Chris McMillan, account executive Air Liquide Canada Inc. Sault Ste. Marie, with a Lincoln mobile dual unit.
First, a bit about types of welders and welding.
Metal Inert Gas or (MIG) welding is a process by which the flux wire electrode arcs, heating the pieces being welded causing them to melt together. This welder can also be used with non-flux wire and shielding gas for nonferrous metals (which is its original design use). The gas shields the weld from the air. Both wires are fed through the grip in a hollow tube that the gas flows through (if used)
Stick welders use a flux coated rod which arcs and also heats the pieces being welded causing them to melt together. The rod is held in a grip.
The cost of a welder may be quite reasonable but the initial purchase price isn’t the only expense. Other things to consider are: planned uses, cost, mobility, available infrastructure, supplier location, warranty, level of difficulty to operate and your expertise as an operator. Good arc rods can be a trial to locate in remote areas as can be gases for MIG or oxy acetylene set ups.
Some pretty high tech welding equipment has become available to the home shop over the last few years. Sizes go from 110 volt to ‘how big of a diesel do you want?’
I talked with Chris McMillan, account executive Air Liquide Canada Inc. in their Sault Ste. Marie store and posed these questions to him. Chris reiterated that the primary question to be answered is what you believe your welding needs will be, followed by how thick of material you would be welding and whether mobility is a necessity.
Let’s analyze our situation:
Needs: Our scenario is a breakdown of equipment on a small farm. The requirement would be a general use welder.
Size: we could be welding anything from a heavy tin 1/8” (body panels) to ¾” (plows) so we need a unit with a broad spectrum which would put the size requirement between small and moderate
Mobility: I figure if I can haul it into the field I can haul it back to fix it so mobility isn’t an issue. If you have a need for the welder to be mobile there’s a good selection of small manageable mobile units the size of a camp generator available.
If you are considering a mobile welder you may want to look at the combination units which are expensive, but you get a generator and welder in a self contained unit — two pieces of equipment in one. The beauty of this option is that you now have a very adequate mobile welder and also a source of power for lighting when that nasty infield break down occurs, plus a backup for the farm/house when the electricity goes out.
My shop came equipped with a 220 volt power set up and a 220 receptacle at the front. I purchased a 50 foot 220 extension cord and connectors from Princess Auto to run that source to the back of the shop where I permanently located all my welding equipment and do most of the welding.
Supplies Feeding your welder isn’t much of a problem if all you need are arc rods, or MIG parts like nozzles or cable which can be mail ordered from places like Princess Auto. But bottles of gas are another issue. You have two choices, pick them up or have them delivered; if you’re in a remote area picking them up is your only alternative. This can become expensive. My closest exchange for oxy/acetylene tanks is a two hour return drive. As for arc rods, Chris pointed out that the Air Liquide Company has been manufacturing arc rods here in Canada since 1905. They are sold by the skid, carton, box or handful, and a couple interested me. One was for the operator who wants a weld that has resilience to weather. The other was a rod for the once-in-a-while welder, like me, who when starting a project has a challenge with that initial strike. This rod incorporates a small magnesium centre that will arc every time even if a partial rod has been stored in less than appropriate conditions, as magnesium is highly flammable.
Cost Additional costs will include safety equipment including gloves, helmet, jacket, pants, smock and boots. If you’re welding in closed quarters, you will need some sort of air removal or purification system, or you can make up your mind to just weld outside which wears pretty thin in the winter or the rain. At any rate, these all add to the cost. As with everything, the cheapest is not always the best, however, fancy paint jobs and decals mean nothing to me. With that in mind and having never owned one, I purchased a “sales special auto darkening helmet” from Princess Auto several years ago for $50, to give it a try. I figured if I liked it and it crapped out I would then invest in an expensive one. I liked it so much I bought one for my son’s birthday. They’re both still working fine.
Infrastructure Is there an adequate power source where you are going to weld? The answer will determine what infrastructure you need. When I described my set-up to Chris he agreed that it was ideal for my situation. I have a separate room with air control and heat, and the extension cables allow me an outreach of 50 feet to the outside, allowing for dragged in repairs and considerable versatility.
Expertise For 50 years I’ve been an occasional welder and have found that my welding proficiency at the end of a project is significantly better than at the start. As a result, before I start a project I take out some scrap metal and run a couple of beads to warm up first. A lot of the new welders come with some pretty high tech stuff — including electronics to operate it — which is all susceptible to breakdowns. The greatest improvement I’ve made to my welding was the auto darkening helmet I purchased.
The bottom line here is, if you don’t know what you are looking for, check out the specialty shop to get the answers; they have units that you can try. If I ever have to replace my old stick welder I’ll probably do so with the same thing. It’s the cheapest for its parameters, has no electronic boards and has done me very well for many years requiring only a replacement cooling fan.
- Dan Kerr