Well, I bought the smaller 1/16" 7014 rods this morning and gave those a try on the 15A setting to see if I could weld anything that way or not. NOT! But at least it "starts" every time and makes big ol' goobers all over whatever you're halfway aiming at! Can't 'steer' lightning worth a darn, but it's kinda fun to TRY!! I'm conficent that with a little practice I could maybe write my initials in 12" letters on the side of a dump truck or something! Joining two pieces of metal together? Probably not, but I'm sure I could fill small holes if I could hit 'em in one or two passes! Jesse James makes it look SO easy!!!
[ QUOTE ] Jesse James makes it look SO easy!!! [/ QUOTE ] I like it on those shows when they speed the footage to make it look like he just waves the torch over it and there's a perfect weld! I started learning in junior high metal shop more than thirty years ago, got to weld a bunch in Alaska over twenty years ago, built my first car from the ground up fifteen years ago and I'm still learning! every machine is different, every operator is different, every joint is different, but if you stick at it, you WILL develope a technique that works for you. Paul
I missed Day 1,so this might be a duplication. A good rule of thumb is 1 amp for every .001" of rod diameter. Take the size of the rod as a decimal,in this case .0625. You probably need about 60 amps to start with,then adjust to suit. 7014 is very common,and I never liked it. My personal preferance is for 7018 for position welding,or 7024 for flat only.
I think the frame that came with my car was made with one of those. Hack you would have loved it. Keep practising and remember welding is fun.
please don't take offence but you might have better luck waiting till the 4th of July and welding with a sparkler then with that thing.. take it "back" to Wallmart, tell them you lost the receipt and buy a good used machine with the money. Paul
Kinda agree with Paul on this. The machine pictured just doesn't have enough OOMPH for anything more than light sheet metal and then only with an experienced hand. I'll repeat my offer. Come up,spend a week cleaning my shop and we'll get down to some serious welding. Notice how I slipped in the week of shop cleaning which didn't appear in the origional offer. That's what's called "BAIT AND SWITCH" in the sales game. Frank
70 bucks coulda bought you a coulpe of 12 volt batteries and some welding cable...instant arc welder! really! hack, you said you did a lil wheelin in your days, you should know this! 3 or 4 batteries and you can weld anything!
well if he learns to weld with it think of what he could do with a bigger better one! and the price was right
[ QUOTE ] It's a Campbell Hausfeld 70amp arc welder (from Wal-Mart just to ruffle Dr J's feathers! ) Here's my attempt to weld a simple washer to a thin shelf bracket! Good thing I got lotsa nuts and bolts on hand! (And a drill press to make holes for bolting stuff together! ) This is fun stuff to a point...but I'm running outta junk metal to ruin! [/ QUOTE ] oh i love it! umm its a start
IMPORTANT! Keep your rod dry. Moisture will boil and spit so keep them in a dry probabaly heated area so they don't get damp from even humidity.
[ QUOTE ] This is fun stuff to a point...but I'm running outta junk metal to ruin! [/ QUOTE ] grind that bird***** off til you got a fresh piece or better yet go get a piece of 1/2" plate thats good and solid and you won't burn thru it and practice on that but don't get discouraged! get some small 6011 and try that, I think its an easier rod to use cause it'll even weld rusty dirty metal, not a nice finish looking bead but all your doing now is learning how to keep an arc going and stick 2 things together
When I taught myself to weld in 1970, all I had was 1/8" 6011s. I welded exhaust pipes together and made duals for the 318 I was putting in my 47 Mercury. Later I learned that you cant do that.
I have the infinite current adj. version of that... It uh...*****s. It'll make a good backend for my spot welder.... But, I LEARNED a TON with my $140 HF wirefeed... Yeah, take it back, if ya can, say its defective... You CAN weld with it, but it'll be a reall battle to build your confidence with it... -J
its my opinion that some of these econo welders promote more bad habits than they teach you .......i think you have to know how to weld with a good welder before you make up for the short comings of a cheap-o
oops, read the other post! Ok, so heres what you do... get THICK metal to practice on, 1/8th or bigger.... Turn the amperage ALL the way up, makes striking the arc easier. make sure the metal is nice and clean. no galvanized, either...
Fat-- That was my first welder, too. I learned on my father in law's lincoln 110 mig and could pull a decent bead, but the best I could get with that thing was a pile of metal bird droppings. It is nothing but a worhless toy. I think I took mine back after a day or two. Trust me, a bet alot of good welderscouldn't do a decent bead with that. Save up a couple hundred bucks and get a small lincoln, miller, or hobart mig. About $350 new, you might be able to find something used for less. Most of these machines will easily weld up most anything you need short of chassis work. If you insist on arc, call around for an older lincoln tombstone, seems like you see those alot for really cheap.
The Jalopy Journal
