Best & Worst Welders/Rods

Best & Worst Welders/Rods FARM SHOP Welders/Torches (64) 10-1-27 "'My Lincoln 225 AC arc welder has saved many times its cost in repair work and in fabricating tools and equipment from scratch. It has been in use for over 10 years and has never needed repairs of any kind," says Robert Beyrner, Lore City, Ohio. He uses Lincoln 6013 rods for work on clean steel or pipe and 6011 rods for burning through rust and paint. He adds that Allstate #8 nickle rod works well for cast iron (Allstate Products, 5112 Alendale Lane, Taneytown, Md. 21787). "It's very hard to maintain an arc on my Sears welder and it sputters badly," says Mark Westerfeld, Crawford, Tex. "After 20 years use and many hundreds of pounds of welding rods, this welder has needed no maintenance or repair, although the rod holder and ground clamp on the welding leads have been replaced. It has been used toward the upper heat range for long periods of time on large projects. I will probably still be using it 20 years from now," says Hubert Bishop, Manhattan, Ill., about his Airco 180-amp arc welder. "I like Airco mild steel welding rods for general use." Melvin Barth, Hay Springs, Neb., uses welding rods from LaGrange Equipment Co. (8714 Washington Street, Omaha, Neb. 68127). "They're easy to weld with even when the rod gets wet. They'll weld well on high or low heat." "My 1961 Forney welder uses too much power. It often throws out the breaker, no matter what size breaker I use. When I use the welder for long periods of time it cuts out, especially in the summer, and it's always hard to start an arc. It's been like this since new and I've regretted the $700 I spent on it ever since," says Lawrence Dool, Thorsby, Alta. He uses Macleods' E6011 welding rods. "I can use them overhead with no problem. They'll handle almost any metal." L. Jay Wadeson, Fingal, N. Dak., uses LaGrange 70 rods. "They're a good all-purpose welding rod that has good tensile strength. However, we don't like LaGrange electric brazing rods. They're too expensive for what you can do with them. "Our best buy is our Lincoln 180-amp AC welder. My Dad bought it in 1964. It has performed without fail for the past 21 years, and has required no maintenance or repair of any kind. It has seen hours of hard use building equipment and doing repair work," says Mike Hickling, Carmi, Ill. "I like 6011 welding rods and also low-hydrogen 7014 and 7018 rods. The 6011 rod has good penetration even on rusty pipe, and welds good over-head and vertically. The 7014 rod has a stronger weld than the 6013 and runs smooth. The 7018 has a stronger weld also and will take more vibration and stress." Armand Favennec, Plamondon, Alta. says his 1966 Smith-Roles 180-amp AC welder has been a good buy. "It will burn 7018 welding rods and only draws 33 amps maximum from the farmyard transformer at 180 amps welding current. I've had no breakdowns in 20 years use. It has 24 heat settings from I5 to 180 amps." "My 250 Lincoln welder has been a good buy. I buy Forney welding rods and like 7014 for it's strength and running ability but it doesn't penetrate as well as 6011 or 6013. But it really holds well," says Gilvie Franke, Novelty, Mo. "I like 70181 welding rod because it produces a strong bond and can be used on a broad range of materials in all positions," says Andrew Heinrichs, Plum Coulee, Manitoba. "I like to use a number of welding rods but I like to use low-hydrogen 7018 rods whenever possible. Very versatile and performs well," says Richard Wolf, Wishek, N. Dak. "Airco 6013 is the best rod for all around use I have ever used," says Bill Crain, Helena, Okla. "For flat welding I like 7014 rods. For vertical welding we use 6013, which holds itself better. We buy from Forney Industries, Inc. (1830 Laporte Ave., Ft. Collins, Colo. 80521)," says Bernard Martin, Willow Bunch, Sask. "Lincoln Feetweld rods hold best on all kinds of metal, new or rusty," says Ralph C. Masten, Plymount, Ind. "I bought my Lincoln welder from a pipe line weldor and have been pleased with it in 12 years of use," says Jack Smith, Glendo, Wyo. "The b

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