Selecting the Right Wire Feeder for Your Welder

Stick

Traditionally, most farms and ranches have a small AC Stick welder, because of its relative low cost.

Using a 200 amp Millermatic wire welder, Al saves the band by tack welding it together and then welding on a back up strip of steel. The repaired chopper blower moves more than 800 tons of haylage in the next few days…

Stick welding does have its advantages (besides low cost), including:

• Stick welders are better-suited for windy, outdoor conditions than MIG or TIG because the electrodes are self-shielding.
• Stick is more forgiving than MIG when welding on dirty or rusty metal. (Still, it is always advisable to scrape or grind off paint, rust, and other debris; welding on the cleanest material possible produces a stronger weld.)

If you plan to purchase a Stick welder, try to buy an AC/DC welder. For most applications, DC reverse polarity welding offers advantages over AC, including: easier starts; fewer arc outages and sticking; less spatter (better looking welds); easier out-of-position welding; easier to learn “how to weld”; smoother arc; and welds thinner metals better.

Information courtesy of Miller Electric