Welder or Weldor?

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I have come to the conclusion that there are certain machines with which whether by lack of experience or whatever, I will never be able to produce a good weld with.  Although, I believe a shoe is just a shoe and since a 20 dollar pair made in China is just as good as a 120 dollar pair made in china with a brand name attatched to it,  I do feel that some welding machines just aren't suited to the particular style or ability of some people.  I.E.  I can't stand a bobcat or any engine drive miller for that matter.  But give me a Lincoln, and suddenly,  I can weld the world up in seven days.  I don't like miller in general I guess, but when I use it, I don't like their arc charachteristics in MIG.   Give me my ESAB.Does any one think that it is just personal preference or is it something that goes beyond that and feel that some machines just aren't right for some people (not to say the machines are bad or something like that)Or maybe are some machines just not that good?Or can a good athlete/weldor still make the basket/weld with any shoe/machine?Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:Sorry,Just realized this may be in the wrong sec.  Can a nice mod move it if its possible?Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:I think it depends on the person when it comes to the machine. Like we have booths, some have Miller Stick Welders and others have Lincoln Stick Welders, for some reason I can't do a good stringer with the Miller. I prefer Lincoln all the way.*insert welding gibberish here*                    Mandy
Reply:I don't have much experince with different machines..   I have only ran the Millers at school and my own Chinese stick welder at home (manufactured by Chiry).  I find running 7018s on both machines they run similar.  The Miller just has a bit of a stronger more defined arc.   Now running a 6011 deep penetrating rod,  well I find the chinese machine has issues with keeping the arc going where the Miller does not.My instructor has told me that each machine runs different.  Even going from one type of Miller machine in the shop to another you can see a difference.  Which is why we stuck to the one machine for practice and testing...
Reply:Originally Posted by Newfie_1986I don't have much experince with different machines..   I have only ran the Millers at school and my own Chinese stick welder at home (manufactured by Chiry).  I find running 7018s on both machines they run similar.  The Miller just has a bit of a stronger more defined arc.   Now running a 6011 deep penetrating rod,  well I find the chinese machine has issues with keeping the arc going where the Miller does not.My instructor has told me that each machine runs different.  Even going from one type of Miller machine in the shop to another you can see a difference.  Which is why we stuck to the one machine for practice and testing...
Reply:Once we get our machines and start using them,  they're the ones we keep.  The instructors will tell the other new students to go to a free machine....
Reply:Originally Posted by Newfie_1986Once we get our machines and start using them,  they're the ones we keep.  The instructors will tell the other new students to go to a free machine....
Reply:Thats gotta be rough....    yeah im sure with you beating on the side of the booth it gotta be hard to weld hahaha
Reply:If the arc/operating characteristics weren't any different, then there wouldn't be any difference between the China special and a Dynasty/Precision TIG/Bobcat, etc etc.  They'll all get you point A to point B within their respective ranges.  Some like the ride of a Cadillac, some like the go-kart like feel of a Lotus.  Me, I just hate ESAB equipment.
Reply:Yes the arc looks and feels different form machine to machine and make to make. It is the true craftsman that can still make an acceptable weld.For the crew that is still in school it will be years before you get to say I want blue or red, you will be pointed to a machine and be expected to make do. To that end I suggest you learn now how to make every different machine works and how to get the most out of it.
Reply:He's pretty much right.Look at the bright side.  By the time you actually plunk down the $$$$ for a machine, you'll have gotten familiar with different ones so you can form your preference.Chances are Red/Blue or Grey might just come down to price difference, or somebody havin' a sale on one or the otherSame model machines can sometimes run different too"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by Fat BastardYes the arc looks and feels different form machine to machine and make to make. It is the true craftsman that can still make an acceptable weld.For the crew that is still in school it will be years before you get to say I want blue or red, you will be pointed to a machine and be expected to make do. To that end I suggest you learn now how to make every different machine works and how to get the most out of it.
Reply:Originally Posted by Newfie_1986Thats gotta be rough....    yeah im sure with you beating on the side of the booth it gotta be hard to weld hahaha
Reply:Originally Posted by ls1taNot sure if your being a smart a-word (if you are its an epic fail).Either way its extremely hard to concentrate on welding when someone is doing that.Not to mention very annoying.
Reply:LOL    no I wasnt tryin to be smart !
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1So you annoy people because you can't weld with another machine?
Reply:Originally Posted by Newfie_1986LOL    no I wasnt tryin to be smart !
