First welds with the welder the tutorials said not to buy.. Be honest!

[AdventuresInMetal]

Hello, been wanting to get back into some metalwork and not picked up a welder since I was a teenager and even then it was a cheap clarke MIG. I always regretted never learning to stick weld first as it's just cheap and simple and especially suited to working outdoors in the wind and so have been thinking about buying some welders again. Starting with a decent MMA inverter first... anyway it just so happens that in talking with the guy next door he had a cheap and nasty PowerCraft 40-160A AC buzz box that had been outside in the rain for a few years on the scrap pile... so I asked if I could have it to give stick welding a go before buying an inverter.

I watched a few videos on stick welding and then gave it ago just laying out a few beads on some scraps, these are about the best beads I can get out of it using 2.5mm 6013 at unknown amps (i know 3.2 is easier but I don't have a conveniant 16A or 32A supply at hand yet so got fed up of popping 13A fuses and went down to 2.5mm rods)

Hoping to get some honest feedback, personally I was pretty please with them considering i'm only into about 15 rods so far of practice runs (the duty cycle of that thing is hillarious) My own critisim is i'm pretty sure i'm going too fast but im sure it will get better with practice, but i'm curious how much of these results is me just being a total noob vs it being a crappy AC buzz box?

 

[Tigman]

Looks like you need to steady the hand , try leaning on something or use both hands , constant rate of travel and in a straight line , no weaving about , fair start though ! Good luck

 

[dashed]

Steady hand your hand, straight runs (mark a line on the plate to follow) and consistent travel speed will tidy those up no end (he said as some sort of expert having been stick welding for about 6 months!! But I have gone through similar learning experience)

 

[Nick DV]

Just be patient, take notice of the advice given here, and practice, practice, practice. When you've done that then practice some more!

 

[8ob]

My own critisim is i'm pretty sure i'm going too fast but im sure it will get better with practice, but i'm curious how much of these results is me just being a total noob vs it being a crappy AC buzz box?

Some sound advice above, I always wonder what folk are actually looking at when they start welding. Doesn't matter whether its mig, tig gas or arc, the focus should be the same and that is the weld pool. Irrespective of whats going on try and concentrate on what's happening in that pool at the end of the rod and not the irrelevant swirl of slag behind it.

Bob

 

[Morrisman]

How good is your welding mask? Can you actually see what the weld is doing?
I found with stick welding I sometimes have to steady the welding rod with a gloved hand to keep it accurate.

It's easier to go straight and even when you have a weld prep to weld in though, something to aim for.

 

[gaz1]

actually your not doing too bad

as above i found it easier with resting the rod on a gloved hand for start off and going halfway down the rod

i also have a sip90 buzzbox its handy, then i bought an oil welder thats even better.

for my needs both the clarke 150tm and the buzzbox is ample enough for me

yes i have upgraded both but i still have the originals so far

 

[AdventuresInMetal]

Mask is fairly decent, certainly can't blame that.. its an SWP Eliminator XV. I'll try marking out some lines and prep a few joints for my next trials... when the weather decideds to be a bit less wet and windy that is. I should probably admit that these welds are all one handed as I was stabilizing my wobbly outdoor bench with the other ( old washing machine with a missing foot) i'll build a real one at some point i swear

 

[Morrisman]

Mask is fairly decent, certainly can't blame that.. its an SWP Eliminator XV. I'll try marking out some lines and prep a few joints for my next trials... when the weather decideds to be a bit less wet and windy that is. I should probably admit that these welds are all one handed as I was stabilizing my wobbly outdoor bench with the other ( old washing machine with a missing foot) i'll build a real one at some point i swear

Yes, I can't weld single handedly, even with mig. My hand wavers all over the place, unless I'm in a perfect position.

 

[addjunkie]

For an old buzz box and unknown rods, poor mask and no experience your doing well. All the advice is good. Im both hands too till I get going and the rods is about half way.

If you can produce those with an old buzz box youll look like a pro using an inverter, a far more pleasant experience.

The bit about been able to see the pool and whats happening is vital

 

[AdventuresInMetal]

Well it looks like my adventures in stick welding with a crappy buzz box may be over... I was happy enough with my initial trials that I may have just purchased a ProGYS 200 PFC

 

[AdventuresInMetal]

The new toy came and of course it was raining but I couldn't wait to give it a go so I just had a quick go between showers, pretty happy with the results (these are all still one handed by the way, i wanted to compare buzz box to inverter without really changing technique) The bottom right weld is 3.2mm Bohler 6013 at 115A and the rest are Impax 2.5mm 6013 from screwfix AT 80A (yes i know.. stick to quality...only bought them out of desperation when blowing too many 13A fuses on the buzz box with the 3.2's)

 

[zx9]

The inverter makes a massive difference, well it did for me.
I hope you enjoy practising with the new machine.
Is the first project going to be a new bench?

 

[AdventuresInMetal]

Is the first project going to be a new bench?

Probably not, next project is probably cut a block of wood to put under washing machine workbench for now My first project might actually be to knock up some sort of roll cage thing around the welder to give it a bit of protection and somewhere to hang decent length leads etc on it, not really interested in using the carry case it came with... but thats more likely going to be a TIG project (going to get a tig torch with valve for it)

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Yes, I can't weld single handedly, even with mig

Same here...I'm more light sabre than harry potter I think with both mig and stick

 

[premmington]

Probably not, next project is probably cut a block of wood to put under washing machine workbench for now My first project might actually be to knock up some sort of roll cage thing around the welder to give it a bit of protection and somewhere to hang decent length leads etc on it, not really interested in using the carry case it came with... but thats more likely going to be a TIG project (going to get a tig torch with valve for it)

 

[AdventuresInMetal]

Good work , that is pretty much exactly what i had thought about building other than I was thinking of using something like 5/8" stainless tube, I might consider going flat now having seen that, save the hassle of notching stainless tube.

 

[premmington]

Good work , that is pretty much exactly what i had thought about building other than I was thinking of using something like 5/8" stainless tube, I might consider going flat now having seen that, save the hassle of notching stainless tube.

If you go flat - bend everything up - less joints less cutting and welding - I just made mine out of what was lying about.

I tend to like bending up things - I am not that good at fabricating stuff (I am only a dumb car mechanic). So avoid fishmouthing pipe like the plague.

I did double rubber the feet - bottom and top - so if I dropped the frame - it may save the welder plastic case.

Previous invertor to this died from a drop - "death by falling off a bench" - pulling short cables.

That is actually neat for me - I normally weld exhaust clamps - U bolts to everything for hanging cables on.

 

[AdventuresInMetal]

That's kind of what makes me want to cage it... When the welding cables weigh more than the welder, the thought of gravity taking a significant investment to the floor wasn't a pleasant thought..

With you mentioning bending it does make me ponder using something like 3/8 or 1/2" round bar instead, easy to bend and adds a bit of weight to the unit as well which I think in this case can be a good thing.

 

[AdventuresInMetal]

@premmington I'm curious, what length cables do you have hangin on the side of your machine in that picture, I'm thinking of doing a 6m electrode and 4m earth, both 25mm2, just trying to get an idea how it would look