I got a new welder! well I didnt but I did. i research everything religiously, and so I picked a hobart ironman 240. look at the size difference, old one on the left.
kits are mostly 3/16th material, my old welder was a trooper and as long as you keep a carpet fan on it, it would do the job and then some. not bad for a 23 year old machine that ironically i bought because it was way more capability than I needed at the time. here is a comparison of the settings for 3/16th parts, old machine (lincoln 170T) vs new.
the lincoln had a 30% duty cycle at that setting! the hobart has 100% duty cycle at that setting.
and how did i get a new welder but didnt? well, the new one is going to my kit welders house, along with the welding table and the vise and some other stuff. instead of him schlepping over here to weld on saturdays and sometimes sundays (and sometimes mondays!) depending on orders, he will now do it in the comfort of his own shop. I will supply the steel and the wire and the gas and the consumables.
which means more time for activities here! I have been working on new stuff like a madman, and teh 54 of course.