Demonknight

I`m new here and i really like what i`ve seen so far. Looking forward to learning some new tricks from the veterans and experts. I`ve been a professional welder for 36yrs, but that's only one tool of many that a good metal worker needs and i`m hoping i can learn from all of you here. If i can help out anyone with my experiences it would be my pleasure. Thanks for having me............Dave.

Don`t hold your breath waiting on help from Lincoln. Copper windings are the way to go for smoothness of the arc, but considering what your probably going to be using a buzz-box type welder for, aluminum windings will most likely be just fine. I`m a miller guy myself, but i had a ac/dc Tombstone Lincoln and i loved it dearly. My loyalty to miller stems from their service and help departments, parts availability, and the way they hold their resale value. Millers are like money in the bank.

I have to agree 100% with nakedanvil about the hearing thing. I have grown to depend on the sounds of the welding almost as much as the visual. Especially when tig welding on aluminum. I can tell all the way across the shop if a guy has his machine set right or not. I can weld with ear plugs, but it just ain`t right not hearing that crackling and sizzling that tells you just the right time to move and assures you that you are digging in just right. I`m not exactly clear on what the young lady`s point is. Welding at a professional level is a skilled trade and like most skills, require a good deal of patience, training, and hard work to master. Welding can be a dangerous job and depending on the area of welding you chose, can be a very hard job. Women`s careers in welding have many opportunities and many of the best aerospace welders are women, known for their steady hands. Whether you make a career of it or just a hobby, welding is very rewarding and satisfying.

I learned to weld when i was about 7yrs old. I grew up on a farm where they had one of those old Craftsman welders with all the plug ins for the different amperage's, out in this big metal barn. One day when i thought i was alone i went out to the barn and put one of those "sparklers" in the holder and was swinging it at big metal sheet laying on the dirt floor, having a great time throwing sparks everywhere. Suddenly the sparks stopped and when i turned around there stood my grandfather by the welder. So you want to weld something do you, he said. After a quick lesson about eye safety, which i already knew all about from being chased out of the barn whenever somebody had to weld something, i was put to work welding what seemed like miles of corral fencing. No amount of crying ever got me out of that hot sun, burning holes in all that pipe. The frustration made me want to know more and after that no one could strick an arc without me popping up under their arm with a old helmet on trying to see just how they did it. I watched and learned and in my high school welding class my teacher had me grading projects of the other students for him cause i was a better welder than he was. In college i took the classes i didn`t know as well like tig welding and oxy-acet and passed a certification course. I then took something that was fun for me that i loved to do and made a decent living out of it. You can learn so very much just from watching people that have the know how, and a little practice time.

I have a Lincoln Pro Mig 175, the 220v NASCAR model, and besides being a heavy little mutha it welds just great. I`m not a big Lincoln fan but i have to admit Lincoln does know a thing or two about wire welders. Most comparable brands weld pretty much the same when their new, but when it comes time that something does break or go wrong, you better hope like hell its a Miller.

The regulators are serious business. Leave the repairs on these to the pros. Your family and anyone within a quarter mile will thank you.

I would have to agree with Cami`s comments on the gas flow. For most stuff you would be welding in a shop, with cups up to a #8, you should never need more than 20cfm. More than that and your blowing crap in that you don`t want in there. If your torch sounds like a jet engine, you definitely got too much flow.