Thoughts on this used welder?

[joshuabardwell]

Well, my neighbor came over and we installed the receptacle today, and I finally got to weld a little bit. Here are the results.





One piece of equipment that I'm lacking is a stiff wire brush, so the slag is not as cleaned off as it could be. Striking the arc was harder than I expected. I kept either pulling away too far or sticking the rod. The non-auto-darkening helmet couldn't be helping with that. I learned another advantage of an auto-darkening helment: if you accidentally touch the work piece and strike an arc before you drop the hood, you will get an eyefull. Oops. It was just the briefest of flashes, as I slammed my eyes shut and pulled the rod away, but woo hoo. I kept seeing that flash for 30 seconds or so. When I went back to weld again, I couldn't figure out why I wasn't seeing the arc. It was because I still had my eyes closed!

The only other time I have had an afterimage like that was when some good ol' boys I know showed me how to use a garbage bag and some oxyacetylene gas to make a bomb. That one lasted way longer than 30 seconds.

EDIT TO ADD: I also wear eyeglasses, which have UV-protective lenses, so that should help to protect against the flash damage. But how much flash does it take to give you flash burn in your eyes? Would a brief one like I experienced do it?

EDIT TO ALSO ADD: Okay, I have wire brushes around the house, yes, but not one of those big stiff ones they use for cleaning welds. Didn't want y'all to get the wrong impression about my tool-cred.

 

[k0ua]

Couple of things Joshua.. On the wire brush, I find putting a wire wheel on you 4 or 4 1/2 inch angle grinder is way better than a wire brush. A heck of a lot less work and better results.. On the rusty metal, clean it first with that wire wheel and the arc will be easier to start and the results will look better.. sure 6011 will cut thru rust and dirt somewhat, but all rods will do a better job on clean metal. As soon as the funds allow get an autodarkening helmet.. Your welding will improve and your general state of mind will improve. I am sure the flash, (we have all done it) was no fun, But it will happen a lot less with the auto dark helmet. You will not be so worried about forgetting and flashing again..You don't want to develop a welding flinch The vertical bead did not look to bad to me. Just a few more pounds of rods and you will be ready to start making things. Maybe sooner.. stay with it. It is worthwhile.

James K0UA

 

[Shield Arc]

how much flash does it take to give you flash burn in your eyes?

One sure way to tell! Tomorrow morning around 1, 2, 3:00 A.M. If you set up in bed, and it feels like someone poured hot sand in your eyes, guess what?

 

[joshuabardwell]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, James. For the record, the "vertical" bead was actually in flat position. I just turned it that way to take the picture. For cleaning the slag, yes, I have heard a wire wheel is the way to go. Do you like the "regular" crimped-wire kind or is the "coiled-wire" kind better? Do you know what I mean? I cleaned a patch of that metal for my practice welds with a grinding wheel, but you wouldn't know it after I got done working on it. I really need to get a wire wheel to clean the slag off, so I can see what I'm doing.

The rods I was using are E6011. The box said between 80 and 120 amps, so I went dead to the middle of the range at about 100 amps. Maybe 90, because if I recall correctly, that's where that welder maxes out at 100% duty cycle. Anyway, after burning a few of them, I gave DC- a try, but I just could not get the arc started. At first I realized that I was reading the AC scale on the lever and had the power way too low, but even at around 100-110 amps DC, it would just fizzle out. It was surprising, because DC is supposed to be easier to weld with, right? So I hear.

It's funny to me that the welder goes straight from 100% duty cycle right to 20%. Seems like the scale would be more graded than that. I do see one advantage of AC that I hadn't previously considered, and that's that you can get a higher amperage at 100% duty cycle. So if you don't want to take breaks every two minutes, and can get by with AC, it seems like you might choose it even though DC is more stable.

 

[joshuabardwell]

One sure way to tell! Tomorrow morning around 1, 2, 3:00 A.M. If you set up in bed, and it feels like someone poured hot sand in your eyes, guess what?

Ha ha. So it could just be a tiny flash like that?

Oh great. Now my eyes are itching just because I'm thinking about it.

 

[k0ua]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, James. For the record, the "vertical" bead was actually in flat position. I just turned it that way to take the picture. For cleaning the slag, yes, I have heard a wire wheel is the way to go. Do you like the "regular" crimped-wire kind or is the "coiled-wire" kind better? Do you know what I mean? I cleaned a patch of that metal for my practice welds with a grinding wheel, but you wouldn't know it after I got done working on it. I really need to get a wire wheel to clean the slag off, so I can see what I'm doing.

The rods I was using are E6011. The box said between 80 and 120 amps, so I went dead to the middle of the range at about 100 amps. Maybe 90, because if I recall correctly, that's where that welder maxes out at 100% duty cycle. Anyway, after burning a few of them, I gave DC- a try, but I just could not get the arc started. At first I realized that I was reading the AC scale on the lever and had the power way too low, but even at around 100-110 amps DC, it would just fizzle out. It was surprising, because DC is supposed to be easier to weld with, right? So I hear.

It's funny to me that the welder goes straight from 100% duty cycle right to 20%. Seems like the scale would be more graded than that. I do see one advantage of AC that I hadn't previously considered, and that's that you can get a higher amperage at 100% duty cycle. So if you don't want to take breaks every two minutes, and can get by with AC, it seems like you might choose it even though DC is more stable.

DC is usually quite a bit smoother than AC, less "buckshot" bb's and usually a better looking weld bead. Offers larger choice of rods. It is more quiet also. You might get a little 7014 3/32 rod, about 100 to maybe 110 amps. DC Electrode Positive. they make a smooth bead without a whole lot of ripple in it. But they are pretty easy to run, you can kinda just drag them on the work, You do have to move a little faster than some rods, as the depositon rate is higher. The are considered an "idiot proof rod" Not trying to say anything here, but that they are just easier to run. 7018 runs really well, but can be a little daunting to strike and restrike sometimes. You should really try the 7014 on DC,, I think you will like them. I don't know about where you live, but here we can find the US Forge small packages of rounds like 1 lb packages so you do not have to spend much over $3 to try a rod out...It is true you will get more amps out of your welder on AC, but I think you will find DC to be the better mode for most things once you get going.

James K0UA

 

[joshuabardwell]

Well, it looks like the fan is still having an issue after all. It's not a question of lubrication, unfortunately. When the welder is off, the fan spins freely. When it is powered on, it actually is encountering resistance. It will spin for maybe a quarter or half-turn and then bind up. If I move it past the binding point with my hand, it spins another quarter or half-turn and then binds again. I disassembled the motor and cleaned it out, after which it will spin for about fifteen seconds, slowing down the whole time, until it binds up again--almost as if the motor is heating up and that is causing it to bog down.

Any thoughts?

 

[joshuabardwell]

Here's a video.

 

[undercut]

Is changing out the fan an option for you? Those fans are typically pretty smooth and easy running. For it to start pretty strong and then sputter out like that, might not be worth your while to try to fix it or worse, be welding and have it fail and let your welder get crispy. If replacing isn't an option, are you sure there isn't any binding when you spin the fan with your fingers with the power off. There should be absolutely no friction.

 

[joshuabardwell]

I'm going to change out the fan, yes. I started another thread dedicated to the issue, and a suitable--and suitably cheap!--replacement was suggested.

The malfunction is quite odd. The fan turns absolutely smoothly when the welder is off, so it doesn't seem like a bearing issue. It's only when the motor is on that it binds like that.