I would use the Hobart Ironman if speed is Important. If you feel you need to practice at stick welding then you can run 1/8 inch 7018. IMHO

 

I would use the ironman as that is what I have also. Remember, you don't have to go full bore on heat just to weld. I used taps 3&4 for .035 hard wire CO2 then taps 4 or 5 when i had used self shield .045 flux core. Now a days for 99% of my home projects (although not that many now) I reach for my AC stick. Depends on what your time constaints are and comfort level. Show us some pics:cool2:

 

What position will you be welding in? If this is flat on the bench, I would say go with 7018 SMAW. 6 inches is just about right for one whole rod, so you won't see too much of a productivity difference. If you are welding out of position at all, I would go with the Ironman

 

Oh, yes, forgot about position. It would be a flat and horizontal.

 

1/8 7018 at about 125 amps, and off you go. If you progress slow enough you will easily get a 1/4 inch fillet (if not larger) and burn up most of one rod on each joint. Using the Idealarc you will not run into any duty cycle issues with how often you will stop to chip slag and change rods. It will be a fun weld and give you lots of stick practice.

 

If you want speed use 3/16" 7024 run off that ideal arc. 200 + amps.

 

Seems Idealarc draws 85A+/- at full throttle!

Good thing I installed a subpanel in my detached garage for this reason. I think I have a feed for 90A.

I've never run 3/16 rods, but now I'm curious!

 

I don't believe "production" is a real issue if it's a one off.

I'm throwin' a bale fork together, and there's 40 3" welds on the main frame...……….that ain't crap:laugh: Run the little 225/125 non stop till they're done.....no biggy, and no worries about the mythical duty cycle. I guess I could get all anal, and do it with the engine drive, but really there's no need.

Thunderbolt will handle it, as well as the two other machines...…..just depends on what ya wanna run. It's not really a lot of welding.

 

Thanks guys for your input! Looks like I have options then on what welder to use. It is easy to underestimate the capacity of a buzzbox...

...like, "I need a 400A diesel powered welder to weld intermittent 3/16 fillet welds!"

At least I'm trying to do this with a 120V MIG welder, LOL!

 

the thunderbolt of old was a great little machine. when i welded off a hanging wire rope scaffold i had a top crank thunderbolt on the platform. the welding leads were pretty short but the power cable could be 200 feet or more. iirc i don't recall the d.c. being an issue. i was more worried about my electrode touching the 5/16" cable than duty cycle.

 

The OP has a flat top Idealarc that he already owns and is using. More than enough power for anything he wants to do. How the heck did the Lincoln crackerbox or Miller Thunderbolt come into this?

 

The OP mentioned that he started out with a Miller Thunderbolt. Some may have missed that he bought an Idealarc later.

 

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1/8" 7018 will easily make 1/4" fillets welds normal amp range is 100-150. many a professional welder doesnt have the newest or biggest welding machine. if boss says use a WW2 surplus machine thats what you use. duty cycle most welders weld about 50% duty cycle that is burn a rod in a minute and knock flux off and brush after a minute. sure you might go faster or weld without stopping to chip slag or wire brush but most do stop. if you tack weld aligning parts it can slow things down even further as opposed to tacking 100's of parts then welding them one after another
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a professional welder might use 10lbs of 1/8 7018 per day. thats a lot of weld and you certainly dont need a $2000. welding machine to do it. if you not burning over a ton of welding rod a year i wouldnt worry about buying a expensive toy to play with especially if only burning 10 or 20 lbs per month or even in a year