50 Year Old vs Modern Welder Tested

HERE IN MY GARAGE…
Curious what we use in the shop on a daily basis? Check it out below. And if you purchase these tools from these links, you’re helping support Donut. We appreciate it!

Milwaukee - 48-22-0125G - 25 ft. Magnetic Tape Measure - 2-Pack

Milwaukee 48-59-1880 M18 REDLITHIUM HIGH OUTPUT XC 8 Ah Lithium-Ion Battery and M18 /M12 Charger Kit

Milwaukee Angle Grinding 2781-22 M18 Fuel 4-1/2"/5" Slide, Kit

Milwaukee 2735-20 18V Li-Ion Flashlight

Milwaukee 2557-20 M12 Fuel 3/8" Ratchet

Milwaukee 48-11-1880 M18 REDLITHIUM HIGH OUTPUT 18v 8.0 Ah Lithium-Ion Battery Pack

Milwaukee 2125-21XC M12 LED Underhood Light Kit

Milwaukee M18 FUEL 3/8" Compact Impact Wrench with Friction Ring

Adenna Dark Light 9 mil Nitrile Powder Free Exam Gloves (Black), Large - Box of 100 (DLG676)

Scott Shop Towels Original (75143), Blue, 55 Sheets / Standard Roll, 30 Rolls / Case (10 Bundles of 3 Rolls), 1,650 Towels / Case

Zep Cherry Bomb Industrial Pumice Hand Cleaner - 48 Ounce (Case of 4) ZUCBHC48CA

AIDEA Microfiber Cleaning Cloths-100PK

Barrow 52 in. Brown Large Rectangle Wood Coffee Table with Lift Top

Barrow 52 in. Brown Large Rectangle Wood Coffee Table with Lift Top

New to the Channel?

We upload almost every day, subscribe so you don't miss out!

Click here for more info on joining the Donut Underground!

Shop Donut Merch:

Donut Media is at the center of digital media for the next generation of automotive and motorsports enthusiasts. We are drivers, drifters, and car enthusiasts who love to tell stories.

[ElBachy]

when I was little I thought that since my dad's welder apparently created metal out of thin air, we would never run out of metal in the world. I told him about my discovery, he laughed and showed me the big spool of wire inside the welder. also taught me about the electrical circuit and the wire feeding through :) you learn a lot if your family's trade is cars

[damustermann]

I'm so happy that you took the effort of getting the older welder to run, it was worth it.
btw. Zach is a legend and the most valuable asset Donut has, just saying.

[jonathanmaestas]

One of the many things I love about your channel is your integrity and commitment. You didn't just give up on the old welder or even "upgrade it" to a slightly less old one. No, you went through the time and trouble to make it work right and I for one appreciate your dedication. Keep up the good work!

[whiplash-wl]

Just as a note for most people looking into getting into welding, that multi process Miller they used is very high end for most at home/day to day use. There are others that are over 4x cheaper and will do just as good a job, especially if you look at welders that go up to around 240-280v.

[brodybishop]

Most shocking part of this video was that their shop didn't have atleast one 240v hookup

[justintime]

Someone with experience can make the old one sing like an angel! My pops made beautiful welds with that exact style welder

[ChrisRand-gflz]

One thing to remember is that MIG Welding came about as a way to produce M4 tanks faster for the US Army in WW2. Before that, Stick Welding (Shield Metal Arc Welding) was the go to for all welding process.

Stick Welding (SMAW) is a slow, rather skill intensive process as there are a number of factors you are needing to pay attention to while welding to lay a good bead, and in a time like WW2 where really every second counted, they didn't have the time to waste to train people to stick weld, so they needed a faster process that could be learned much quicker so the average citizen could pick-up the skill and contribute in the factories.

So while the machine you had was 50 years old, the MIG process has been around for 80 years, meaning they already had 30 years of knowledge going that old machine. It may have been large and clunky, but the foundation was solid so it's not surprising with a bit of tweaking it would work just as well and delivered a weld that was just a good.

[jonathanholley]

First of all, the new facial front is kicking. And second, I’m amazed both of those welders did so well! My grandfather was a welder for 40 years of his life and to know that’s what kind of equipment he used is mind blowing! I did also get him a brand new welding helmet and he has loved it. Definitely treat yourself to one if you haven’t already!

[Aisakey]

Nice to see the quality rising back to the level I expect from Donut on this episode. The content, the editing, that was neat. More of this please !

[joshbenton]

This was actually pretty interesting, and while your single vs three phase explanations were mostly correct, most three phase stuff uses nowhere near 100 amps- if it’s actually the same size in KW as your single phase thing, it actually uses less current to do the same work

[tinMan]

23y qualified heavy welder here to say thanks for trying to spark interest in the trades. I will say there are a lot of variables unaccounted for between the two machines, not to mention operator skill. Old units have character and are quarky due to long service in a specific range, and can take a set(like a spring can.) That said, when they get into the range they are conditioned to, they work. I encourage folks to take formal training, as it is more educational than OJT.

[kid]

Pretty sure there is a gas issue in the old welder: there was not enough shielding which is why there was an abundance of sparks.

[joelmichotjr]

We have a welder from the 70’s in my fab shop and it welds just fine. It’s also not a spool gun. The only thing is that the voltage dial is off by like 3 to 5 volts. Y’all were WAY too cold with the old welder

[nyxkeres]

The old welder while it had a mig addon was originaly an arc welder that welded with welding sticks and the hand fed mig attachment meant that it was for long distance welding usually a setup like that would of been to weld thick steel for say beams or thick sheet steel on heavy equipment or ships not really an apples to apples comparison you could get older mig welders with the wire housed in the unit itself fed through the cable similar to the newer model you have. The automatic sensing weld system seems nice so long as it works and doesn't go jank on you for welds that you really want to trust life or death for example Id still stick with manual settings.

[brownmsoe]

The biggest difference between the welders is their duty cycle, which is how much time each machine can run before needing to cool off. The new machine is a at home light duty machine, duty cycle before it needs to cool will depend on much they spent, but would be less than 30 minutes of continuous welding. The 3-phase old school welding can weld from sun up to sun down and not break a sweat. It was meant to run all day and everyday. It lacks modern features of being able to weld anything but MIG. The newer machine they had could most likely do MIG, TIG and stick welding. Different welding methods require unique wave forms to weld certain materials and change depending upon thickness and also the inert gas control. Old school machine was meant to weld the same part day in and day out.

[jellofuel]

i'm in welding school rn, all our certifications require bend tests on 5/16" cold rolled steel. Our coupons look mostly like what you've done here, only we weld all the way through, polish and a hydraulic press bends them into a U shape. You'll see the weld metal, any porosity, slag, etc this way. Awesome video!

[Revoku]

be interested to see if the miller mig welder is still around after 50 years of heavy use

[EvolvedTactical]

I'm a union pipefitter, so most of the welding I do is stick welding, but it's absolutely amazing how far the technology has come in the last couple of decades. Love some good welding content!

[loganbradshaw]

Hey I'm a professional welder my self and I have to say The problem with the weld profile for the new at 11:31 is it your voltage was too low and wire speed was way too high but again great video ☺️👍

[mpro]

My 1988 Hobart Beta Mig 250 is a tank. It actually works as well as the newer welders I've used. Biggest thing is knowing the best settings for the application. Even on .035 wire it has enough power to spray arc weld as well. It is big and a pain to move outside the building, but it is my go to for heavy repairs.