I am trying to learn to stick weld and was wondering if there are any helpful web sites i can learn from??

Question

I have a 230 amp AC welder and need to know things like what amp for what stick and so on any help would sure be nice thanx

this machine is a used one an owners manual is a stupid answer to give. I am asking for serious answers only please.

Answer 1

You can't learn to weld (especially shield metal arc welding SMAW) from your couch. Pick up your welding rods and start burning. After you choose the proper rod (electrode) it's all about heat and travel speed. The proper heat or AMP setting is 1 AMP for every thousandth of an inch of rod diameter. So an 1/8 rod is...1 divided by 8 = .125" or 125 thousandths which means the amperage should be about 125. Turn it back to 90 for vertical and overhead, and up to about 130 for a "hot pass" on flat surface. You really have to size the rod based on the thickness of the material your are working with. Too large of a rod requires too much amperage and therefore burns right through your thin metal. This takes time to learn but after a whil you'll find that: 1/8" thick (11 gage) steel is about the thinnest material you can practically stick weld. Use mig or tig for anything less. 3/32" rod works great for 1/8" thick steel up to about 1/4". After 1/4" thick steel, jump up to 1/8" rod so that you have enough heat to acheive good penetration. 1/8 " rod will work good all the way up to 3/4" thick steel. Then you will need to go to 5/32" rod. As soon as you can, get access to a DC welder, AC isn't great and you will notice a definite difference in the characteristics of a DC arc, it is way more powerful, and burns the rod better without all the spatter etc. As for welding rods, unless you're doing some really special welding you will only need two types. Get 3/32" 6010 5p+. This is an all position fast freeze rod good for making your root pass (initially joining the pieces together) and for filling large holes. Get 3/32" 7018. This is a high strength structural rod which is all position as well, but not as easily used as the 6010. 7018 takes a little more practice, but once you get good with it, the welds look great and are very strong. These two rods will work well for just about every situation. In order to get proper penetration, when joining two pieces of metal, the open joint should be the thickness of your welding rod. Bang all the flux off a rod and use it as a spacer. Have fun!

Answer 2

There are 2 the thank you to strike an arch, scratch or %.. Do the two one too gradual and the rod sticks even whilst the amps are acceptable. attempt going larger on the amps, like ninety 5 to one hundred.

Answer 3

Check the owner's manual.