Gday guys Building a traditional rod requires traditional tecniques. Besides I paid $99 for a Harbor Freight type arc welder instead of paying for a $1000 mig. Anyhow.... Being a novice welder still doing a part-time TAFE (tech college)welding course I need some advice... The duty cycle on the welder is 25%@47amps - it welds ok for about a minute and then packs it in - cant strike an arc and if I can it welds a line of chicken ****. Am I just a beginner blaming his tools or should I bin the thing and buy a better machine? Anyone out there with one of these el cheapo welders?
first off,is it AC? i learned on an AC and was surprised at how easy it was to weld DC,much easier to strike an arc and the weld was like spreading soft ****er in comparison.does it have a fan? i added a 4" muffin fan (like you find in the back of a computer) to my $300 Astro MIG and the difference is night and day.what kind of rod are you using? should be 6011 if i remember correctly.the GOOD thing about AC is the penetration is awesome,try cranking up the amps to get the puddle hotter.hope that helps,although i'm sure the professionals may be able to clue you in a little better-george
[ QUOTE ] I paid $99 for a Harbor Freight type arc welder [/ QUOTE ] I would say that is a good part of your problem, but it is possible to weld with them. Not exactly what a beginning Welder should be learning on though IMO. One thing that will help is to not use it on an extension cord. Those things don't have any power as it is and if you try to run them off an extension cord they will weld even worse, and kick themselves off faster. If at all possible they should be plugged directly into the wall outlet. If an extension has to be used, make your own out of heavy guage wire.
I don't feel you have a machine problem. The problem with a low duty cycle welder is it will shut down every so often in the course of your weld. When its welding, it should be operating ok. I agree a 6010 or 6011 rod should help you. My suggestion. Especially with a novice welder, sell it in a garage sale and buy a good USED gas mig setup.
If you are going to fight it out with an A.C. stick welder, get some 7018AC rods. All the major manufactures make it. The "70" means seventy thousands tencle strength. And the AC suffice means AC appliation. You get less spatter , good control . Best technique for me is to keep the rod almost dragind in the joint.Try it , you'll like it!
The rod has to have the AC at the end of 7018 as in 7018AC. Stright 7018 is a DC rod and no good to use on AC. Try it, you'll like it!
I haven't used the Ac 7018 but the Dc rod has great arc starting ablilty. 7024 and similar rods have a thicker flux coating and are alittle harder but once you get started no problem. I do know that you can't drag 7018 dc wire effectively but the AC wire could have that characteristic.
It is not going to have the capacity to do what you want when you need it. Here around the Omaha area a used buzz box Lincoln or Hobart or whatever are only worth $ 75. They will be 200 or 225 amp. The 6011 has good penetration and will weld through rust and paint but will make a ****py looking weld. If you want a good looking weld use 6013, but the surface must be pretty clean, keep them dry and practice.I have never used a 7018 AC . I used a stick welder for 25 years and did a lot of cars ,trailers, ect. There is nothing wrong with them,It's just easier to learn on a MIG .
I would cut your losses right now. I myself used small cheap welder their too temperamental e****ially if its a 110 volt. Personaly I would buy a lincoln AC/DC unit and a lincoln weld pac 110 or 130 and convert them to run with gas I use co2 it works just fine for body panels. I dont know about in Australia but here you could get both these welders for under 1000.00 I could check on shipping if you want. The stick I use for heavy structural type subframes, rollcages anything I have to rely on welds. I also use 6010 and 6011 its called a whip rod its mainly for pipe but its avery versital rod. I hope this helps...Bill
Your question about duty cycle.... 25% @ 47 amps. That means for every minute you weld, you have to rest it for three. Otherwise you'll smoke it. and 47 amps ain't squat. The higher you turn your amperage, the SHORTER the duty cycle becomes. I'd FOR SURE get a different machine. That one's good for welding *** cans together, and that's about it....maybe tacking patch panels, but nothing heavy. JOE
I really wouldn't recommend stick welding without SOME instruction. I'm sure you can find "how to" stuff on the net, but there is no subs***ute for a good instructor. You can learn a good deal by just looking over the shoulder of someone who knows what they're doing. 6011 rod is not a simple "drag" rod. You can't just lay a bead with that stuff. A proper 6011 bead should resemble a stack of dimes laid over- i.e. little weld puddles overlapping each other. 7018 is referred to as a "drag" rod in that it is not really neccesary to puddle the welds as with 6011. Also, the machine you have doesn't sound adequate for chasis work etc. I'd really recommend getting a mid-grade mig welder w/ an auto-dark hood to start out. It shouldn't be too expensive, but it ain't going to be free either. Good luck. -r
What they said about cheap welders. Having said that, I'll concede that you CAN weld with one of the cheap POS' but using one makes it harder than it has to be. 'Specially while learning. 6011 works well on dirty metal, with a lot of penetration, but it's not a contact rod and you have to work it to get the bead to look good. 7018 won't work as well on dirty metal, but has a higher tensile strength and is a drag rod. Once the arc is established, just lay the rod on the weld seam and let the arc burn the flux off. When everything is set right the slag will tend to pop up as the weld cools. And yes, AC 7018 works well with a buzz box, but you'll still probably encounter more arc-blow and pin holes than you would running DC. For a good heavy-duty weld on thick stuff, use 6011 for the root p***, then clean it up well and cover it with 7018.
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