picture worth a thousand words

[candyman]

& then some.

i`m probably should not post this it is real bad, but that is how you learn.

tell me all the things i did wrong & how to correct them. my first time ever welding. i bought a powerarc 200 from mark .
one of the many problems i`m havng is the rod keeps sticking & i can`t see what i`m doing, the shade # is to dark. ?
i`ve got a lot to learn & a long way to go.


oh, also when your cutting metal with a grinder, be careful that you know where to sparks are going.!!!

some may think boy that guy is a real bozo, well..

candyman

 

[rhett]

yes, we all have to start somewhere.
that will not be the last jacket, shirt, pants, boots to get ruined.
perhaps get some scrap practice metal, then tackle a project.

how about some some top notch video to help guide you
Welding Tips and Tricks - Old School Stick Welding

better yet, find a welder willing to give a little guidance. watching over someones shoulder you will learn more than burning hundreds of pounds of rods.

try starting with 6010 or 6011 rods, the arc will not be partially submerged like with 7018 and you will see a little more of the work surface. also position yourself so you are not trying to look through the smoke.

have patience and good luck

 

[J_J]

I would suggest taking a class on welding at a local school or trade center.

Don't feel bad about your burnt clothes, I did something similar by not paying attention to the sparks from a cutting wheel and set my pant leg on fire. One helpful thing I could add is to wear all cotton and pants with no cuff or use the leather protection outfits.

On the electronic welding helmets, you can adjust for different levels of light. Try and not have very much light behind you.

Some days I weld OK and not so good at other times.

 

[blueriver]

Just practice ... I'm new to it as well and just keep burning rods and you'll pick it up ... scrap is your best friend ... weld them little scraps together and then try to break em with a hammer ... you will see at first they will just pop apart and then you'll turn it up and burn threw ... then you'll find it and **** you won't break it!!

Some will be pretty and some won't !!!

 

[yelbike]

Keep trying you'll get there. I started the same way. Nice ugly welds is where you'll go next!!!:laughing:

 

[LD1]

Cant really say anything other than practice, practice, practice.:thumbsup:

I probabally would have started by grinding the orange paint off. I am not sure where you had your ground clamp hooked, but if on te orange peice, it can be a pita to get the arc to strike through the paint. You have to tap it onto the peice pretty hard.

And make sure you are doing everything in a horizontal flat position. NOT vertical. Save that for when you master flat.

And you didnt say what rod you were using. But I'd probabally start off practicing with 6013 or 7014. Those two are the easiest rods to run, and there fore the easiest to learn with.

Others may argue about their strength, but I have stuck a lot of metal with them two that is still together. So get some of them for practice. And then if you decide you want to try 7018 or 6010/6011, so be it. But if you are trying to jump right in with 7018, IMO that is 99% of your problems

 

[deereman75]

What I found helped me learn how to weld was starting by laying beads on a flat plate. Do thst until you can get them looking good. That way you just have to focus on the arc length and travel speed, and rod angle, not hitting both parts.

 

[kf4uda]

Those videos from weldingtipsandtricks.com are good. They have several on youtube covering covering stick,mig and tig welding. They welding school suggestion is a good one too. Many years back I was laid off for a few months. I signed up for welding night classes at a local Vocational school. They started me out welding beads on flat plates. Once I started welding acceptable beads, then I started joining metal. It definitely improved my welding skills. While I am not a professional welder (not even related to one that I know of), I can usually weld what I need to and do a decent job.


As said, burn rods,burn rods,burn rods.

 

[gwdixon]

I am just a self-taught farm welder so it can be done. Others that have posted have given good advice about rods to try and use.

The Everlast PA200 is about the easiest to use stick welder around so you are good to go there.

My advice:
> Find a small (4" x 4" or so) scrap piece of fairly thick metal. Grind on it until it is shiny on both sides.
> Put the ground clamp directly on the metal and then try the rod on the piece. Try to go from one side of the piece to the other without losing the arc. Then do it several times until the plate is filled with rod "trails". (Not sure what rod and what diameter you have from the first photo.) Post up a photo of it and you will get much help and advice.
> 6011 rod requires a little gap between the rod and the work (metal plate). The other rods (6013, 7014, 7018) can be just dragged along with the flux resting on the work.

On the original grab hook photo - you should probably grind off all those welds before starting over. A grab hook is not the best choice for a beginning welder to secure to plate. Special hooks are made just for that.

https://www.truckntow.com/pc-11373-147070-weld-on-grab-hook-38-pellican-hook.aspx

Also grind the paint area where welding until it is bare metal. The ground clamp also needs a bare metal hook-up.

More help after your next post photo of the practice.

 

[Craig Clayton]

Just wait until you get a Hot piece of slag down your work boot. You will be able to get that boot OFF in seconds.

Been there, Done it.

Craig Clayton