CwazyWabbit Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Nick hasn't said what machine he is using, I'm guessing as he is first starting out at stick welding it'll be a simple low priced machine and most are AC (or at least they always used to be ). But I'm sure he will let us know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 You should be able to get fairly decent results using 6013 rods, however 7018 are better normally. They can be harder to restart, a trick is to run a file over the end to knock the stag ball off, or to flick it off while its still molten. it seems you are just running a single pass stringer? If you can I would recommend running a triple pass on an inside corner joint if it's structural, obviously removing all slag after each pass. Try practising with half used rods as much as possible as the longer the rod the harder it is to keep under control. Simply weaving in a horseshoe pattern tracing the front of the puddle, but pausing for maybe 1 second at each toe of the weld should ensure you do not get a lack of fusion, just watch out for undercut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 P.s. If you want to "learn" the theory behind stick welding more, I would recommend you spend some time looking through both chucke2009 and welding tips and tricks' YouTube accounts, very informational and has helped me in the past. Plus I'm the kind of sad guy who enjoys the projects they do too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share Posted January 31, 2015 It's an SIP Weldmate 140, older model (not the 140P). The symbols look like AC - two sinusoidal symmetrical waves separated by a pair of overlapping circles with lines out of their sides towards the waves. I don't know what that denotes, but the waves have to be AC. The output terminals are specifically marked for the earth clamp and the electrode stick, not reversible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CwazyWabbit Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 That is a basic AC stick welder, it has a large transformer inside and the output is AC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertspark Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Next question, what does the box of rods say on it, AC or DC Negative EN (-), or DC Positive EP (+) or something similar as Barry pointed out that may be affecting the chances of using the rods or at least starting the arc maybe if the machine is an AC only machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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