Thread: Arc inverter electrode + or - ?

Hi Matt
Definitely more heat in the rod when you run electrode plus. Try one of them little little 1,6mm mongrels and they will go red hot pronto on electrode +.

Because they are so small they deposit a correspondingly narrow deposit,which makes them lil shitz to run down a butted seam.

If you have not done it already, now is the time to get the auto darkening helmet.

If you are like me you will need a 3 or 3.5 diopter in the helmet lens, to see what you are welding.It helps a lot to keep the little baskets on the straight and narrow.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

Hi Matt
Definitely more heat in the rod when you run electrode plus. Try one of them little little 1,6mm mongrels and they will go red hot pronto on electrode +.

Because they are so small they deposit a correspondingly narrow deposit,which makes them lil shitz to run down a butted seam.

If you have not done it already, now is the time to get the auto darkening helmet.

If you are like me you will need a 3 or 3.5 diopter in the helmet lens, to see what you are welding.It helps a lot to keep the little baskets on the straight and narrow.

thanks Grahame --- keep up the good work

In general the +ve electrode generates approx 2/3 of the heat, the -ve has the remaining 1/3. So, if you're welding thin plate then have the rod as the positive, if you're welding much thicker material then swap them over.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

In general the +ve electrode generates approx 2/3 of the heat, the -ve has the remaining 1/3. So, if you're welding thin plate then have the rod as the positive, if you're welding much thicker material then swap them over.

thanks Chief , should be able 2 remember that now , the +ve is the hotter terminal

Originally Posted by Mathuranatha

thanks Chief , should be able 2 remember that now , the +ve is the hotter terminal

We just had this discussion at the tail end of the GP rod help!! thread below, as I've been in a similar postion, having bought a little BOC 130amp inverter a while back, and more recently a 165amp inverter MIG/stick unit, and wondering about the significance of the + and - connections.

As advised by the more experienced here, electrode neg seems to be the go, except where speficfied for certain rods, but there's a lot to be said for experimenting with the rods you are using and the material you are welding.

I did a quick test the othe day with 2.5mm Satincraft rods and 3.2mm Ferrocraft XP12 rods - both common or garden rods. The results, so far, are a little inconclusive. Using the same amps, both rods had a fiercer arc with more spatter on electrode pos compared to the recommended electrode neg, but the weld beads appeared flatter and the material seemed to be appreciably hotter at the end of the run, suggesting greater penetration and more heat in the work, but that may have been due to eletrode pos drawing more amps, despite the amps dial being left in place between changes in polarity.

There's too many variables involved, including consistncy of the operator's techinique to draw much of a conclusion. If I get motivated I might video some runs, but my only video gear is a really expensive digital SLR camera (I'm a pro photog), which will shoot gorgeous video, but I'm a little concerned about bringing it anywhere near a welder