How many welders does a man need?

[God mode restorations]

There was a Snow surface grinder on eBay a couple of weeks ago, looked an awful lot worse than that too, nice find. If you don't have anywhere to put it...

I got a place to put it..

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I had 7 at one point, or was it 8?

I now have 2. Along with 2 lathes, 2 surface grinders, 2 Centec Mills. 2 is a good number

Well, you have 2 hands, so you're pursuing a 'zero redundancy' policy.

 

[Maker]

I got a place to put it..

Damn, that trick will work one day.

 

[Munkul]

at a firm I used to work at the engineer used to metal spray, building up shafts bearing seats and the like,must admit ounce heard its a noise I will never forget, amazing process just wonder if any one on here does it? (no I dont want anything done!)

at work we have metal spraying with a dedicated lathe in a shed with a Sulzer Metco spray welding machine. It takes two 2.3mm wires (usually stainless steel) and arcs them together with compressed air to spray the metal onto the shaft.

Kinda worrying because it's such a small industry and Sulzer Metco are being a real pain to deal with regarding buying filler wire, I'd love to find an alternative supplier. Not sure who I'd get to repair the machine if it broke down, but it's not in daily use, it can sit for weeks at a time.

Apparently when the gulf war was ongoing, the MOD bought up the entire stock of metal spray wire in the UK for use on tank tracks, or suchlike

 

[Screwdriver]

just wonder if any one on here does it?

Good god no. I've got one but I don't use it! I'm with Spencer in that regard.

 

[Restoration at home]

1 old ESAB mig, a shoe box size mma inverter, Lorch ac/dc tig and a JLO powered Mighty Midget that hasn't run in years, which probably has a seized piston by now, plus I'm looking at buying an Oxford 300 amp mig.........

3 Husky chainsaws and a Echo 900 EVL.

And not enough machines in the workshop, just need to buy more room possibly a barn......

Would you be interested in selling the mighty midget that hasn’t run in years

 

[jo1010]

Would you be interested in selling the mighty midget that hasn’t run in years

You're replying to a 4 year old post - so it might be unlikely but if you don't ask you don't get...

 

[RWD3M]

PLEASE!

Men actively collect treasure.

Our spouses passively accumulate junk.

I have SWMBO's permission to post that.

Wow! She's a keeper!

 

[Mark 5]

I just want 1 and a plasma cutter.

 

[brightspark]

Isn't it the same with any tools

2 rite is it

 

[angellonewolf]

I just want 1 and a plasma cutter.

no no when you have one they have babys and multiply

 

[premmington]

I just had a bit of a reality check, Under my bench stands an ancient BOC oil cooled arc welder, definately a keeper. Then theres a Portamig Tech tig 182 that i bought new ten years ago to do stainless stuff for my boats, Then the old Cebora Mig & then a Murex mig arrived this morning, i was hoping that it would be better than the Cebora but its the same sort of vintage, so i'm looking at the heaps of cables & torches & old welders & thought "Why dont you just buy a shiny new one?"
So Steve has an order for a new Portamig & the old stuff is going to help a bit towards funding it.
Then im tripping over a 275 Lincoln acdc tig set that im trying to get running, i darent plug it in until my sparks has checked the wiring. Must not get any more welders!

Welders - me - I got five

Miller (old) wound coil low amp MIG threaded up with A18 0.6mm wire
Miller invertor/pulse MPi 220P MIG with A18 1.0mm wire (no TIG torch)
Lincoln V205T AC/DC TIG (no MMA leads)
Kemppi MineArc EVO 180 DC MMA (with lift TIG torch)
Big old Clark 300TE 270amp 9kw AC buzzbox MMA - which will melt big rods on a single phase supply (and I still use it a lot!)

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

Oh god, this just made me take stock and it's got a little out of hand...

Starting with the welders:

MIG:
1) Migatronic KME550 with KT140 Wire Feeder,
2) some sort of Wolf AC transformer MIG that came in an auction lot and is buried in my storage unit,
3) ESAB Smashweld 160 - not mine, just on loan from the friend i sold it to, who has now run out of space in his workshop/kitchen.

Arc:
4) Migatronic LTH135
5) Oxford 180A Oil Cooled

Multiprocess:
6) Migatronic Rallymig 161i,

Plasma:
7) Hypertherm XP45
8) ESAB LPH50
9) Parkside PPS30C2

Oxy-Fuel:
10) Afrox Type 2 Shank
11) Saffire Type 5 Shank with Propane Mixer and Super Heating Neck
12) BOC NM250 Cutting Torch
13) Castolin Microflow "Size A" Flame Spray torch.


