Section · Welding

Welding

Welding machines are sold on peak amps, but bought — sensibly — on duty cycle, output type, and the material in front of you. Aluminum needs AC; steel does not. A "200 A" machine that holds 200 A for two minutes in ten is a different machine from one that holds it for six. The guides in this section read those specs the way the standards define them, and cite every figure.

Guides in this section

• Choosing a TIG Welder: An Audit of the Specs That Matter
  The AC/DC fork that sorts the whole market before price does; amperage by material thickness; duty cycle read the way IEC 60974-1 defines it; AC balance, AC frequency, argon flow. The OSHA lens-shade chart — which answers most welding-helmet questions — lives in this guide's safety file.

Not yet rebuilt

The older site at this domain carried pages on MIG welders, plasma cutters and welding helmets. Those addresses point here until a guide worth reading exists for each process. Until a guide ships, its address stays dark.

Everything published in every section is on the guides index.