On 1 Jan 2006 10:42:31 -0800, "Rancher Sam"
wrote:

I would like to start practicing with an arc welder on scrap metal so I
can move on to welding up metal buildings.

If you need to practice with an arc welder before welding structural
steel for a building, you might want to take some welding classes
first. The life you save might be your own.

The problem is, there is no
electric where I need to practice my welding.

Buildings that are large enough to need welding don't always have
electric service on site either. You might want to look into an
engine driven welder, perhaps rent one on a per job basis.

I do have a 5500 watt
generator with 9500 surge. I'd like to buy a buzz box to start arc
welding, but I don't want to destroy my generator either for drawing
too much current. Do you guys have any estimates as to how many amps I
can go up to on a buzz box and stay under 5500 watts from the
generator? I'm looking at the 225 amp AC buzz box.


Your generator does not have enough surge capacity for a 225 amp AC
buzz box. My 225 amp 240 volt 1ph buzz box trips a 50 amp circuit
breaker about once every tenth time I click the switch to turn it on.
It takes an enourmous surge current to saturate a large transformer --
my guess around 100 amps. The circuit breaker doesn't trip every time
because there is a delayed trip mechanism to account for surge
currents, but it still does trip occasionally. The manufacturer
recommends a 50 Amp circuit breaker, so that is what I have.
Installing a larger circuit breaker would void my insurance policies.

The maximum surge current on your generator is 9500/240 = 40 Amps.
which is less than the 50 Amp circuit breaker I have.