Multi Pass Or Bigger Welder?

[Buggerlugs]

My Impax IM-MIG 120A welder is capable of upto 120A on MMA.

I occasionally want to welder thicker pieces of steel 6mm and above (not too much). I can use the Impax with 3.2mm 6013 at 120 Amps, but very much doubt I could use 4mm 6013s with it.

My question is should I go with multi pass welds or should I look at a bigger stick welder?

 

[Bornfree]

3.2s at 120amp will be fine for 6mm. Over that will need multi passes. Forget 4mm rods you really need 140amps minimum.

 

[skotl]

Clearly the answer has to be "buy more kit", right @MattF?

 

[Buggerlugs]

Clearly the answer has to be "buy more kit", right @MattF?

Actually, I was thinking of either an old higher power buzz box or a newer one, like the Draper AW180A (69939). I've got some 16 Amp 240V plug and socket coming shortly.

 

[MattF]

Clearly the answer has to be "buy more kit", right @MattF?

Absolutely correct, old chap.

 

[BrokenBiker]

Buy a 250 amp Tig

 

[Buggerlugs]

Buy a 250 amp Tig

Would that make it 'TIGety boo'?

 

[BrokenBiker]

Would that make it 'TIGety boo'?

Wouldn't have to worry about 6mm steel...or running 4mm rods

 

[Dcal]

Multi run.
Unlike mig, stick welders just needs to be sized to run the rods, not sized to the metal thickness.

I've seen jobs where 80mm plate had to have full pen butt welds applied from one side and the qualified procedure specified 2.5 and 3.2 rods.
It could have been close to 100 runs, but it held without issue.

 

[BrokenBiker]

Multi run.
Unlike mig, stick welders just needs to be sized to run the rods, not sized to the metal thickness.

I've seen jobs where 80mm plate had to have full pen butt welds applied from one side and the qualified procedure specified 2.5 and 3.2 rods.
It could have been close to 100 runs, but it held without issue.

A 3.2mm good quality 6013 will out weld most home gamers. You would be hard pushed to call it a hobby if you reached the limits of a 3.2 anyway, especially if you were reaching it frequently.

I use 2.5s as a main rod, keep about 100 3.2s just in case I want to weld something thicker but haven't got time for multi pass shenanigans...if it's too much for a 3.2 it gets 250 amps of China's finest mig pixies thrown at it