Finally got a welder--and more

D

Dave.

Member
#1
#1
Picked this stuff up last week for $240. Most is for gas welding/cutting. I just wanted the welder, but for a few bucks more, got the whole mess. I added a hand cart from HF.

Never welded before. Did some reading, tacked up some practice plates using 1/4 bar stock from HD, and started running the worst beads I have seen anywhere. This will take some time ;)

I need to make a small welding table top. I have one of these Rigid Flip Tops. Was thinking of trying to attach a metal top to it. Or just go buy the folding table from HF.
https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/flip-top-portable-work-support
http://t.harborfreight.com/adjustable-steel-welding-table-61369.html

View attachment 62764
 
Last edited:
Boomstick

Boomstick

New Member
#4
#4
Great machine to start off on :thumbsup:


Start by trying to lay a nice, even bead on a flat piece of plate. Get out your slag hammer & brush while you're at it. After you lay a bead, pop the slag off & see how the weld looks.

Once you get to a point where you can lay a nice bead, go ahead & try a few different positions.



Welcome to the world of being able to fix stuff yourself, and being the cool guy all of your buddies & co-workers all of a sudden want to hang out with because they won't want to pay a professional welder :thumbsup:
 
D

Dave.

Member
#5
#5
Drat, the one I wanted (Stickmate ac/dc) just appeared on CL. Infinitely variable control and more DC power. Oh well, I still got a much better price. And I have to say, the Lincoln looks like it was -made- for that hand cart ;)

Beads on a plate...yeah, I'm trying. Really, really, bad at it right now. The slag seems all mixed into the weld. Awful. The machine came with a lot of stuff. Lots of old rods. I started with 6013 on AC, then tried 6010. It was worse. But then I read that 6010 is a DC-only rod. So I'll try that after I get done with the yard work today. :laugh:
 
Boomstick

Boomstick

New Member
#6
#6
Don't worry about all the doo-dads the other one has, focus on the great machine you do have and what you can do with it.

An outstanding welder with a 110V harbor freight buzzbox is still going to be better than the schlock who welds once in a blue moon with little-to-no real experience with a $20,000 unit.

Take your time, get used to the controls, and don't be afraid to ask here for advice. It's certainly the right spot. :thumbsup:
 
D

Dave.

Member
#9
#9
thejoker said:
Nice score
Click to expand...
Thanks, most of the stuff is very old and had not been used in a long time. No idea if the regulators are any good. A couple gauges are clearly bad, too. A number of the torch tips are clogged, etc. Lots of cleanup to do with the half dozen or more tip cleaners. Nice homemade aluminum trays and toolboxes. Extra set of long leads for the welder.

The leathers were mildewed. I cleaned them up with alcohol and water (wrung out sponge) a couple times and cooked them in the sun a few days. They smell more like leather now than mildew, and I've been wearing them.

There are quite a few rods for me to burn through, in my feeble attempts to make a decent bead, and the welder itself is almost indestructible.

I learned tonight that when the electrode sticks too much, there is not enough current. And the 6010 works way better on DC, just like I read. I have so much respect for those folks I see online, making such nice welds, with their slag just dropping off, sometimes in one piece...they make it look so easy.
 
Inventorpardue

Inventorpardue

Member
#15
#15
Welding rod flux is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture). Makes them painful to weld with. Try some brand new Lincoln rods. Might even try baking the rods you have in an old oven or used toaster oven. Check out weldingtipsandtricks on YouTube, Jody has a few fun videos on just arc welding, and he's in your neck of the woods.
 
D

Dave.

Member
#16
#16
Inventorpardue said:
Welding rod flux is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture). Makes them painful to weld with. Try some brand new Lincoln rods. Might even try baking the rods you have in an old oven or used toaster oven. Check out weldingtipsandtricks on YouTube, Jody has a few fun videos on just arc welding, and he's in your neck of the woods.
Click to expand...
Love his videos. Wish he had more on arc welding.

And I do have an old toaster oven in the garage. I'll see if its big enough. I thought that "old rod" thing was only for low-hydrogen, but its worth a try. A lot of the 6010/13 rods have some sort of white powder coating on them, that I'm guessing is some sort of oxidation. I brass-brushed it off so I could read the rod type numbers.

I'm going to buy some new rods, anyway. He only had a handful of 6013 and 6010. Most of the rods are 316L and 316/316H, for stainless, I guess.
 
Inventorpardue

Inventorpardue

Member
#17
#17
One of Jody's best tips: burn a whole rod on a hefty thickness of scrap. Rake the slag, wire brush, then lay adjacent passes. Keep burning rods until the whole piece is covered, then lay welds on top of the first layer.

By the time I burned a 5 lb. box of 7018's on DC, finish welds looked better than anytime in 35 years of arc welding. Root passes with 6013 look much better, too.

Those 3 series rods are stainless, and probably expensive.

Have baked old rods and had them improve. Try it and see.

Good luck with it!
 
D

Dave.

Member
#18
#18
Plasma cutter

I have to stop looking at craigslist. I was looking for an abrasive chop saw, stopped in at an auto body shop closing done nearby, and came home with this for $300. The grinder will have serve as the cutoff saw a while longer; this is only a 110V unit.

View attachment 62787
 
D

Dave.

Member
#19
#19
Decent beads with new 1/8" 6013

Getting better at running the beads. One problem was the old rods. I baked them for several hours in a toaster oven. Didn't make much difference. I bought some 1/8" 6011 and 1/8" 6013 at HD. That was a little better.

I can run a decent bead with 1/8" 6013 at 105A DC. AC still looks bad.

I can't do much with 1/8" 6011, AC or DC. The weld is there, but the puddle is a mess and the slag doesn't chip off. Wire brushing it is better, but it's nothing like the 6013 results. I could be happy with the 6013. I'm screwing up the 6011, just not sure yet why.

The old rods I've been using are all 3/32". I get about 4 1/2" per rod, which is one pass across one of my practice plates. The 1/8" rod lasts twice as long. Very difficult to maintain a decent puddle with the 3/32" maybe because it's old, not sure. Will have to go buy some new 3/32" at HD as well.

The plasma cutter works fine. Hard to make a straight cut, though, and not really what I was expecting. I was thinking I could buy some 3/16" plate to cut into practice plates easily (or whatever flat scrap I could find under 1/4") It will cut 3/16" fine, but need some kind of fence or other guide. If I don't find a way to make nice cuts, it will end up back on CL, I guess.
 
widerider

widerider

New Member
#20
#20
also, the 6010 rod is "quick freeze" similar to 6011, used mostly by pipefitters...don't just hold it steady and try to make a good looking bead, whip the electrode forward out of the puddle then back in, repeat this process moving forward so you are producing a kind of "stitch"...6013 can make a decent looking continuous weld if the machine is set properly...7014, 7016 or 7018 will make beautiful welds by simply allowing the electrode to drag on the steel being welded...they are designed to be used with DC, but I've welded a hundred miles with all of them on my AC machine just like yours...

hint: as the electrode burns shorter the current will increase, burning hotter as you move along...

once you get tanks, first back regulator handle all the way out or until you feel no reistance from the diaphram spring inside, screw reg. to tank, (right handed threads on oxygen, left handed for acetylene) open tank valve slowly, high pressure gauge should show tank pressure with nothing leaking, then screw handle back in slowly until low pressure gauge starts moving & something is coming out of the discharge side of the reg.(where the hose will attach) & you will know it works...

any welding supply outfit could also test them for you, takes about 2 seconds to strap one on a cylinder & give it a go.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top