Eastwood Stitch Welder -- comments?

[bomber]

All -- I've been condiering grabbing an Eastwood Stitch Welder to do some patching on the Model A -- 18 GA steel --

Any cheers or jeers on this unit?

Thanks!

 

[PAToyota]

This one?

Stitch Welder

What machine do you plan to use it with? Personally, I prefer MIG or TIG for sheetmetal work rather than dealing with slag.

 

[bomber]

yessir -- they'll sell it with this 100 amp unit

http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=23510&itemType=PRODUCT

While aquiring a MIG or TIG would no doubt be a better long term solution, that's just not in the cards right now . . . . . . .

 

[malibu101]

I have never used one nor do I know anyone who has.
But I do know that HF sells a similar device- http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=98753

 

[3DTIM]

Buy a real welder like Miller Mig or Tig not a toy you will use one time and it set in the way the rest of the time. You can but the small Mig 110 welders cheap and use them for anything.

 

[PAToyota]

Personally, I'd still opt to go for a MIG setup. It will be more useful to you and - if you are just starting out - a heck of a lot easier to learn on.

If that still isn't an option price-wise, I'd then consider oxy-acetylene. Heck that is what they were using on your Model A originally!

 

[bomber]

Pat -- yessir, I DO OA weld, and they're certainly strong enough -- but there's no way I'm gonna leave a string of bird poop on the old car like that ;-}

3D -- I'll take another look at inexpensive MIG or TIG -- I've not looked at em for quite a while, so it could be I can affod one

thanks, all, for your suggestions

 

[PAToyota]

but there's no way I'm gonna leave a string of bird poop on the old car like that ;-}

I would suggest that stitch welding with an arc welder is going to leave bird poop more than oxy-acetylene. Really, OA and TIG are very similar except for the heat source. Some would argue that OA for sheetmetal is preferable to MIG because it doesn't give you as "hard" of a bead to work with.

 

[goodfellow]

Like everyone else said -- it's not very useful! If you don't have access to MIG, then take PAToyota's advice and use a good O/A setup.

Up until the 1980's, and before manufacturers mandated MIG for their new paper thin "high strength" steel, O/A was the most accepted method of joining automotive panels. If you're new to O/A the do some reading and a little practicing -- it'll go a lot faster than that hokey "stitch welder".

 

[bomber]

you guys are great!

p'rhaps I SHOULD get my OA chops back --

I was having a conversation with a fella last week - -he swore up and dpown the only possible way to weld aluminum was with a TIG rig -- I showed him a picture of a B-17 and asked, "huh?"

 

[PAToyota]

Take a look at this video: Hammerwelding

 

[malibu101]

you guys are great!

p'rhaps I SHOULD get my OA chops back --

I was having a conversation with a fella last week - -he swore up and dpown the only possible way to weld aluminum was with a TIG rig -- I showed him a picture of a B-17 and asked, "huh?"

I heard more than once (but that does NOT mean that it is true) that there are no welds on planes. Everything is riveted for inspection. As opposed to a welded joint that could have unknown stresses due to the heat of any welding process.

 

[bomber]

Pat -- thanks -- this project is fast becoming the very definition of "mission creep."

grin

Malibu -- you're likely right in many places, like airframes for instance -- this would be news to my buddy's Mom, however, who, at 4'10" spent much of World War 2 welding aluminum fuel tanks for B-17s -- she was chosen due to her lack of stature, which meant she could:

1 fit inside the tank, and, more importantly
2 exit the completed tank through the small hole left

She was a fiesty one, she was -- the avatar of Rosie the Riveter

 

[rocketman]

I used both the stitch welder and spot welder with the Firepower unit from Eastwood. I was putting in a new floorpan in a 93 Jeep Cherokee.

I wouldn't use them again. The little Firepower welder was a nice little stick unit but the spot welder gun I melted the plastic of the handle and shaft in about a hour. (even resting it to cool) The stitch welder is nothing but a holder for little rods. Hard to strike an arc.

Go with a gas/MIG unit.

 

[Crusty Nut]

It is a gimmick of a product marketed at people who think it will be better than a real welder, "'cause they won't ever use it again."
Also, Eastwood doesn't have any new ideas, they only assemble them all in the same catalog and mark up the prices. Everything they sell is available for less somewhere else.

 

[madjack]

Bought one at a garage sale for $5. Tried it once. Sold it at a swap meet for $7. The handle WAS melted on this one too

 

[malibu101]

Malibu -- you're likely right in many places, like airframes for instance -- this would be news to my buddy's Mom, however, who, at 4'10" spent much of World War 2 welding aluminum fuel tanks for B-17s -- she was chosen due to her lack of stature, which meant she could:

1 fit inside the tank, and, more importantly
2 exit the completed tank through the small hole left

She was a fiesty one, she was -- the avatar of Rosie the Riveter

Thanks for the info
I kinda figured there had to be at least one weld somewhere on a plane. But, I've never worked on a plane.

 

[bomber]

Malibu -- me neither, but like many gearheads, they really draw me, from a mechanical point of view

All else -- thanks for the good info -- I'm convinced -- got the tanks filled up last night -- keep you women and children away from zip code 60015 for a while -- I shall no doubt be exercising my vocabulary ;-}

 

[billspit]

Well I don't know about welding in a B-17, I know that airframes in tube and fabric planes are gas welded.

 

[ZRX61]

Plenty of welds in aircraft..

 

[russlaferrera]

I have gas welded aluminum. with a Eutectic rod #190 and flux. Got to say I rated my welds from Poop to D-. They held but looked so bad I will not show any pictures.

I have also aluminum brazed. That came out more of a C+ weld. I found the use of an inferred temp gun helped, as I constantly monitored the temp of the work piece and applied the alum brazing rod ,before I melted the piece I was to repair.

Ebay has a large selection of aluminum brazing rods. Inferred temp guns can be found everywhere for $40.

I also MIG welded with gas. Came out just like O/A.

 

[rickairmedic]

Heres a reasonable option on a mig . I have this Mig and have to say I have been quite happy with it and have compared it to the Hobart and Miller equivalents and didnt see a differance in weld quality . This is a mig thats good for 180 amps and for $399.00 I dont think you could do any better.


http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp...0|14238|100358?listingPage=true&Special=false

 

[PurdueSD]

This is the absolute minimum i would consider, though i learned to get by on a flux core $100 welder on body work for some time. The proble with flux core is you will spend an hour tacking in a panel and 8 hours grinding down all the buildup and slag.

http://store.cyberweld.com/hoha125.html

I know its a little more than you want to spend, but its either going to be pay now or pay later.

 

[PurdueSD]

Oh and fyi cyber weld blows everyone out of the water on prices usually.