What kind of machines did you learn to weld on?

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We use Miller XMT 304 CC/CV (MIGRunner Package) and XMT 350 CC/CV machines.  There's also two older Miller machines for SMAW.  There's also a bunch of metal working machines (band saw, presses, lathe etc). Not sure exactly of the names, but I'll get a full list of what they all use at my school.
Reply:I worked on farms.   One had a Forney with a bunch of taps.   AC only.   One had a tombstone AC only.My dad had a Lincoln with a 4 cylinder air cooled Wisconsin.  Crank to start.   It welded well.  In school all they had were "bullet" Lincoln welders where a motor drove a generator but the bullet was vertical.  These were DC only.  No mig or Tig.  Auto darkening helmets were not available to us regular folks.Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Old Lincoln tombstone, could barely read the writing on the front of it.On edit:  I must be losing my mind. I learned using a torch, regulators and two tanks. O/A, that was 23 yrs ago. You had to show a proficiency in the O/A process before you could move to the SMAW lab.So, I don't recall the brand but I remember my instructor's name "Kevin."Last edited by dunemetal; 03-24-2012 at 07:41 PM.
Reply:An old P&H ac machine at my grandfathers shop, then a Lincoln generator type in high school
Reply:Lincoln buzz box here.Shake and Bake
Reply:Taught myself O/A at 17 - 18, then MIG (many different machine's,mostly miller) , (fast forward and now I'm 30) over the last year or so at NGTC I learned SMAW on a Lincoln Ideal Arc and started TIGing( miller cst 280/and my now sold IdealArc, A Sguare Wave 275 at school and my Square Wave 300) about 3 months ago...I am currently working on 5g/6g position's and haven't taken the TIG class yet...Last edited by DemonSpeeder; 03-24-2012 at 10:42 PM.Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:Learned on o/a first, then on an ancient (even back then) Lincweld180. Ol' gal had a Wisconsin twin with crank start. Hurt my thumb a few times before I figured it out.Brian LeonardAppalachian Ironworks L.L.C.434 Long Branch Rd, Marshall, NC 28753828 649 9966828 702 [email protected]
Reply:OA first. Bought my first torch at 13. Then a year later my great uncle "loaned" me his ancient Marquette cracker box with taps on the front. Still have that welder though it's been a while since I've welded with it now. I guess last time was about 10 years ago. It's about the hardest welder to use that I've ever tried welding with. I've seen several pretty good welders try to use it and have a lot of trouble.  Hard to strike a arc. Forces you to maintain a nice even arc length or it'll short out if to close and go out if to long. I'm not real sure I could weld with it right now. I've been spoiled by the nice welders I now have.   But I do feel that it made me a better welder because of it's difficulty to use.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Oxy/Ace Victor regulator and torch for silver solder and welding at 10Miller Thunderbolt for stick at 10.At 18 I was learning GTAW on a Miller GoldStar round top.Never used a wire feed till I had been welding 15 years.
Reply:Big ole Lincoln back in college, just a couple of times then dropped class because I missed the first few weeks.After I got into trucking and got screwed on some repairs, I bought a used, no name copy of a Thunderbolt. It's duty cycle would always kick out, even with a 1/8" 6013 rod. Sold that for $50.00 more than I paid for it  and bought a used Miller Bobcat 225G with 510 hours for $1300.00. It needed a fuel pump, then ran great. Then bought a Super S32P feeder to compliment it (best move ever). Then in 2003 or 04, sold it for $1800.00  and bought my Miller Shopmaster. Now I am back in school for welding and using XMT 350's and Idealarc 250's and some other older Lincoln transformers. So far, I don't know what I'm talking about, because I am probably the only one here that likes the old transformer's better than the XMT's!!! I wish I could see the appeal, but until someone actually demonstrates it for me, I must not know what to look for. The oldies just flow like melting butter."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:Learned MIG on a bunch of Miller / Lincoln 180 class units (and one ESAB that was my favorite). Now I have a rebadged Lincoln 180 (Marquette, made in USA).Learned TIG on a Miller Syncro 200, then went to the shop's Dynasty 350 and my Thermal Arc 185 inverters. Love my Pro-Wave 185 to death.
Reply:Big old green Linde machines, the original HeliArc. The lights dimmed in the shop when you struck an arc with them.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:180 amp tombstone.  I went halvers on it with the guy across the lane when we were 18.  We paid 140 for it and I sold for 100 after more than 20 years.
