My Welding Progression

[earla]

I'm 54. I started welding in 1974 on a borrowed Forney AC Buzz Box. It was very difficult to strike an arc with the Forney and keep it going. I had to lay the rod on it's side and then move to vertical.

My second welder was a Miller Thunderbolt 225 AC buzz box. It was very easy to use compared to the Forney and I built many projects with it. Learned to MIG, Stick, Gas weld and Braze while working summers at Allis Chalmers Corporation, in the mid 70s from true craftsmen. These guys could fabricate pretty much anything and I really learned a lot from them.

After much research, I recently acquired an Everlast 200DX Tig AC/DC unit to learn how to TIG weld. Also purchased the cart and got a Defender helmet free. I'm very pleased. Everything is well built and of nice quality. The TIG arc is much more stable than I am, but practicing is going well and I am having a blast. I have had really nice welds just using the torch switch and pulsed DC TIG.

I was going to sell the 34 year old Miller, but decided to restore it instead. It's painted Valspar Ford Blue from Tractor Supply. Pictures attached.

[geezer]

only 54 ?? Greetings youngster, I gave my thundebolt away to a friend, never did figure out the year of it, I couldn't locate a picture of mine on the miller manual site, mine had the adjustment on the front of it and it has a long low profile. I still have my old forney manual, lots of good reading in it. I'm doing what you are doing, learning TIG.