Frame opinions

[farmall]

It's nice to see someone advocating 7018. I'm only a mechanic who welds (a true weldor is a fucking artist) but love 7018. Lincoln and ESAB run out nice. We were gifted a pallet of Hobart at the welding school where I worked but it tended to stick. That Washington Alloy/Radnor stuff Airgas sells is hit or miss depending where they source it so I avoid it.

I got spoiled by rod ovens and use a toaster oven to warm small quantities at home. Warm rod runs so much nicer.

BTW 7018 doesn't spatter much. If worried wrap some foil nearby or scissor some protective sheet from empty beer cans.

For the new folks, always set or check your amps by welding a piece of clean scrap before welding your workpiece. Make it a habit like the pros do. An amp pointer isn't as precise as seeing and feeling as you weld, and if you test every time you can walk up to any machine and set it comfortably.

[Keeleyvision]

It's nice to see someone advocating 7018. I'm only a mechanic who welds (a true weldor is a fucking artist) but love 7018. Lincoln and ESAB run out nice. We were gifted a pallet of Hobart at the welding school where I worked but it tended to stick. That Washington Alloy/Radnor stuff Airgas sells is hit or miss depending where they source it so I avoid it.

I got spoiled by rod ovens and use a toaster oven to warm small quantities at home. Warm rod runs so much nicer.

BTW 7018 doesn't spatter much. If worried wrap some foil nearby or scissor some protective sheet from empty beer cans.

For the new folks, always set or check your amps by welding a piece of clean scrap before welding your workpiece. Make it a habit like the pros do. An amp pointer isn't as precise as seeing and feeling as you weld, and if you test every time you can walk up to any machine and set it comfortably.

It's not just inaccuracies in the dial, every machine runs differently. Once upon a time it would not be unheard of for me to run 2 or 3 different SA200's in a day, all on the same job, doing the same thing, with the same rod. One would dig in hard, one would dig less but run smoother, one would dig less but run "choppy"... all three had to pass X-ray or ultrasound, or lives were depending on the guy at the end of the whip not fucking it up, and that means running some test coupons

[farmall]

I never got to weld with an SA but the design is elegant in its simplicity. It's cool that many 1940s and '50s SAs are still out there making money. No fancy PC boards to fry and die.

I don't need an engine driven welder but if one comes my way cheap I'd give it a home and freshen it up. Those flathead fours will outlive any twin in a Bobcat or Ranger several times over.

Since this is a chopper forum:

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?312111-SA-200-chop

[Keeleyvision]

I never got to weld with an SA but the design is elegant in its simplicity. It's cool that many 1940s and '50s SAs are still out there making money. No fancy PC boards to fry and die.

I don't need an engine driven welder but if one comes my way cheap I'd give it a home and freshen it up. Those flathead fours will outlive any twin in a Bobcat or Ranger several times over.

Since this is a chopper forum:

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?312111-SA-200-chop

A friend of mine that I came up with in the patch years ago, and I were just talking about wanting to do this with an old machine.

[farmall]

Parts availability is great (I used to hunt them for my less internet savvy pipelinerbro).

Manual downloads: http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us...=name&q=SA-200

WW sticky: http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php...nfo-FAQ-Sticky

Fowler goodies and other parts: http://hybriweld.com/products.html?limit=all&mode=list

[Guest]

Finally got a little work done to it. Been having back issues. I've 2 passes worth of metal layed in place. Gonna do the same to the underside. Definitely looks better and gonna be alot stronger.

[Keeleyvision]

way better