Reply:tomb stoneLincoln Power Arc 4000 Thermal Arc Fabricator 252 iThermal arc 186Thermal Arc 26 tigTweeko 200 amp spool gunHobart AirForce 400WP-17V-12R
Reply:tomb stoneLincoln Power Arc 4000 Thermal Arc Fabricator 252 iThermal arc 186Thermal Arc 26 tigTweeko 200 amp spool gunHobart AirForce 400WP-17V-12R
Reply:Ideal Arc 250.
Reply:Linde UCC305 tigs.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:Took welding in high school (mid-70's), O/A and stick, I think the machines were Dialarcs but that was many years ago. Had O/A and a Century AC buzzbox at home. Apprenticed for a local sculptor when I got out of school, mostly O/A there. Finally got MIG and TIG welders in the mid-90's, but still use O/A and stick regularly.JohnA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:In the early 80's I learned OA, probably on a Victor set up. In the late 80's I learned very basic mig on a small 110v import machine ( if you want to call what I did then "welding"). In the mid 90's I got my 1st stick machine, an Craftsman 180 amp AC unit Arcspark here has now. The real mig skills I learned was using the tech schools XMT 304's with S-22 feeders. And Tig I learned on either a Syncrowave 180/200 or the Dynasty 350 depending on which machine I got to run.The tech school uses XMT 304's for DC tig and stick/mig and Syncrowave 250's for stick and AC/DC tig at the one school and XMT 304's and Dynasty 350's at the other one. Those replaced the older Syncrowaves, 330 AB/P's, Dialarcs and so on when they redid the tech school maybe 10-12 years ago..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:A old Dayton stick welder.  I was building a go-cart in my fathers garage when President Kenedy was shot.  I wasn't the most popular child in the family after stealing a couple of lengths of black iron gas pipe and the motor off my fathers rototiller.  What are you going to do to a 6 year old who wants to learn to weld
Reply:Was an old Smith AC welder that looked like R2D2 from star wars.  I bought it when I was 17.  The only place we had with enough power to run it was at my grandparents house.Dan
Reply:I don't know if I'll ever learn how to weld, what evermachine I use.I've dropped some bird poo with my 110v Hobart mig.I'll spend quite a bit of time learning on my HTP 221 that I got at the beginning of this year. How do you know the blacksmith's dog? When you hollar at him he makes a bolt for the door!
Reply:My father had a Hobart 300 amp run with a Chrysler industrial 6 cylHe started teaching me at about 8 years of ageLearned about tig from an old guy was a friend of my fathers who retired out here  from running his own welding / machine shop he was an old Italian man still with the thick accent his name was Joseph but the pronounced it like Ho-seff I miss him a lot i was 14 when he taught me about Tig  and other welding processesSeen and run the Miller Matic 35 Mig welder that a high school friend of mines father used for doing ornamental iron withAnd that was a while backBacked my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me  What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite  Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck
Reply:Believe it or not I first tried tig on a syncrowave when I was a mechanic at roush but bought me a millermatic 130 which I got a good deal on from a pawn shop and been welding ever since.Will   Supports Autism Awareness                            My ToysBobCat 225 PLusMillermatic 130Miller Spectrum 300 CutmateEverlast Power Tig 185 Micro April is Autism Month .
Reply:Lincoln AC225 and 6013, I don't think i burned anything but 6013 until college.Experience is something you get right after you need itGot lucky and learned on a 300DX with a cooler. Thinking back, it was probably overkill for what we needed but the FIRST guys tossed it our way if we offered to move it; who would say no to something that sweet(even though it was a little worse for wear)? Someone from code 400 also gave us a little lincoln mig setup for gas. No one else wanted it so I ended taking that home for the price of the fuel to move it, but later sold it to a friend who wanted a simple mig for small stuff. I never tigged steel until just recently. Learned on, and burned a ton of 6061. Couple buddies gave me hell for getting excited over steel because of the heat glow HTP Invertig 221-DV -- get's dragged everywhere.Syncro 200 -- "The Boat Anchor" at the lab.Lincoln 125 MIG
Reply:Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC. Bought it new in about 78, I think it was $250.Taught myself how to stick weld with it, it was my only machine for something like 6 years. I sure got my money out of that little guy.
Reply:Old Lincoln red tombstone with a hand crank dial. Then after that a Miller CP200 and 330 BPA.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller Spectrum 250DMiller Millermatic 200Bunch of old blue dinosaurs....
Reply:Originally Posted by jontheturboguyOld Lincoln red tombstone with a hand crank dial. Then after that a Miller CP200 and 330 BPA.
