Lincoln's Buzz Box Welder

I was reminded of the old buzz box welder by Seth Sytressn, a subscriber of ours. Seth was responding one of our articles on Shop Tools...

The buzz box Lincoln welder was the original 'BUZZ Box' which is still a reliable welding machine today. Here's what Seth said:

'Good article. However, TIG is not for poor guys. We make do with a common "buzz box." The cheapest, such as Campbell-Hausfeld, aren't worth it; the quality ones, such as Miller, are. I'm no expert, but have used buzz-box welding on several motorcycle frames, no problem.'

So I asked him if he wanted to contribute anything to an article I wanted to write about the Buzz Box Welder, and he responded with this:

"Actually, there's little I can add, except to emphasize that a quality unit is extremely important. The cheapies may not give a consistent output, or even an output so weak that they won't stick two pieces of metal together. Also a good idea to be sure you have a fuse or circuit-breaker of 50 amps, since anything less can cause the welder (and everything else on that circuit!) to shut off. Anyone with a modicum of training and experience can use one of these, just be sure to have the right rod for the job, and move it at the right speed to get good penetration. Not crucial on a piece of farm equipment, but on a motorcycle frame, your life literally depends on the quality of a weld."

The 'Buzz' came from the fact that this welding machine makes a buzzing sound during operation...

The buzz box welder is an old school stick welding machine and Lincoln was the first company back in the day to create a very good quality arc welder which became near perfect in the 1950's - they called it the Tombstone welder I believe because the shape of it closely resembles a tombstone, particularly in the earlier years. Some say that the welder remembers a juke box, and therefore some welders call it a juke box welder.

These welders have been around for many many years, and they are very good and reliable welders. They can do just about anything except for maybe working with aluminum.

The other good thing about this welder is that there are many used and new parts available because the design really hasn't changed that much.

The Lincoln electric buzz box (AC-225), is a AC stick welder. It will weld many types of metals, even 'low' alloy. You'll find is a work horse for less than ideal conditions like in the wind, or rain. But you can use it for most jobs that require a good weld around the farm, shop, or home.

It has a three year warranty, which you will probably never use because it's a quality welder with almost a hundred years of research and development behind it. Get it...

You can't go wrong with the old buzz box welder. It will run on most standard outlets, and it's so simple children can use it. And long time welders will use it for basic and advanced projects, just like Seth!

Many welders say that a shop is not complete without a buzz box welder, and I would have to agree so I am buying one myself.