As an amateur stick welder, I'd gotten to the point where I could do a respectable weld - not pro standard, but OK for my needs. I hadn't done any welding for a few years, but recently bought a little buzzbox and some rods, but somehow all the welds are coming out atrocious - poor penetration, ugly, inconsistent. Someone suggested I buy some quality rods. I'd always bought what was commonly available. Is it me, or the rods, or what?
By "small" do you mean a little 110 volt unit? They can be difficult and limited in what diameters and rods you can use. Randy
Yes.
Steve
I've only ever had small welders, can't justify a big one. I think I need better rods, and more practice!
How about its Da Machine? They are NOT all created equal.
What kind is it?
Gunner
"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment is to gullshit in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration, knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure but enriches it."
- Onni 1:33
Justify? Whats dat? Get the biggest welder you can find that will run on the power in your place. Good old used transformer welders are fairly common and inexpensive. Least here in the States.
The last time I had to justify something was if I could fit it into the shop or not.
Gunner
"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment is to gullshit in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration, knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure but enriches it."
- Onni 1:33
All the practice and all the rods in the world won't compensate for an underpowered machine. Running at the top of the limits has advantages many times in the areas of fusion and penetration. The opposite of that is cold lap and catastrophic failure. The justification factor comes from being able to do the job right, and have the weld hold for a long long long long time.
Steve
Don't laugh - it's the cheapest one I could find, made in Italy. Attraction was that it's light, so I can tote it around without needing wheels. People are saying that the main problem is with the transformer, rather than the rods. But I think the ones I've been using are cheap imports, and might be not up to scratch. I should try some better ones.
That should make it easy to throw.
More than likely indeed.
I dont know the situation in Oz on old used welding equpment..but you really need to find the biggest machine you can run on your electrical system. I dont know if Lincoln was available or common in Oz..but the old Lincoln 225 buzz box is a veddy veddy common beasty here for farmers, ranchers etc etc and is a marvelous old workhorse. Cheap too when used.
Also check with any and every welding machine repair firm. They often have welders that came in for repair and were either never picked up, or cost was expensive enough that the owner opted to purchase a new one..and may be purchased only for the repair costs. Ive purchased at least 4 welders this way, and resold them to friends for my cost. Commercial grade machines.
Shrug
Gunner
"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment is to gullshit in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration, knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure but enriches it."
- Onni 1:33
Thanks for looking. I've heard of Lincoln here, but I'm more likely to find a locally-made one.
Point taken.
If you are talking about one of the 120 volt stick welders, they can be a pain for a newbie (and an irritant for every one else!)
Biggest problem is that the open circuit voltage is so low that getting an arc started is a pain. Next problem is the low amperage, it's hard to just "let it burn". And the duty cycle is pitiful, one rod every 10 minutes is common.
All that says that if your rods (or you) aren't perfect, it's a problem. About the > As an amateur stick welder, I'd gotten to the point where I could do a
Don't get me wrong, light machines are great for light work, but I wouldn't build a car frame with a 100 Amp mini-mig.
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