Was given a new 90 AMP BUZZ BOX, what electrodes should I use ?

Perhaps, but I always found them easier to run on AC than anything else.

Forgot to mention that most of the small 120volt buzz box welders have woefully low open circuit voltage, are quite hard to start the arc. A good welder can compensate, a newbie will find it hard to get things right when you are still learning.

I just re read the orig> 3/32 6011 NOT 6010

Are you sure, I always use 6010 on dc reverse polarity. Aren't buzz boxes ac? The other thing I just found out is that it isn't recommended to cook the electrodes (cellulose like 6010) to expel water just get another sealed container.

Fran

I have had good luck with both 6011 and 6010 on AC. You just get less penetration with 6010.

OK,

Gotta love those cheap Chinese Welders ! The outside of the box says to use 1/16' and 5/32" electrodes but when I actually look at the manual inside the box, it says to use ONLY

Cheers,

/Jman...

Personally, I'd use the 7014. You should be able to just use them as is. --Glenn Lyford

The manual is right in recommending 6013 and 7024. Those are not low hydrogen rods so do not go welding critical high strength steel weldments. 6013 and 7024 use cellulose flux which needs some moisture to be good for welding. So do not bother to warm up the rods or worry about keeping them from the air. Just do not get them wet.

Lincoln has a great web site with lots of information.

=20 Dan

Hey thanks People,

That worked out great ! I burned through a bunch last night and was impressed at how easy it was to get a puddle going. The 6013 rods left a nice but of slag on top of the weld that broke off easily. The weld bead underneath was actually quite good and free from 'obvious porosity' too.... I'm still having some issues when it comes to 'striking an arc' (I get stuck a lot) but I assume I'll get better at it. I'm going to get some 1/16th rods today and see how it goes. Thanks for the advice !

Cheers,

/Jman...

Be prepared for a much faster start and you will have to run much quicker. and get less puddle. Shrug..just the nature of a smaller rod..

I can weld just about anything..except 1/16"...I dont bother with it as it kicks my ass..so I go TIG or Mig.

Good luck!

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 s*it out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Yeah,

I went out again this AM and I noticed that some of the thinner sticks were 'really hard' to get started ! I found a thread about cutting the sticks in half and that helped IMMENSELY ! Way, way easier to control for precise movements as the sticks aren't so DAMN floppy and bouncy (for lack of a better word) and the start seemed much better too ! Now I just have to find something TO MAKE with this welder..... Hmmmmm, might have to peruse the WEB a bit more.... :)

Cheers,

/Jman...

Your welder doesn't have to find work, work will find your welder.

"ow, you have a welder, mind if I bring my mower over latter today, a bracket is broke on it"

If you do much around the home, you will find that you will be welding more and more, and bolting/screwing less and less. Sometimes you find out that you should of bolted something together instead of welding it together, when it come time to take it apart to fix it.

You will probably get to the point that it will be enough use to you, that you will take the time to get a better one.

It's like a drug. You get a small one and get a taste of it, and it just leaves you craving for a bigger fix. Next thing you know, you will have a

Yesssss,

Understanding that 'needy' feeling quite well. I stopped over at a Copper Smith Place that makes Range Hoods, Tiles, Sinks and such.... WOW ! That was some Freakin' amazing work.... I've never seen such beautiful welds in Copper... Really inspiring stuff. Makes me uh,.... want a TIG welder though.

I bought a crapload of different types of Rods today for the Buzz Box.... Will Hopefully blast through a bunch by the week-end.

Cheers,

/Jman...

Two other tips for a new rod: it's okay to steady the rod with your other hand so it's not wobbling all over the place (assuming you have good gloves). And if you tap off just the bit of coating on the end, so that you can see bare rod, it can be easier (also works for restarting rods that like to burn back inside the coating). --Glenn Lyford

Two other tips for a new rod: it's okay to steady the rod with your other hand so it's not wobbling all over the place (assuming you have good gloves). And if you tap off just the bit of coating on the end, so that you can see bare rod, it can be easier (also works for restarting rods that like to burn back inside the coating). --Glenn Lyford

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That's a good tip for restarting a partially used as well. Scratching it on a concrete floor, or other abrasive and ungrounded surface, can be a real help.

