Craftsman arc welder

[wazzabie]

I have a NOS in the box Craftsman 110v 95amp arch welder. The unit is made in Italy. I'm wondering if this is a good unit and if I should keep it. What would it be good for? Will the Craftsman arc welder do anything that the Millermatic can't?


I also have a Millermatic 130xp 110v welder that I run with gas that I use for sheet metal work on .023 sold core wire. This is a great setup and has not given me any problems for autobody repair. It is not good for thick metal however.

When a business ended I acquired alot of new sticks for arch welding. I have yet to use any of this.

Will the Craftsman arc welder do anything that the Millermatic can't? It would be great to also weld aluminum if possible on the arc welder and thicker metal.

 

[MoonRise]

Arc welding, not arch welding.

Arc (aka stick) welding of aluminum is not really done.

A stick welder running on 120V input power and a maximum of 95 amps output is going to be limited on what size and type of electrodes it can use. Read the manual as to what size electrodes they recommend using with the machine. Probably 3/32" 6011 or maybe the skinny 1/16" 6011 rods would be a good place to start.

 

[wazzabie]

3/16in max metal thickness for welding

 

[Bert_]

I've got a dual voltage stick welder. I love the ability to run on a 120v outlet. 90-100A is about the limit for my inverter machine before it starts tripping a 20A breaker. That's a fine setting to run 1/8" 6011.

I brought mine with me up in a crane basket a month ago. Welded unistrut for conduit up a 140' tower. Welded ok on 200' of extension cord.

In the shop it runs on 240v. You really want 240v for any real fabrication.

 

[gte718p]

Arch welding is not rocket science. It is a big transformer. It is fine as long as you want to weld arches and a fancy blue or red box will not buy you a lot. If you want to weld a square though, your SOL.

 

[driftpin]

It sounds like it's doing what you need. Welding aluminum, that isn't the right tool. I suspect that you know that. I am a novice welder.

I had a Craftsman arc welder I got from a friend, and I didn't use it. I sold it on CL, along w/another welder I had that also didn't see much use. I suspect they were destined for shipment out of the country.

I have a multi-process HFT Vulcan welder which works well. I got it from saving my receipts from HFT, and by filing a claim according to the class-action lawsuit, which saved me ~ $50%. My first real use was to notch a frame crossmember on a Tri-Five Chevy. I used the highly-scientific 'CAD' method (cardboard aided design). It turned-out well, and I got the margins I needed to ensure that I wouldn't need to remove the engine mount bolts and to jack-up the engine, just to remove the oil pan.

 

[Hellpig]

LOL, I still have an old Sears Colormatic arc welder.
Mine, like most, has a pair of Vice Grips on the dial.

 

[whateg01]

..., which saved me ~ $50%.

That's an interesting savings!

 

[csp]

The arc welder will work in windy conditions that would blow your shielding gas away with the MIG.

 

[driftpin]

I have a multi-process HFT Vulcan welder which works well. I got it from saving my receipts from HFT, and by filing a claim according to the class-action lawsuit, which saved me ~ $50%.

That's an interesting savings!

Ha, yeah, I was trying to economize on my keyboard usage, I should have just said, "I saved 50% of the cost of the welder at its normal price, which is about $1,000."