Why there is no love for stick welders?

An older transformer welder works just as good as an inverter. The only drawback is size and weight. An AC/DC stick welder can weld most anything with the correct rod. I have welded copper to steel, copper to copper, and I have even welded aluminium with one. It will weld stainless and cast iron. Just about anything that can be welded can be done with a stick welder.


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stick welding is a skill that takes a lot of time to master, but it is the best solution for many problems
if you get small diameter electrodes, you can weld sheet metal
if you have a large enough power supply, you can weld 1" plates
weld in the wind if you want to
poor fit up- no problem E6010/6011
rusted- no problem E6010/6011
new sheet metal E6013
structural/pipe fitting/general high strength welding E7018 (E8018,E9018,E12018)
High deposit E7014, E7024, E7032
E308L stainless
E309L stainless to mild steel
E312 mystery stainless
E4043 aluminum

stick is hard to beat other than the heat distortion


mig is convenient and easy to make superficially pleasing welds,
but you need shielding gas and you can't weld in the wind or even with a breeze, you'll need a 220v unit for anything over 3/16"

FCAW is great and fast
can burn through rust/scale,
but you'll have just as much spatter as stick welding, plus you'll need a 220v unit to weld anything above 3/16" correctly

Tig is great, but very slow and everything has to be very clean-
close fit up is necessary
the welder, the cooler, the torch(es), the leads, the multiple gasses -
all add up to be an expense that keeps most folks from wanting to play, not to mention the months of practice and that expense

if you get an inverter welder get at least 165 amps
good luck :grin:
 
I mainly use stick on the farm. Have both tig and mig ,but welding out side with old steel it's stick hands down. Inside with new metal mig and tig work fine. Both mig and tig need clean metal to start with . Either will weld sheet metal better than stick.
 
I grew up on a farm and started welding when I was 8 or 9 with a stick welder. Never welded with anything else until just a couple of years ago. I've built shops, barns, trailers, plows, etc. with a stick welder. I bought a used MIG at an auction a couple of years ago and really enjoy the fact that there is no chipping and brushing, but for high-strength or deep penetration nothing can beat a stick in either a/c or d/c.

If you want a really good stick welder at a good price, see if you can find one of the Lincoln tombstone or buzz-box welders. You can probably pick up a good used one for $100 or less. For a bit more you can get them in a/c d/c.

lincoln buzz box at DuckDuckGo

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It seems most of us may have learned on Arc/stick welding in the 70/80’s.
Metal shop high school had me arc welding to a pretty good level.
Raised two boys and found time for my metal hobby.
Bought a tig, mig, plasma, stick welder.
Lost all that in the fire.
Bought the Miller 220 AC/DC, does ac/dc mig, tig, stick.
Haven’t used the stick yet but I was told if you have one rod use E7018. Got it.
I have mig welded stainless with the 309 wire, easy! Most projects have been in the shop so wind has not been a factor.
Mig is so easy compared to stick.
I’ll get the stick out soon. Look at the technology that has made these processes so simple.
Mike, you probably use all these techniques at your job site.
I would love to be able to tig weld like I can mig.
Yep , hours and hours of practice. Lots of tungsten grinding and lots of gas expense.
Mig is king in my book.
 
Although not a welder, I thought to throw my dollar's worth in here.(Used to be 2 cents but inflation, you know) The fellow that taught me to weld was a pro. He could write his name on sheet metal siding and not blow a hole in it. Said when I could do that, I could call myself a welder. 50 years later, I still can't do it. But I can stick two pieces of metal together enough to climb on. Wouldn't ask anyone else to climb on it, but I dont mind myself. Thanks, Maggie (Malcolm)

I have a Lincoln "Tombstone" that I modified. An old one with copper windings... ... I "acquired" some high voltage diodes, high current too. Built a bridge, a full wave rectifier so I have AC and both polarities of DC. Full wave DC lets me stick two pieces of metal together with a high duty cycle and with the small rod I use (3/32) I can weld all day if I need to. Used flattened copper pipe for busbars. Not very pretty, but does what I want without burping.
 
Here's my 2 cents:

Stick: Cheap, can weld through some rust and mill slag, better for heavier sections, hardest to master

Mig: Relatively low cost, needs clean metal (unless you use flux cored wire), fast, can weld aluminum depending on setup, fairly easy to use

TIG: High cost, needs clean metal, slow, can weld anything weldable, hard to get set up, easy to weld with, maximum control over welding process.

Oxyfuel: Low cost, slow, versatile, fairly easy to weld
 
I learned on stick back in the mid sixty's. Pretty proficient, but only use it now on heavy stuff, like backhoe bucket repair, or structural steel. I much prefer DC, less spatter, and generally a nicer bead. My Miller Big 40 can run some serious rod when required, and there is no question your getting full penetration. Like most things, the right tool for the right job, but if stick is all you have, it will cover most anything you will come across, with the proper rod and amperage. Mike
 
I have a buddy that’s a welder and coincidentally he sent me a picture of a valve he had to replace in a boiler room at some factory. This is what you weld with stick welding. He said it took 250lbs of rod 1 at a time. Two welders switching off rod after rod 8hrs.
3F658546-6CB6-473A-8660-250ACAE6217A.png07FB4A4E-B091-4034-9631-413311151B6F.png
 
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