Reply:Industrial environment, grinders going and hammers pounding?  Use hearing protectors when welding.Bang! Bang! on the door baby!I can't hear you!BANG! BANG! On the door Baby!BANG! BANG! On the door Baby!Member, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:In my kind of welding,  I am the only one doing the welding so it may not be as critical.  But I do need to wear something because as I get older, I get thankful for that hair starting to grow out of my ears.  It kills the sparks before they make it to my ear drums. Its olny a matter of time before one lands just right...Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:I learned all processes in an all miller shop, and the school im at now has red, blue and yellow machines.  I tend to prefer lincon stick and miller for tig and mig. As far as one brand being better than an other (quality brands) I dont think they are, but some operators prefer other machines.  However its very very good practice to go to machines you might not necessarily prefer like learning to use digital and analog controls.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:I perfer lincoln. But thats just me
Reply:First to answer the heading in the thread.  A Weldor is one who performs welding operations.  A Welder is a machine used in welding operations.Now for the machine preference part.  Better get used to using different machines.  You can take 2 brand new Lincoln SA 200's and I'll bet you'll have different settings between the two, welding the same material, with the same rod.  With EXPERIENCE, comes the ability to walk up to any brand machine, take a practice pass, and adjust that machine accordingly.I can understand wanting to use the one machine you are accustomed to, but, are you going to take it with you when you graduate?  Nope. I have owned Hobart, Lincoln, and Miller in the past.  I have welded with P& H, Forney, and many other off the wall brands.  As for arc consistency, I like the "Pipeliners".  When I retired from Rig Welding, I sold my 3 SA 200's.  I kept 1 gas engine driven machine for my own use here on our farm,  a Miller AEAD200LE.  What I DON'T like about the Miller is the stupid switch you must manually change to either Weld  or  Power (auxilliary electric).  Real PITA.  But, the machine is o.k. for what I use it for.  Not to mention it is a backup 5KW generator for power outages.Good Luck students,  Make sure you burn all rods down to 2".
Reply:It's operator skill to a point, but If I actually *like* the controls and characteristics of the particular welder I'm using, it will tend to show in the finished product. It's hard to turn out nice work when a piece of equipment is difficult to use. It's *possible* but why would you want to do it unless it were simply to prove a point? Why be handicapped with obsolete equipment using obsolete techniques?I've used a few welders that even a seasoned pro had a hard time getting decent welds with. I hate to use the "it's the machine's fault" argument, but it is justifiable under some circumstances. You can't turn out quality work consistently unless the welder and consumables you are using are consistent. I'd actually prefer use a welder that's consistently bad over a welder that is inconsistently good.  if you know what to expect, it's easier to compensate for it and work around the problem.On the other side of the coin...If I am using newer equipment with the latest and greatest in electronic controls and I actually know how to dial those controls in, I have no reservations about using those advanced features to my full advantage. One example: I've had tons of people trash talk the pulse feature on my Dynasty and say it it's cheating, a few have gone so far as to say "it's a crutch for idiots that don't know how to use a pedal". The majority of the time I hear that argument it's because they don't know how to dial it in and never bothered to try to learn how, or it wasn't around back when they learned to weld.. I'll always try out the particular machine before passing judgement. I've been pleasantly surprised a few times by what appeared to be an old piece of junk, and I've been let down by supposedly "awesome" welders. I judge them on a case-by-case basis. Almost all the major manufacturers have had their good and bad models, and even among the good ones you'll occasionally come across a dud.-Matt------------------------------------------
Reply:For sure in some cases the welder helps the weldor.When I was in college, we had one lab where we ran vertical up using an Airco pulsed mig.The prof set up the parameters for me, and I ran a beautiful weave pass on the very first try.  I could never do the same thing with a regular MIG, and I had quite a time learning to to do vertical up with an old Lincoln stick machine.  I have not seen a pulsed MIG like that old Airco for the last 25 years in fact!  Maybe they exist, but for some reason they did not catch on.  Of course, there were no bends or tensiles or x-rays, so it may have been all show.   I know I have had beautiful welds fail bends and very ugly welds pass bends, so I try not to judge a book by its cover when it comes to getting the right pen.
Reply:Originally Posted by Fat BastardYes the arc looks and feels different form machine to machine and make to make. It is the true craftsman that can still make an acceptable weld.For the crew that is still in school it will be years before you get to say I want blue or red, you will be pointed to a machine and be expected to make do. To that end I suggest you learn now how to make every different machine works and how to get the most out of it.