Tombstone welder worth it?

[ericlar80]

I already have a Lincoln square Wave 200 tig welder that can also do DC positive and negative stick welding up to 170 amps. Wondering whether there is any sense in considering a tombstone welder that can do both AC and DC welding?

Also have a Miller 211 that gets a lot of use.

A lot of general fabrication projects with steel 5/16” and under.

 

[Mr.N]

I've a 211 and a Tombstone AC/DC. The Tombstone works well on rusty metal, 6010 and 7018, it excels for welding very thick metal.
If you can find a deal, it's a nice addition.

Tombstone AC/DC is a great first welder

 

[strutaeng]

Sure. You can use the Square Wave for a dedicated TIG setup and the 211 for MIG/FCAW.

Tombstone can be a dedicated SMAW machine. Put some long leads and it'll be great for larger, cumbersome projects even to tack welding.

What kind of fabrication do you do? I'd say have one welder for each process if you are welding for a business.

 

[Lassen Forge]

I ran a tombstone welder for a number of years, for a stick machine they're versatile as hell.... In HS to pass the welding unit you had to do a 90 degree **** weld using one that could withstand something like 40 or 60 tons to pass, Dad's best friend built a sand rail using one, I've fixed trailer and bike frames with one, depending whether it's copper or aluminum cored makes a dif (copper is heavier but way more durable), whether it has the dial rheostat or the plug in electrode selector, etc... But yeah, I gave it up when I consolidated my stuff to Millers and relied on my 200-series units, biggest mistake I made at the time.

 

[dutchgray]

I ran a tombstone welder for a number of years, for a stick machine they're versatile as hell.... In HS to pass the welding unit you had to do a 90 degree **** weld using one that could withstand something like 40 or 60 tons to pass, Dad's best friend built a sand rail using one, I've fixed trailer and bike frames with one, depending whether it's copper or aluminum cored makes a dif (copper is heavier but way more durable), whether it has the dial rheostat or the plug in electrode selector, etc... But yeah, I gave it up when I consolidated my stuff to Millers and relied on my 200-series units, biggest mistake I made at the time.

You can probably find an oil filled transformer stick welder now your in Italy, they are pretty good but heavy. I have been given two in the last few years. They run forever as long as you don't let condensation build up in them too much.
Most are AC only but AC/DC were made.

 

[welder4956]

I already have a Lincoln square Wave 200 tig welder that can also do DC positive and negative stick welding up to 170 amps. Wondering whether there is any sense in considering a tombstone welder that can do both AC and DC welding?

Also have a Miller 211 that gets a lot of use.

A lot of general fabrication projects with steel 5/16” and under.

That Square Wave 200 will do everything the tombstone would do for 5/16" and under. You really don't have a need for it unless you just want to use it for stick only and have the Square Wave 200 set up for tig only. It takes less than 30 seconds to swap the leads over from tig to stick. I have a PrecisionTIG 185 and a tombstone that someone gave me. The tombstone just sits unused in the back corner.

 

[ericlar80]

That Square Wave 200 will do everything the tombstone would do for 5/16" and under. You really don't have a need for it unless you just want to use it for stick only and have the Square Wave 200 set up for tig only. It takes less than 30 seconds to swap the leads over from tig to stick. I have a PrecisionTIG 185 and a tombstone that someone gave me. The tombstone just sits unused in the back corner.

The only thing it won’t do is AC arc, and just thinking about how reliable the tombstone is. Seems like it could be worth it if I can find a good deal.

 

[nadogail]

Tombstone Welders are as durable as the Tombstones they were named after. I would keep one as a "Spare" machine in the event that my state of the are machine would not work.

 

[Zeus36]

 

[welder4956]

The only thing it won’t do is AC arc, and just thinking about how reliable the tombstone is. Seems like it could be worth it if I can find a good deal.

Not too much application for AC stick welding, except sheetmetal. Most stick rods will run on either AC or DC.