My first weld (pictures)

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Pictures of my hobart cybertig, as well as my first weld (done with

6013 sticks), are there. I used 6 gauge cables that I had lying around. I used about 110 amps.

I bought a auto darkening adjustable helmet from Harbor Freight, which seems to work not so badly. It cost me $54.

Comments are welcome. I need to secure some steel scrap to weld...

i
Reply to
Ignoramus10467
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That's pretty good for a first weld. My first weld looked like pigeon crap because I kept the arc too long. Believe it or not, I think I might still have it somewhere in the shed! What thickness of plate are you using? A bit of practice and your welds should be looking nice.

Chris

Reply to
Christopher Tidy

Thanks. I will make a few more tries. I used a 1/8", or 3mm, plate.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus10467

Not bad for a first weld. Looks like you're running a little hot for that thickness of metal. With that thin I'd say around 80-90 amps would be plenty and possibly to hot as well.

Don't worry about penetration. Penetration gets way to much emphasis when joint design is more important (especially with 6013 which is a low penetration rod). In this case you'd have two choices for joint design. Either bevel the edges of the pieces or leave a gap to fill up. The former is easier for a beginner.

You've got most of the controls that mine has in a different layout and with digital controls all the way around. Differences are minor like where mine has a hot start yours has a arc force control. Yours also has a taper start control that mine doesn't have.

Looking at your controls I'd turn upslope time down to "0", initial current is high for the thickness of metal you're welding but will make it easier to start while you're learning, I'd turn all controls to manual for stick welding.

Pulsation can be nice for thin metal with stick but wait till you get some experience before playing with that.

High frequency can help with starting stick especially on dirty metal. However chance of getting bit by the HF is high with stick so I don't use it except in extreme conditions.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

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Reply to
Wayne Cook

Makes sense.

Got it. I did, actually, bevel the edges, but set the parts close to one another..

Will do like you say. If I turn all controls to manual, what should happen? Would the welder simply supply constant current?

Another question. I am not sure if the automatic sequence is working.

If I set everything to automatic, and press weld, my cybertig waits for the preflow time, then voltage goes to 80 volts, but then nothing new happens (at least without me striking a tig arc, which I cannot do yet due to lack of equipment). I was hoping that it would, after the weld time expires, go to the shutdown sequence. But that does not happen. Maybe the welder is smarter than I think and is waiting for an arc to be struck.

Agreed

I did not even realize that HF is available for stick welding. Thanks for the tip. I found some old steel scraps at home, but I have very little.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus10467

Actually after looking closer I'm not sure if the upslope and weld taper controls should be set to manual. I think based on the face of the welder that they may cause the welder to wait for the button punch before doing anything. However the weld mode should definitely be set to manual.

This is normal. There should be a test procedure in the manual which basically calls for hooking a cable from the electrode terminal to the ground terminal. If you do this then you'll be able to see the machine step through the sequence. My recommendation is that if you do this have the current set to a reasonable level (below 100 amps) till you get some heavier cable in.

That's something you'll have to correct. Scrap metal is the main consumption of the beginner welder. :-)

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

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Reply to
Wayne Cook

Got it.

I could try that with, say, 20 amps.

Thanks Wayne. I feel so great to have a nice welder...

i
Reply to
Ignoramus10467

Crank it down to about 75 amps, and run beads Lengthwise down the center of your stock. Then run beads alongside those beads, and so forth. Best available useage of stock for practice, and allows you to fine tune the welder.

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

thanks, will do just that.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus10467

Wow, that machine looks like something from a Frankenstein movie :)

Abrasha

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Reply to
Abrasha

It's big, huh?

What I wonder is how come its nameplate amps are said to be 44 (3 phase, mind you), whereas it produces only about 6 kW of power at the arc. Something is wrong with my assumptions.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus18928

cool welder, nice first weld as well. Keep practicing, it's addicting! good luck, walt

Reply to
wallster

thanks... I definitely will practice... there is quite a few things that I need to make, such as a new frame for a phase converter.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus18928

You have precipitated me into a move I have contemplated for a couple of years now . Went to ebay and ordered the kit to convert my Lincoln weldpak

100 to a mig . Got way lucky , and a machinist friend *gave* me a CO2 tank ... hoping even a lousy welder like me can run a decent looking bead with this set-up .
Reply to
Snag

Sounds exciting... What sort of turned me away from mig and towards stick/tig, is that mig welding may produce beautiful looking welds that do not adhere. My knowledge of welding is next to nothing, so please do not consider me to be any kind of authority. Keep us posted!

i
Reply to
Ignoramus18928

What tipped me over the edge is that your first welds looked about as good as what I'm doing - even a lousy welder oughta be able to make a better looking bead after 30+ years tryin' ... a good friend works in the oil pipeline supply industry , has warned me about those non-penetrating welds , and told me how to avoid that . Seems it's a matter of wire feed rate vs heat range settings . Just gotta be sure you're melting the base metal , and that your filler is compatible . Or something like that , gotta find that email and re-read it .

Reply to
Snag

Sounds like a welding machine issue, I suppose, since my hands are not particularly steady and I am not known for good hand eye coordination.

Makes sense. If you buy something, keep us updated... welding really is fun and can save a lot of time and $$./.. I want to build a trailer one day.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus18928

After you've got the welder might find you need a saw. With practice you can make very neat cuts with a hand hacksaw, but it really makes you sweat on larger sections :-).

Chris

PS: My saw is fixed. Sticky contactor mechanism. Yay!

Reply to
Christopher Tidy

trust me, I did a lot of sawing with a hack saw... never liked it...

i
Reply to
Ignoramus18928

I think it gets easier with practice. At least that's what I found. If I need to do cut-outs in angle section for making welded frameworks I find that a hand hacksaw is the neatest way to do it.

Chris

Reply to
Christopher Tidy

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