to get kicked out of most marinas, I'd guess. It know it's clearly prohibited in mine (and they are really liberal on just about everything else). When I was fabricating my custom aluminum davit mount and box beam braces, all the welding was done off-site (Miller MIG with a 200A spool gun).

 

[paulga]

Looks like a typical 230VAC plug. Not the same phase, though.
It connects both sides of the 230V service giving 230V so no neutral needed.
Think of the 230V as a +115V and a -115V combined into a 230V circuit.

Voltage can be measured in different ways so you'll see 110, 115, 120 and 125VAC
used to describe essentially the same AC voltage.
Likewise with 220, 230, 240 and 250VAC.

Thanks. I double checked, the two hots are indeed on split phases.

I also saw there is a nema 10 with a grounded neutral conductor. With the neutral grounded, does the current on the 120 circuit return to the panel or go to the ground?

 

[Bmarler]

what is the name of this welder plug? its outlet feeds from a 30a two pole circuit breakers, it has two hots and the ground wired in, but does not connect the neutral. I think the two hots are on the same phase.
without the neutral line wired in, how does the circuit close?

View attachment 160283
video: youtube.com/watch?v=DINNg_hAWwI

That looks like an L6-50. Sometimes people put heavy duty plugs on lighter circuits.
There should be some marking on either the plug or the receptacle.

 

[paulga]

Welding aboard a boat in a slip is a quick way to get kicked out of most marinas, I'd guess. It know it's clearly prohibited in mine (and they are really liberal on just about everything else). When I was fabricating my custom aluminum davit mount and box beam braces, all the welding was done off-site (Miller MIG with a 200A spool gun).

Is it because welding will frequently trip the circuit breakers and wear them out?

 

[Bmarler]

That looks like an L6-50. Sometimes people put heavy duty plugs on lighter circuits.
There should be some marking on either the plug or the receptacle.

I forgot to add, the neutral and ground are connected somewhere, so if there is a need for 120 volts on the appliance it’s available. Old systems used three wire with grounded neutral. New install is 4 wire isolated neutral.

 

[Bmarler]

Is it because welding will frequently trip the circuit breakers and wear them out?

No, it’s likely about the huge amount of current potential going to ground.

 

[High Wire]

No, it’s likely about the huge amount of current potential going to ground.

Or the increased possibility of fire in the marina.