i want to learn to weld...

I do use an . 035 tip for . 030 aluminum wire, as per recommendation, and I was warned not to overlube the liner. Lube very lightly once at spool change (10# spool), no more than that. I am not doubting your knowledge or experience, thanks for the input and comments.

 

I really enjoy this post. We are half way through the welding class now. We are trying to learn on 6010's. .



Most of the assigments use those rods. I can lay down pretty good flat bead but welding up vertical with a 6010 is hard to do. It is hard for me to watch the puddle when welding vert up. Vert down I can see the puddle. We have a overhead assigment with 7018 and I sure like those sticks.

 

opjohnny, Good for you, Bud. Keep practicing. Watch the puddle closely. You will learn what to look for. If you need a magnifier, there is no shame in that. If it is position related you will overcome that with practice. You could lengthen your arc a little with 6010. It does not require the tight arc length that is typical with 7018. You may have to increase your amps by 5, or not, depending on the size of the puddle you are carring in the vertical up position. You may have to experiment with rod angle also. GregH

 

Yo Greg, what do you think of this machine?!

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I've said this a couple times before, not only is it obvious that you are a extremely talented welder, you can convey the information quite well. I appreciate you taking the time to help us greenhorns! This machine uses Lincoln's new STT mode of transfer. Surface tension technology - 100% CO2. It's not short arc and not spray. The second gun you see is a water cooled pulsed mig setup (90-10).



STT root 3G downhill and then pulsed mig to fill and it's supposed to be RT1 quality. We'll see...

 

That pulsed MIG is amazing. I have used it a little bit in the boiler for welding membrane between tubes. The technology is sure moving fast. The equipment we see in the boiler is not cutting edge either. GiesJ, what is the STT all about? Can you carry a larger puddle in the root pass?

Dave

 

Dave - That machine is less than 3 days old and I'm still trying to understand the technology. STT uses the surface tension of the puddle to pull the filler from the electrode to the puddle without any spray, spatter and as I understand it aids in root pass penetration. I'll try to get a picture or two of the backside of a single sided v-groove that we did. Awesome penetration.



The machines are constantly talking to themselves and updating the electrical characteristics based on the feedback.

The eventual goal is the root with the STT, a couple three pulsed mig passes with the water cooled torch and then a sub-arc cap. Again, as I understand it, the STT gives us a tig like root with excellent time savings.

Sorry to hijack thread, just thought it would be fun to show the new machine.

 

Greg that is one thing I forget to try to change(amps) and I need to try to do that. I use bifocal safety glasses and am trying to get use to those. Do you have a favorite pattern you like to use?

 

GiesJ, All I can say is WOW! That machine should be able to do everything except take a coffee break and go to the HEAD! Oo. Oo. Oo.



opjohnny, I have bifocals also. I use several different methods with glasses. When using GTAW, I have a pair of safety glasses that are ground to the close specification. That way I can see clearly in all positions at about 4-10" away from the weld. If I am using the SMAW process then I use the standard Px glasses with the close correction in the bottom. I will cross over to close glasses when in a tight spot, but the spatter will get you! Eyesight flexibility disappears as you age along with the ability to change focal lengths, with or without Px glasses. A friend has glasses ground with the close correction on the top as well as the bottom, with the standard Px in the center strip. It is something that is unique to each individual. You can order your glasses ground to your needs, depending on your eyesight limitations. Hope this helps. GregH

 

I don't think that you are hijacking the thread. The is a subject that can wander back and forth, as someone has something to share, and we all learn from it.

--pojohnny, 5 amps up or down can really make a difference in how the rod runs. Every machine runs differently. There is a range in which the maker of the rod provides for a given rod..... Say 3/32 E7018. That might be 70 to 100 amps. You as the welder gets to choose what amps to use. It all depends on your skill, the thickness of the piece you are working on and what position you are working in. As you get better you will be able to recognize if you are running cold or hot for whatever weld you are trying to do.

