Bought another HF welder

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Originally Posted By: 67lemans
Originally Posted By: Stelth
Originally Posted By: Donald
an AC/DC TIG welder is next for you!!


Ha! I think the next step for me is to learn some technique. I picked up some 3/32" 6011 rods like tig recommended, and discovered a whole new world of pain and frustration. If I had started with these rods, I probably would have given up. The 1/16" 6013's are total cake next to these. I finally managed to strike an arc with them, and even weld some things together. With this little welder turned all the way up, I feel like it's just barely making it with the bigger rods. The good news is that the welds seem strong, and I'm able to do some useful work with it.


Did you try whipping your 6011?


Yes, whipping 6011 rods is the correct way. 6011 should not be dragged like 7014 or 7018. Also 80 full amps is plenty for 3/32 6011. If your machine won't properly weld them then the machine is not giving you full advertized amps.
 
OK, here's another question: I discovered that this welder will operate with 1/8" 6013 OK at 80 amps. I haven't ground down the welds yet, but they look pretty good with the slag knocked off. In fact, it almost seemed like the weld was running a little hot, but I didn't want to turn the amperage down, since the arc was really short; I was kind of "riding the flux" at some points. Is this OK?
 
Tried some 3/32" 7014, and I don't think it's going to work with this machine. I'm able to strike an arc (sometimes; still working on that), but I lose the arc when the electrode burns up inside the flux too far. I'm guessing I need a little more heat? If 1/16" 7014 was available, it would probably work OK, but 1/16" rods are kind of scarce, except for 6013.
 
I would just stick with the 3/32 or smaller 6013's and 6011's. They will work well with your machine and give you good results. The 6013 is the subject of alot internet FUD but don't beleive it. It is good rod and can give very good results, especially if you ran a 6011 root pass if you are worried about penatration on thicker stuff.

Post some pics of your welds and the joint your welding before and after.
 
OK, I'm going to attempt to post a couple of pictures. Anyone with a weak stomach probably shouldn't look.
grin.gif


Here is a picture of two pieces of unistrut that I attempted to whip-and-pause with 6011. As you can see, I got out of the groove. Normally, I would grind this flat to see how it looks.

20121212_160230-001.jpg


Here's the unistrut before welding.

20121212_155633-001.jpg


Here's another attempt that I thought wasn't too terrible for a noob.

20121212_154652-001.jpg


I realize that I have a ways to go, but you gotta start somewhere, right?
 
Thats not to bad for just starting out. You can use a circle/e techniquie with those 6011's as well. Strike your arc in the joint ahead of your starting point/beginning then long arc the rod back to the starting point. Move a little quicker when you get to the end of joint on something as thin as unistrut.

Check out some videos at weldingtipsandtricks.com
The guy has got some good videos. Notice how he props,takes dry runs and gets comfortable before he lights up. That will help getting that bead straightend out.
 
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OK. I found a Miller Thunderbolt 225 AC welder on Craigslist for $85, with long leads and about 15+ pounds of 6011 and 7018 for $85. I don't have any 220 outlets in my house, but I do have a 5500 watt generator. The generator might not do the trick if I wanted to weld at really high amperage, but I just tried some 6011 at 100 amps. WOW, does a few amps make a difference! Much improved from that little 80 amp HF welder.

Having watched quite a few welding videos on Youtube, I thought that I would have a hard time with an AC welder. Not so much. In fact, some of ChuckE2009's videos are making more sense now. I couldn't really long-arc with the HF welder, but it's effortless with this machine. Not only that, but it's easier to hold the arc, even though I'm using 1/8" 6011 at this point. Less sticking than I had with the 1/16" 6013 with the HF welder.

Well, you'll have to excuse me, I'm going to go burn some rod.
 
Stelth,
I owned this exact welder years ago and it does fine with 6011 and the AC. Now you can get 7018 rods that run on AC, but conventional 7018(requireing DC) are a chore to light up with the AC machine.
 
Now it gets weird. I was perusing the Craigslist ads, and there was one that said, "Lincoln welder $1". I opened the ad, and it said, ""Buzz Box" model AC/DC 225/125 220v Like new Still on pallet barely used $1 Firm ..."

Thinking it was probably a misprint, I called. "Yeah," says the guy, "it's like new. I've barely used it at all."

"OK," sez I, "How much do you want for it?"

