new to welding

[gerrard]

hi i am new to this forum and welding and i was hoping that someone could help me, i have bought a rockworth 90 amp mig welder and i dont know how to weld i am hoping to pick it up as i go allong, i have attatched some pictures (i hope lol) and i was wondering if you cold tell me what it all is there is a pik of the inside of the welder where the wire goes and i dont know what that bit at the back is for ad there is a black knob, is this to adjust the feed rate, there is a switch and it says duty cycle 10% and duty cycle 60% whats this for and finally it says For use with flux core wire only whats this i know i have lots of questions to answer. http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9806979&ecamp=trf-002 thats the link to the welder. thanks in advance people

 

[gerrard]

one thing more where can i buy wire and sheet metal from cheers

 

[rtbcomp]

The black knob with the two circles next to it is the feed rate, the 10/60% switch is the power, 60% is low power, 10% is high power. The black "knob" inside is the holder for the reel of wire.

Where in South Yorkshire are you?

 

[bawjaws]

the black bit is to hold a reel of wire which you can get from any motor factors or engineering supplys store, the 60% is for low current which is 60 amps on your machine (no good for boywork then) and the 10% is for high current, 90 amps

 

[bawjaws]

for steel supplies click on the tutorials page at the top of the page then at the botton theres a page full of suppliers, btw what will you use it to weld

 

[Country Joe]

Hi Gerrard,
You're right about the knob on the front - it's the wire feed.
The switch that says 10% & 60% duty cycle, is the power "adjustment".
There are 2 settings on this machine - 60 & 90 amps - and the 10% duty cycle (at 90 amps) means that you can weld for one minute in every ten, whilst on the higher setting, and the other 9 mins will be "cooling down" time, if you like.
I'd guess you'll find it a bit tricky (even impossible!) for very thin sheet, as the lowest setting would need to be around the 20-30 amp mark - or you'll find that you burn through most of the time.

Anyway, two others have already answered this, while I've been writing this - so I'm going to post it quickly now - before it becomes even less relevant!

I guess if you're not aiming to do car bodywork thicknesses, you might be ok, but the lack of settings might make it seem a bit inflexible at times!

Cheers,
CJ

EDIT - See - yet more replies, even when I'm posting mine! How good is this forum!?

 

[gerrard]

well i am planning on doing car body work with this welder is it suitable for plating and replacing panels cheers, well whats that big square block for is that where the wire feeds in and i am in rotherham bramley area rtbcomp

 

[Country Joe]

well i am planning on doing car body work with this welder is it suitable for plating and replacing panels cheers, well whats that big square block for is that where the wire feeds in and i am in rotherham bramley area rtbcomp

That's the wire feed motor!
CJ

 

[gerrard]

oh thats the thing thats makes the wire come out of the gun ? also will this welder be ok for car bodywork or is it too powerfull

 

[Country Joe]

I would expect you to have difficulty doing any type of car panel work with it, as it's lowest setting is too high - definitely for butt welds. Maybe if you were doing lap welds (overlapping another piece of metal) you might have more success. You'd have to move the torch quite quickly, I would think!
Also this particular welder is designed to be used with flux-cored wire, which seems to run hotter for any given setting - which will not help, when attempting bodywork.
CJ

 

[gerrard]

oh ok any ideas on what type of welder i need

 

[English Steve]

Hi Gerrard and welcome to the forum

I'm sorry to have to say this, but that welder is definitely not suitable for car body panels. The minimum current is way too high and as has already been mentioned, gasless wire will make things worse.
If you can, take it back for a refund then come back on here for some good advice on what you need. There are some very knowledgeable folk on here who will point you in the right direction.

Edit, you posted while I was typing Probably a Clarke would be a good bet, several on here have them for bodywork.

 

[gerrard]

ok cheers ill try and take it back, so i need one with gas then do i

 

[Country Joe]

Aww, thanks Steve!
I was beginning to feel like I was put on this earth to depress and discourage other folk!
Sometimes it's hard to be diplomatic! But if you've not used it, Steve's refund idea is a damned good one - I was trying to find a roundabout way of saying just that!

The Clarke idea is good too - the choice (power wise) will depend on the thicknesses you want to weld with it.

CJ

PS - There's a fellow by the name of WeldEquip on this forum, I think he should be your next port of call. He knows his stuff, stocks Clarke welders, and can explain all! - Maybe send him a message.

 

[gerrard]

well it has never been used and the lad who i got it off sed any probs bring it back so... thanks for all the info and is it hard to weld i have neever tried lol

 

[Country Joe]

It probably would be using that particular welder! But generally I find welding therapeutic!
CJ

 

[gerrard]

well i think ill return the welder then, i have seen them lught to dark welding masks what are they like

 

[bawjaws]

yep your aswell returning it while you still can coz youll never be happy with it, you need about 20-30 amps for bodywork and dont buy one from b&q

 

[gerrard]

i didnt buy it from b and q m8 it was second hand but never used, it was just the same kit on the b and q website lol cheers

 

[rtbcomp]

........i am in rotherham bramley area rtbcomp

A bit out of my way, otherwise I could have dropped in to give you some help.

PS if you're going to contact Weldeqip about a Clarke, ask him about a decent auto-darkening helmet at the same time, well worth the cost!