Good luck

Dave

 

GHarman- what can you tell me about the miller maxstar 150 type machines? Someone mentioned the dragster 85 also. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these machines. I think the maxstar uses 110 or 220, does this mean that it will function just like a 220 buzz box would? Why can't you tig weld aluminum with these?

 

the hobart 150 sti is another unit i've seen. anybody know how you would come out price wise buying just the unit itself then getting a torch, hose, and regulator vs. buying the whole kit. the solo unit runs about $800-900 where as the kit w/ case runs $1100-1200?

 

THenningsen, The Miller Maxstar is DC only. Great for welding stainless steel , carbon steel inconel, monel , Hastalloy, etc. They are an inverter power supply. Yes they will plug into an AC outlet, within the amperage limitations of your electrical outlet. Check the INPUT amperage requirement on the power supply. You can weld aluminum on DC under ultra clean conditions and closely controlled parameters. BUT, most Aluminum welding is not done under laboratory conditions. Therefore AC is the current of necessity for this job. Aluminum has a coating of Aluminum Oxide that naturally occurs as a protective surface on this metal when it is exposed to atmosphere for any length of time. Aluminum melts at 1200*F. plus/minus and Aluminum oxide melts at 3700*F. plus/minus. Those two materials are not compatible in a weld puddle. The oxide must be removed by brushing and is further broken up by AC fluctuating current with continuous High Frequency using the GTAW process. (There are Aluminum SMAW coated electrodes available that run on DCEP. I have limited experience with those on heavy section base metal. ) You should look at an inverter power supply that is capable of AC and DC, constant current. With this setup, you can TIG and Stick weld and are not limited by the type output current available. You may need a High Frequency add on for AC Aluminum welding. Watch your Amperage output ratings and duty cycle ratings on all machines. I like at least 180-200 amps available and 100% duty cycle. I will normally weld in the lower to mid range of the maximum capability of the power supply and use a tungsten size that is appropriate for the amperage range. Is this helpful? GregH

 

yes, very helpful. It seems to get an inverter style capable of ac and dc, I'm looking at some serious money. I'm just trying to make a smart purchase that can cover a broad spectrum of what I'll be doing. I'm looking and farm impliment/trailer repair. Only reason I entertain the idea of aluminum is to weld toolboxes and other diamond plate aluminum accessories. Stick welding seems like a good fit but if it is a matter of $400-500 extra bucks to have the ability to tig weld... i don't know if it's worth it or not.

 

THenningsen, I'm nowhere near the expertise of GHarmon, DValentine, CoalSmoke, and others, but I do own a Maxstar 150S (stick only) based primarily on advice I got from those guys.

The 150 will plug into either 120v or 240v outlets and automatically configure itself without user input of any kind.

Maximum output is 150A at input 240vac/30 amp. On 120vac input, you're limited to 100A output (still very good).

The machine is very smooth (at least compared with the AC crapper I was using). It has an "Arc Start" function that automatically increases welding current at the start of a weld in order to help prevent sticking. Personally, I like the feature most of the time but wish there were a way to turn it off. It becomes a real liability on thin metal, where it tends to just blow holes in your material on start.

These inverter boxes look like TOYS compared with the big transformer units like the Thunderbolt. In fact, the Maxstar comes with a shoulder strap so you can carry it around like a purse. It's also pink instead of the usual Miller blue.

Regarding the question of buying an base inverter without the TIG parts, it's not economical. The cost of the base unit plus the tig parts is quite a bit more expensive than buying everything together in the package deal.

I've spent a little less than a year with my Maxstar welding steel from 1/16" to 1/4" thick, and have been very happy with it. I personally don't regret not getting the TIG version because I figure if I decide TIG is something I need to do I'll take the time to invest in a good dedicated TIG machine with high frequency for aluminum welding ($$$).

You remind me of me not long ago. It's a hard decision, and one that's worth a lot of research.

