Now I have to learn to weld!

[markct]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( While my welder is technically rated at 120 Amps input at 400 V output - I only run it at half it's capacity - so I think a 50 Amp 6-50 receptacle would work for just about everyones' *hobby* needs. I haven't tripped my circuit breaker, and the cables are staying cool.
)</font>

thats realy neat, i havent ever seen another welder that looked like mine, most were the smalled red idealarcs, yours appears to be a bit newer judging from the writing and such on the front, and as you mention about the rated input, mine calls for 150 amps in at full load, but we only have 100 amp service in the garage so its on a 100 amp breaker, and even up at 400 amps which i dont do often, it has never tripped the breaker, they sure are a nice machine tho, definatly not portable, but my father has a lincoln 225 ac/dc machine if i need to use it elsewhere, i dont mind having an oversize welder at all, no need to worry about duty cycle, like when i was welding my root rake project i burned rods one after the other for over 3 hours at once one time, only time i wasnt actualy welding was the few seconds to chip slag

 

[MMM]

Mark,that's the first I've heard of it, except for oil quenching. We used a lot of air tools, air grinders especially. In fact, a lot of the steel was pickled or dimetcoated and we'd just hit weld area with a grinder. I'm sure all pickling agent wasn't removed, just smeared.Can't afford to steam clean every piece before welding. Normally I would expect flusx to float isuch small amounts of impurities from puddle. Just one of the reasons I prefer smaw over gmaw for the less than perfect stuff on a farm.

 

[markct]

yea i dont worry about it realy, it was just something that came to mind when he mentioned air tools around welding, i never degrease stuff i weld, at most i wipe it off or grind it as ya said, i just thought i would mention it since i know 2 welders who are very insistant about it

 

[Dargo]

Yes, most impurities will float up into the slag from the puddle, but if there are too many impurities or the temp is not hot enough, it makes for a crappy weld. I'd never really heard much about small amounts of oil causing problems. There again, I've never done any welding that had to be made to exacting strengths or specifications. Heck, when I was learning, I used to just crank up the heat and weld right through paint. My dad, over 40 years experience welding, would throw a fit and make me grind off the weld and weld it back right.
Have any of you guys used the really nice 300 amp MIG welders? A friend of mine has a Millermatic 251 and he can weld up to 1/2" with it. Also, the welds with that machine are amazing! A "novice" welder can make nice welds with that thing. I'd love to have one, but for no more than I really use one, I just can't justify spending $2500 on one. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I don't even think Santa will ever think I was nice enough to bring me one of those. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[RICHARDG]

Well,there is welding and then there is welding,,,,when I was learning,,,I wanted to take all the little things out of the picture that could cause me problems,,,the reason,,so when my weld was not right I couldn't blame it on something else,,,that way you get better,,,it don't take long or require much effort,to take care of the little things before welding,,,getting oil and grease off,,preheating a little if needed,grinding or brushing rust off,,,cleaning slag off before welding over,,etc etc,,,,welding is an art form,,you can't paint your master piece with bad/faulity equipment,dirty canvass,,or screwed up paint,,,,,this is of course if you want to try and paint a master piece,,,some are happy drawing stick figures... thingy