"I'll take a dollar," he says.

I zipped up to his place, in a rural area outside San Diego, wondering if maybe a shallow grave was awaiting me. Nope, he opens the garage, and there it is, big as life. He says, "It's a dollar, unless maybe you want to haggle." Hah. I whipped out a dollar with all due haste, and he helped me load it into my truck. And then he gave me 60 or 70 lbs. of electrodes, looks like mostly 6010, but I'm not sure what all is there.

I haven't tried it out, but if it's no good, then I got some rod cheap.
cheers3.gif
It looks fine, though, and as soon as it stops raining
05.gif
, I'll check it out.
 
The $1.00 Lincoln had a little issue, which was that it was very hard to turn the knobs. I was afraid of breaking them. So, I figured why not open it up and lubricate the rotary controls? It turned into one of those jobs I'm not sure I would have started if I had known how complicated it would be. Major disassembly required. Nonetheless, once I was past the point of no return, I cleaned up the contacts and lubed them, and now it works much easier. I guess I got the wires back into the right places since 1) I'm still alive and 2) it welds. I've tried it on DC+ and AC, but not DC- yet.
 
Originally Posted By: Stelth
Now it gets weird. I was perusing the Craigslist ads, and there was one that said, "Lincoln welder $1". I opened the ad, and it said, ""Buzz Box" model AC/DC 225/125 220v Like new Still on pallet barely used $1 Firm ..."

Thinking it was probably a misprint, I called. "Yeah," says the guy, "it's like new. I've barely used it at all."

"OK," sez I, "How much do you want for it?"

"I'll take a dollar," he says.

I zipped up to his place, in a rural area outside San Diego, wondering if maybe a shallow grave was awaiting me. Nope, he opens the garage, and there it is, big as life. He says, "It's a dollar, unless maybe you want to haggle." Hah. I whipped out a dollar with all due haste, and he helped me load it into my truck. And then he gave me 60 or 70 lbs. of electrodes, looks like mostly 6010, but I'm not sure what all is there.

I haven't tried it out, but if it's no good, then I got some rod cheap.
cheers3.gif
It looks fine, though, and as soon as it stops raining
05.gif
, I'll check it out.


Was this the red Lincoln "tombstone" welder, but the AC/DC version?
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: Stelth
Now it gets weird. I was perusing the Craigslist ads, and there was one that said, "Lincoln welder $1". I opened the ad, and it said, ""Buzz Box" model AC/DC 225/125 220v Like new Still on pallet barely used $1 Firm ..."

Thinking it was probably a misprint, I called. "Yeah," says the guy, "it's like new. I've barely used it at all."

"OK," sez I, "How much do you want for it?"

"I'll take a dollar," he says.

I zipped up to his place, in a rural area outside San Diego, wondering if maybe a shallow grave was awaiting me. Nope, he opens the garage, and there it is, big as life. He says, "It's a dollar, unless maybe you want to haggle." Hah. I whipped out a dollar with all due haste, and he helped me load it into my truck. And then he gave me 60 or 70 lbs. of electrodes, looks like mostly 6010, but I'm not sure what all is there.

I haven't tried it out, but if it's no good, then I got some rod cheap.
cheers3.gif
It looks fine, though, and as soon as it stops raining
05.gif
, I'll check it out.


Was this the red Lincoln "tombstone" welder, but the AC/DC version?


Yes, that's the one.
 
Originally Posted By: 67lemans
Great machine, that's what I started out on.


I've been having a blast with these machines - the AC/DC "tombstone", and the AC Thunderbolt. They run well on my generator, and I'm not running into duty cycle issues since I haven't run either one over 120 amps so far.

I think I'll probably keep the little HF inverter welder since I can just plug it into the wall and do light duty welding. It works OK, but it's not as easy to use as the bigger machines.
 
Here's an idea you may or may not have thought of. When I got my lincoln, I didn't have an outlet in my garage. But, our laundry room was close by. I made an extension cord so I could plug it into the dryer outlet.
 
Originally Posted By: 67lemans
Here's an idea you may or may not have thought of. When I got my lincoln, I didn't have an outlet in my garage. But, our laundry room was close by. I made an extension cord so I could plug it into the dryer outlet.


I did that for MIG welder and air compressor. But my newest welder needs 50 more like 70amps.
 
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