PA160 STH unboxing!

   / PA160 STH unboxing! #41  
my challenge as someone totally new to this is not having any frame of reference, other than having some
general knowledge of what a weld should look like. Hmmm, seems to be spattering a lot. Me? the rod? the
temp setting? At this point, will always assume it's me... ten degree angle? check. Right temp? check...

I'll save the HF rods for July 4th. Some kid would have a long day getting one of them to light...:D
 
   / PA160 STH unboxing! #42  
If you want to have fun on 4th of July, you need one of these with 200-PSI of air behind it. :laughing:
 

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   / PA160 STH unboxing! #43  
Shield Arc said:
If you want to have fun on 4th of July, you need one of these with 200-PSI of air behind it. :laughing:
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are you doing a little air arc gauging there shield arc?
 
   / PA160 STH unboxing! #44  
CNC Dan said:
me too. The 140 that i got won't run 6011. Still want to get a dual voltage inverter that will run 6011 properly.
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If I were you I would not make a statement like that. Every welder under the sun can weld with the appropriate size and settings with 6011. Some weldors on the other hand cannot strike an arc or run a bead.

6010 is a different issue.
 
   / PA160 STH unboxing!
  • Thread Starter
#48  
A neighbor expressed an interest in welding, so we spent about an hour today showing him how to strike an arc and run a bead. I started him on 3/32" E7014, but I thought the larger, more visible puddle of a 1/8" rod might be a little easier for him to see, so we moved up to some 1/8" E6011 and 7018. Before too long, he was laying down beads pretty decent. Even that first hour made a big difference between sticking the rod a bunch and him just firing right up. We ended up doing several overlapping passes on a butt joint and a fillet joint for a closer.

We got the 7014 dialed in at just the right heat level so the slag was popping off on its own in one piece! Nice to know that, with this digital welder, I can just turn the dial back to that number if I need to. With my old welder, I would have been afraid to touch the output lever because I'd know I'd never get it back just right in that spot.

All told, we burned maybe a pound of rod, so I'd say the little 160 STH has been put through its paces. The arc force control made it much easier to teach him to maintain arc gap, since it was relatively safe to have him drive the rod into the puddle without having to worry about extinguishing the arc. I'm still getting a feel for how this welder runs a little differently than my old one, but it's coming together. The 7018 we ran was just beautiful.

This weekend, I'll be going to an informal welding workshop, where I plan to hook the 160 STH up to a borrowed argon tank and try out the TIG features. I'm going to swing by my LWS and pick up some tungsten and some filler rods some time this week.
 
   / PA160 STH unboxing! #49  
All machines have there little querks. My little maxstar HATES 6010 and will snuff out like blowing a match out all day long, but all in all

ForumRunner_20130402_110501.png

a very awsome machine whenever I have to go super portable.
 
   / PA160 STH unboxing! #50  
weldermike said:
All machines have there little querks. My little maxstar HATES 6010 and will snuff out like blowing a match out all day long, but all in all

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=311215"/>

a very awsome machine whenever I have to go super portable.
Click to expand...

Agree with 6010 issue on small inverters like the Maxstar 150 or Everlast 140/160 but no machine that size should have trouble with 6011, 6013, 7014, 7018 etc. even the little 80amp HF inverter does well with those rods in 3/32.
 
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