Then the Machine tools:
14) TOS S32 Lathe
15) TOS FNK25 Mill
16) Harrison Horizontal Mill
17) Taylor-Hobson Model C Pantograph
18) Sealey MT3 Pillar Drill
19) Wolf 8" Bench Grinder
20) No-Name French 4" Bench Grinder
21) 6" Capacity Bandsaw bought from the fitting shop of a bacon factory for a fiver.
22) Mystery Machine under a tarp on the trailer.

And the Big Ancillaries:
23) Hoffman HTH100 Dividing Head
24) Victoria 6" Center Height Universal Dividing Head
25) 450mm Rotary Table
26) 5kW Ingersoll Rand Compressor with 300L receiver
27) 7.5kW rotary converter
28) 30kVA Silent Diesel Generator
29) 24" Grade B Cast Iron Surface Plate
30) 450mm Grade A Granite Surface Plate.

And that's just stuff that's not furniture and is big enough for me to spot immediately.

 

[Red'n'Black]

Welders - me - I got five

Miller (old) wound coil low amp MIG threaded up with A18 0.6mm wire
Miller invertor/pulse MPi 220P MIG with A18 1.0mm wire (no TIG torch)
Lincoln V205T AC/DC TIG (no MMA leads)
Kemppi MineArc EVO 180 DC MMA (with lift TIG torch)
Big old Clark 300TE 270amp 9kw AC buzzbox MMA - which will melt big rods on a single phase supply (and I still use it a lot!)

I was on the lookout for one of those, they seem to have a good rep but don't come up secondhand very often.

I bought a Merkle with similar spec in the end, when it came up locally at the right price. Its capabilities greatly exceed mine at the moment, that's for sure.

 

[Bornfree]

Saf junior 325 mig 3ph
Boc 250c mig 1ph
Murex transtig 350 acdc tig 2ph
Sureweld 180 acdc tig 2ph
Kemppi master 3500 DC tig 3ph
Javac atlas 250 MMA 3ph
Javac atlas 171 MMA 1ph
Sip 250amp MMA 1ph
Cytringan 250amp MMA AC 2ph
Mighty midget 250amp MMA with a hatz e95 diesel engine.

Amazing how they add up.

 

[zzr1200]

Saf junior 325 mig 3ph
Boc 250c mig 1ph
Murex transtig 350 acdc tig 2ph
Sureweld 180 acdc tig 2ph
Kemppi master 3500 DC tig 3ph
Javac atlas 250 MMA 3ph
Javac atlas 171 MMA 1ph
Sip 250amp MMA 1ph
Cytringan 250amp MMA AC 2ph
Mighty midget 250amp MMA with a hatz e95 diesel engine.

Amazing how they add up.

Just options to do a job....

 

[premmington]

Saf junior 325 mig 3ph
Boc 250c mig 1ph
Murex transtig 350 acdc tig 2ph
Sureweld 180 acdc tig 2ph
Kemppi master 3500 DC tig 3ph
Javac atlas 250 MMA 3ph
Javac atlas 171 MMA 1ph
Sip 250amp MMA 1ph
Cytringan 250amp MMA AC 2ph
Mighty midget 250amp MMA with a hatz e95 diesel engine.

Amazing how they add up.

I am a car mechanic - I use light MIG welder for patching up MOT failures - a bit of TIG brazing in DC/Argon for exhaust system repairs in situ.

I never use my AC/DC TIG welder - hardly ever....

Mostly I am MMA welding for bolt extraction - and making heavy things to use in the workshop - special tools etc...

I might get my pulse Miller welder out - if I making a new bench out of new steel.

-----------

Every welder I got is single phase - as I am near retirement - I did this on purpose as I will take them home with me from workshop when I finally chuck the towel in...

 

[MattF]

"Need" is necessity. "Want" is bliss. It's the latter which matters most.

 

[bourbon]

I must be a mere beginner. I only have three. An Aldi buzz box, Bought in 2008, first used in 2016! (had to ask my mate if he had a plug as I was welding a bench up for him) A 'Guardsman' inverter arc welder (most used) and a Clarke 105en mig welder (bought before I started working there)

 

[premmington]

"Need" is necessity. "Want" is bliss. It's the latter which matters most.

Not sure about that - my dear friend.

If you can meet your "needs" - and "don't want too much"...

Is that not "contentment"...