120Amps to strike?

I posted ealier about rods to buy (Welding Rod Assorment). I got my rods in today, and I started playing with them. I had a steel junk piece that had some rust on it, so I took it to the wirewheel on my grinder.I cleaned it up with that then got the rest with a wire brush. I tried to use some of the rods, but I was unable to get them to strike till I was about 120 Amps. That seems pretty high, I mostly work with pretty small metal. Ohh yes, I forgot to mention it's all 3/32 and 1/8 inch rod. I've tried 6011, 6013, and 7014 and got the same results with all of them. Did I just buy rods that are too big or does it sound like something else is wrong. The welder I'm using is an old Craftsman 60hz AC welder, it can go from 20 Amps to 300 Amps. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

-Zipper

You can lose twenty amps if your ground is poor. The "best" clamp is the type that are bronze C clamps. The common spring loaded grounds can fool you if they have trouble breaking through the oxide layer. Every machine is a bit different in settings. The dial may read 100 amps but it might deliver ten either way. Shop welders often have a multitude of felt marker lines put on them by different people at different times. The numbers are not highly accurate. Also long runs of cable have an effect on the final amps at the electrode.

120 amps sounds high for the 6011 and low for the 7018. That does not mean a thing. I have seen welders successfully pass weld tests and have preferences that varied as much as twenty amps. Randy