Reply:OA in Mr. Ford's 7th/8th grade shop class... also learned to solder, braze, stick weld and a ton more. At my begging my Dad then traded the neighbor for an old Lincoln AC welder and small aircraft OA setup. It wasn't long after that my Dad bought a porta-band and I never left the shop.
Reply:"Purox" oxy-acetylene setup.
Reply:Giant Lincoln with no markings. Lincoln WeldPac 100After I learned I had been doing it wrong for years:IdealArc250Weldanpower225Bobcat250Lincoln Power MIG 210 MP ( boat anchor )Lincoln Weld-Pac 100 HDHobart IronMan 230Cutmaster 42Jackson NexGenSumner Ultra ClampsDWM120
Reply:learned to strike an arc at 13 with an old ac buzz box that my dad had, but he bitched and moaned about the power use and charged .50 cents a rod so didnt do a lot of welding there didnt realize I could go down and buy my own. at 17 started working  line  maintenance  at a apple packing shed, they had a miller wire feed of some sort I used, I was terrible with it if it didnt have gas (I didnt know) I would keep going, eventually the stuff would stick but i could fit and fabricate as fast as anyone there but just didnt understand welding(I was also willing to climb in the sludge pit and shovel it out) so somebody else would reweld the stuff that broke, not much did, but a couple of times 200 people went on break early because of my welding, I realized I would never be happy with $32,000 a year and a dead end job. I started well drilling at 19. My boss worked me for about 2 months as a dummy then told me to cut 6' of 6" casing into 2" lenths, (but not why), with a torch, I had worked as a torch hand when I was 16 in a junkyard so I COULD CUT FAST, JUST NOT STRAIGHT, I blasted my way through it in a hurry so i could go do something else more exciting, the next morning at the site he told me to grab the box of rod and weld that pile of 2" pieces back together, me and that old SA 200 became real good friends, about 50 hours and I dont remember how much rod later, he told me I could start welding on the shallow wells. the absolutely best boss I have ever had.Last edited by idacal; 03-30-2012 at 11:12 PM.Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
Reply:I started by taking a welding class at my local junior college.Learned O/A and then bought my first Victor outfit, and a Lincoln SP125 Mig.Next was SMAW at welding school on Lincoln AC/DC machines.Moved on to Mig and FCAW welding in school with Miller and Lincoln machines.Finally introduced to TIG welding.At the end of two years of welding school I passed several certification tests up to 1 inchplate overhead.I learned how to use a plasma cutter. It was a large big thing. Do not remember the brandbut I think there was only one brand at that time.All during this time I was working at home making sculpture and simple small things.Then I went to school and got a Masters degree in sculpture.Got a job as a sculptors assistant.  Mostly finishing stainless steel.Next was TIG production welding stainless steel in a marine industry shop. I built prototypes and was the shop foreman of a small business.I worked there for 11 years. Used a Hobart Syncrowave 250 .During this time I studied and took the test and passed to become a Certified welding inspector with the American Welding Society. It is rare when they give tests in San francisco, but I hit it just right.Next job was for a small aviation shop and I used a brand new Miller Syncrowave 250with fan on demand. That was a nice machine. A cadillac.I constructed and welded tubular chromoly aircraft engine mounts.I also made engine mounts for a Widgeon.Made underground weldments for a aircraft hanger building.I used a Miller Legend that I had for that job. Sold it after that job.Next I went to a computer school.During all this time I built a 30 foot steel boat (ketch), and a 36 foot steel sloop.The steel sloop was mostly welded with a Miller XMT304 FCAW.A Miller thunderbolt AC/DC for the heavier stuff.I  helped weld many other boats and parts of boats for other people.During this time I was playing blues guitar in clubs aroundSan Francisco and I met my wife.Then I moved and bought a Miller 140 Mig machine for home use.Later I bought a used Miller syncrovave 250.Built 3 custom motorcycles and one was from the frame up.Finally sold the Miller sycrowave 250 to pay some bills and bought a Miller Syncrowave 200 for my shop. Then the miller syncrowave 200 had to be sold. Now I have the Miller 140.AWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder
Reply:Lincoln Tombstone 180 AC/DC at high school , SAE 300 and SA-200 at asphalt plant the forman was a 798 and tankee taught me a lot . Union Co . vo tech welding shop with a Lincoln Electric factory rep at Kean College Industrial Arts teaching certification class , Harris Structural Steel the largest Lincoln user in NJ then and now used to have more stock than the local Lincoln warehouse .