Try the sledgehammer test. In my experience 6013 can look like you are doing great but really not something you would want to trust life or limb to.

Fran

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Hell, I was a 'little worried' touching that rod once it got stuck a few times... It was heating up pretty good ! I didn't really know you could do that to be honest... I also did notice that the FLUX did end up coating the end of the rod after the Arc was broken. I kept a small but coarse file handy and that REALLY helped with the start- ups. Good advice.... Thanks !

/Jman...

Yes, you bring up a good point.

I don't think I'll be building anything that needs to be 'stressed' all that much as most of my stuff is going to be pretty much 'immobile'. However, I would like to make something like a small utility trailer or 'functional item' down the road. I'm a little unclear on the 'Sledgehammer test' though.... How does one know HOW MUCH force you are actually hitting the weld with ? For example, how much approximate force does one give to a piece of welded angle IRON when 'whacking' it whilst it's firmly planted in a vice ? 500 lbs of force ? 5000 lbs of force ? Is there a 'tried and true' way to find out that your 'weld is good' without taking it to a pressure testing facility or professional welder or something.... ? Just curious about that.

Cheers,

/Jman...

I have done plenty of welding with 6013, and also done plenty with 1/16 rod and a 70 amp buzx box. It can be done. Repetition is the best practice. Do enough welds on test pieces that you test to destruction to know what a good weld looks like. And to find out the limits of your welder. The largest piece you can weld with one pass or what ever.

The best measure of weld quality is when the base metal breaks before the weld does. When you twist it apart, if the weld takes a chunk of the base metal with it, then you know you have got it right.

The biggest thing to watch out for is paint and oil film. They will insulate the base metal from the heat. The base metal won't melt. It will look like you have a good weld pool, but it will just pull off when you put some pressure on it.

I have found that a small buzz box with low open circuit voltage with small rod, like yours, is best for sheet metal. It doesn't have a tendency to blow holes through like higher voltage welders. You don't have to whip the electrode as far to control welding current.

As for as the 6013 verses the 7000 series rods. I wouldn't worry too much about it if I was you. 7000 and higher series rods are designed for people building life critical structures like bridges and sky scrapers. Unless you plan on building something like that, then don't worry about it. Real world difference between the two is the 6013 has a 60kpsi strength and the 7000 series has a 70kpsi strength (hence the first two numbers of the rod type). That difference is critical on large sky scrapers but I doubt if you will be building something that has a failure level that is calculated so closely. And the other difference is the 7000 series is low hydrogen. Which reduces the chances of hydrogen induced fatigue cracking. Again. Something critical on a mile long bridge. But I don't think hydrogen cracking is going to be the biggest problem ailing a beginning welder. Or even an experienced welder doing day to day task at home.

And add to the fact that after an hour or so of exposure to the atmosphere, low hydrogen rods are no longer low hydrogen. They soak up water from the air. So, unless you have a rod oven to keep them at several hundred degrees after you pull them from the pack, (which few home workshops do) then buying

The only thing you have working against you on welding bigger stuff is the limited size of your welder, not the type of welding rod. A welder that would run 3/32 and 1/8 would be a real help on larger stuff. Yes you can do it with 1/16 rod. I have. But it is a slow and mind numbing task.

And keep another thing in mind. Even a new pack of 7018 still sitting in the store, may have long since lost it's low hydrogen qualities. Most of the small packs have a plastic wrapper on them and they have a tendency to get holes in the plastic from rough handling. Once they get a hole, then good by low hydrogen qualities.

The only way to keep a low hydrogen rod "low hydrogen" is by only buying rods in unopened metal cans (50 pound tins). Then as soon as you open them, throw them into a rod oven. Only pull the rods out of the oven that you plan on using that hour. Any you don't, throw away..

The only real difference from a 6013 that you get when buying a 7018 from most local supply houses, for most home workshops, is a rod that is cranky to run on AC

The best thing a person can do is just use 6013 and design their projects so that fatigue cracking isn't a problem. Don't design it where the weld joints are heavily flexed.