On edit:
Maybe this goes without saying, but to me it wasn't intuitively obvious what the electrical connector on the Maxstar 150 looked like. It's pictured below. That's a NEMA 5-20P connector, meant to mate with a 20A receptacle. It will work with the standard "heavy duty" 20A outlets you find at Lowes, but it WON'T mate with the little 15A standard guys you have through most of your house. I made a simple adaptor that will allow me to plug it into a standard 15A houshold outlet.

Obviously, you'll need to make your own 240v cable/plug assembly to mate with the Maxstar, but you'd have to do that with any 240v tool. I used a 14-50P.

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[Why does that show up as a link to the photo rather than embedding the photo in this thread?]

Ryan

 

rbattelle, be careful with your adaptor, there is a good reason it comes with the 20 amp plug and not a 15 amp plug.

 

THenningsen, I certainly understand the financial dilemma that you are faced with. There is no substitute for GOOD equipment in a business. Something that is reliable and allows you to do a professional job. The new equipment makes it easier on the welder. There is still no substitute for knowledge and experience. This will come after a lot of practice, reading and doing. IMHO, if you can make money, you cant do without the equipment that will maximize your potential. (You also need to consider a GMAW, constant voltage power supply for doing those tool boxes and steel /aluminum decking on trailers and truck beds. ) Doing this type of work will require you to be outside unless you have your own indoor facility. If outside work is foreseeable, a good machine to look at would be an older, used, (new if you can swing it, financially ) Miller Trailblazer portable CC/CV powersupply. You can get the add-on's as you grow and it is a formidable SMA welder. It is not perfect but mighty close to an all-around workhorse. I have one and it has served me well. I have primarily used mine for SMAW, secondarily, an Aluminum spool gun for GMAW and a professional steel GMAW setup that takes the 30# rolls of wire. I have not acquired a High-Freq box for GTAW but could setup a scratch-start if needed. I hope to put this in a trailer someday. Now, I just roll it out the door on a cart when I want to use it. Will probably get a used, enclosed horse trailer so I can hang and store my gear and have room for a work bench and material. Just my thoughts. My early dreams became a retirement hobby so I am not in a rush. GregH

 

Certainly! I never exceed the current rating on outlets. The adapter is for cases where I need to weld in an area without a 20A receptacle. (Obviously I'm limited to roughly 75 amp welding on a 15A receptacle).



Ryan

 

rbattelle- can the maxstar stick only version be converted down the road to do tig? Other than size what advantages do you see over a buzzbox style stick welder? The maxstar seems to be double the price of an 220 ac/dc stick welder. Where did you get yours from?

 

You can TIG with the stick version. On many boiler jobs I work on we have old rectifier welders that are not set up for TIG. We just run a regulated bottle of argon to the torch, and the leads from the welder. When stick welding you are using reverse polarity... . the electrode is positive and the work is (ground) negative.
When using a TIG set up you need to switch the leads at the machine... . so that the ground is running to the TIG torch and the ground clamp is now running to the positive side of the machine. This is straight polarity.

Greg can explain why this works, better than I. The little I understand, is that the stick electrode melts and deposits the molten metal with the current flowing from the stick to the "parent" metal which is grounded.
On the TIG (straight polarity) the current is flowing from the "parent metal" to the point of the tungsten held in the TIG torch.

So to answer you question, you can run a TIG torch on a regular Max Star. You just don't have the ability to TIG with aluminum for lack of a high frequency box.

Again the Max Star is an INVERTER, as Greg explained previously, which is superior to a RECTIFIER buzz box.

Hope this helps.

Dave

 

Dave, You have it backwards, Bud. Current flow from the parent metal to the electrode is reverse polarity ( DCEP ). This is normal for stick welding ( SMAW ) Current flowing from the electrode to the base metal is straight polarity ( DCEN ). (GTAW)Tig is DCEN. You can tell if your tig setup is incorrect because you will ball the tungsten. DCEP puts more heat on the tungsten. You are right about switching the leads on your machine. Have fun. Hey! I was burning rod today! 5P+ and 7018 Lincoln Excaliber-SMOKIN'Oo. Greg