weld grinding tips needed

[CNC Dan]

i think i got a few of those. i got a bunch of the Lincoln books. i liked the early project books, but the later ones, not so much. i'll have to dig arround to see what i have.

 

[daugen]

well the private seller of that welding book must have sent it by train, still not here.
but I did read this, and wonder if someone can translate: why the one rod over the other?

PowerARC units have a special E 6010 setting for true pipe and contstruction welding performance, and a regular setting for smooth and easy 7018 welding or the rod of your choice.

Smooth and easy sounds good to a newbie...what's the first three rods I should buy?

assuming for a PowerARC 160 STH

 

[Shield Arc]

Everybody has their opinion, and I'm convinced these inverters like one brand over the other.:confused3:
My go to rods are, ESAB's AtomArc 7018, both in 3/32" and 1/8"
ESAB's Sureweld 10P 6010, 1/8". I've tried the 10P-Plus, I like the 10P better!
I just opened a can of Radnor 6010 that was given to me, I really like it too.
But I have no problem at all with Hobart's 335A 6011, 1/8".

 

[k0ua]

In my opinion you need some 7018, some 6011, and some 7014. Get some 3/32 and 1/8 in each of the 3. forget the 6010, you are not in the pipe welding business, and the PA160sth model does not have the 6010 port any way. My PA160 does but I have never used it or needed 6010. and in my opinion forget the 6013. I have used a lot of it, but I believe the 7014 will do you better. Start with the 7014, it is a "drag rod", and easier to run. 7018 is the hardest rod to get the hang of because of the need to break off the "corn" that forms on the end of the rod as soon as you lift the arc. This makes it difficult to restrike or start the arc again. The best way I have found to deal with this is simply break off the "corn" with your thumb and restrike it. But 7018 makes the strongest, best looking welds, and is pretty easy to run also. The 6011 will do all you need to do with dirty metal, and makes a good penetration, but the welds are not as pretty, and not quite as strong as 7018. 7014 is very easy to run, and makes a good rod to fill holes, and makes a nice flat weld, Some guys use it for everything, but I have seen enough tests on this forum, to believe it is just not as strong as 7018. Like shield arc said, you ask 10 guys about rods and you will get 20 opinions Now you have my opinions. As for the TIG, capability on the PA160sth, you should start with some 1/16 either 1 1/2 or 2 percent Lanthanated and a #5 cup, and it will do most of what you want to do. You will want the foot pedal at some point, and if you can swing it, just get it to start with. Just get some 1/16 ER70s-2 filler rod. The links below are as good as any place to get TIG supplys, I use them. I usually buy the filler rod at my Local Welding supply. So there you go. Good Luck.

Tungsten Electrode Welding, Tungsten Weld Material | USAWeld.com

James K0UA

 

[k0ua]

Oh, I forgot the most important thing, you MUST get an autodarkening helmet. That one thing will do more for improving your welding, than any other thing. Standard welding helmets are for Old professionals., You are not one of them and neither am I. Stop scratching around in the dark, get the auto-darkening helmet to start with and enjoy life.

 

[daugen]

super advice, thanks. My birthday is next month and I can see I've got a shopping
list coming for much more than just the welder, lots of mandatory accessories.
And no, I won't forget a really big fire extinguisher...

 

[IslandTractor]

well the private seller of that welding book must have sent it by train, still not here.
but I did read this, and wonder if someone can translate: why the one rod over the other?

PowerARC units have a special E 6010 setting for true pipe and contstruction welding performance, and a regular setting for smooth and easy 7018 welding or the rod of your choice.

Smooth and easy sounds good to a newbie...what's the first three rods I should buy?

assuming for a PowerARC 160 STH

ShieldArc has burned about a million times as much rod as I have so take my pointers with a large grain of amateur salt...

If you are a professional welder working on pipes, then 6010 is a must. For the rest of us, especially those with smaller inverter machines like my Maxstar 150 STH, 6011 does pretty much the same thing and works well when excellent penetration is more important than spatter or looks.

6013 is a general purpose rod adequate for most noncritical welds and looks a lot nicer than 6011. Good for repairs to mower decks for example. Not as good penetration as 6011.

7014 is useful as it has many of the characteristics of 7018 but is not a low hydrogen rod so does not require fastidious storage in an oven. It does not penetrate as well as 7018 so is best used as a finish weld over 6011 or in noncritical areas.

7018 is great but the storage issue is a problem for occasional use amateurs. If I had a specific project I would buy just enough but would try not to store it.

The other advice from my experience as a novice is to stick with rods less than 1/8" until you get good at starting and maintaining an arc especially with smaller inverter welders.

 

[IslandTractor]

super advice, thanks. My birthday is next month and I can see I've got a shopping
list coming for much more than just the welder, lots of mandatory accessories.
And no, I won't forget a really big fire extinguisher...

Better yet get a small fire extinguisher and at least several welding blankets to spread around the welding area to prevent fires. An ounce of prevention etc etc...

HF sells adequate welding blankets for hobby use and they are cheap on sale or with a coupon.

 

[dstig1]

Have you looked locally on CL and elsewhere for used DC welders? You can usually find a decent one for under $200-300. I recommend the Millers as they are infinite adjust vs the Lincolns which are tapped to specific voltage points. This is hard to beat vs even new stuff, and I am still not sold on the Chinese equipment. I'm sure it will get there, but I am not yet convinced it is there yet... (my opinion)

 

[daugen]

Have you looked locally on CL and elsewhere for used DC welders? You can usually find a decent one for under $200-300. I recommend the Millers as they are infinite adjust vs the Lincolns which are tapped to specific voltage points. This is hard to beat vs even new stuff, and I am still not sold on the Chinese equipment. I'm sure it will get there, but I am not yet convinced it is there yet... (my opinion)

that's really good advice. But how do I know if it works if I'm, well, shall we say, rather virginal here... Yeah I can turn it on, see if the light comes on...
I'm sure those old tombstones are very reliable and I'm worrying about nothing, but sometimes people sell things because they don't work as well as they did before....
I guess the obvious answer is to take an experienced person with me to check it out. I'm smart enough to smelled burnt wiring, and I understand these welders aren't overly complicated inside.
My guess is the older machines are built like older tractors, for forever.

These used machines aren't that expensive, I guess I can't go too wrong. Wonder how the old tombstone compares to a new high tech Chinese welder on the same rods/application...