Is stick welding like riding bicycles?

Well, there's that.

Steve

I was never able to strike a spark consistently with stick. I actually got along best with oxy, in part because it was much easier to see what I was doing. I do OK with my little 120V MIG at home (I opted for MIG both so I could have a cold torch working on a repair in the interior of my daughter's truck, and because I'm leery of having a tank of acetylene in the garage). Haven't had a chance to try TIG yet.

I find that the few times I try to do stick, the "arc control" on the Syncrowave that boosts the current when you're about to stick the rod is a big help.

As for TIG, I find it rather addictive, with tremendous control both in torch positioning and foot pedal amperage control, as well as the clear spark and smoke free view of what you're doing.

"Pete C." wrote: as well as the clear

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Doing flux-core wire feed welding, I have some difficulty seeing the puddle. Cleaning the lenses and better illumination have helped a lot, but I wonder whether smoke from the arc is also part of my problem. Would a small fan blowing across the work be of any help?

It will be quite a lot of help. Calm days outside we run fans but usually the breeze is enough. JTMcC.

Probably ok for flux core or stick, but for gas shielded processes like MIG and TIG, a breeze is a bad thing since it blows away your shielding gas.

I thought he was asking about flux core welding. Correct me if I'm wrong but tig and mig have no relevence to a question about FC. JTMcC.

It's not "probably OK", it IS OK, we do it regularly. Especially in the desert. JTMcC.

"JTMcC" wrote: It's not "probably OK", it IS OK, we do it regularly. Especially in the

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I'm curious to know what being in the desert has to do with it. I wonder why gas shielded welding was brought into the discussion. Not only do we need still air for that, but I don't see how a gas shielded arc would create any smoke.

Because temps well above 100 degrees (in the desert) make using a fan really nice on calm days. We're pretty much into comfort around here. I wonder too what tig or mig has to do with the question.

JTMcC.

Not only do we

Say what?

You're wrong.

Gas shielded welding is relevant, because you do not want to blow away the shielding gas. A gas shielded arc can still create some smoke if the material is not clean, i.e. paint, oil, etc. contaminating the material.

HAHA, whatever gets ya thru your day man. He ask if a small fan would be helpfull when running FC. Simple question with a simple answer. You can drift off into tig, mig, origami or grilling hamburgers if you want but it doesn't answer the mans question and has no relevance to the conversation.

JTMcC.

The thread was on stick and TIG before he asked about FC.

"JTMcC" wrote

FWIW, and to get back to the OP, I have found that a suction fan, or even a stand fan pulling the air away instead of blowing it on to the welding area is best.

HTH

Steve

"Pete C." wrote

Thread drift is a terrible thing.

If you are using straight FCAW without a shielding gas, it is much like stick welding, in that it is more resistant to losing shielding. However, all the FCAW that I've run has been Dual-Shield, using FCAW wire and 75/25 Ar/CO2 mix. Running a fan blowing too close to a dual- shield operation would be begging for porosity.

The question, as posed, needed clarification. The easiest answer would be for the querent to weld some scrap while employing the fan in different positions. See what works and what doesn't.

As for smoke produced- Welding fumes have many nasty things in them, and we should all strive to not breathe them. Negative pressure vent to draw fumes away from your face, positive pressure to blow fresh air into the workspace, and respirators are all good things. What you need depends on the process used, susceptibility to porosity, and where the welding is done. Ever had "metal-fume fever?" I wouldn't recommend it.

"TinLizziedl" wrote: (clip) The question, as posed, needed clarification. The easiest answer would

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Thanks, to you, and all others who have offered help. I am the querent (that's an interesting derivative of "query" that I have never heard before. Thanks for that, too.) Now I know that I should expect some benefit, and it it doesn't work well, I should adjust the technique, rather than give up.