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  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Blue Mountains NSW Australia
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    592

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    I have a samll oven in my workshop. I picked it up from a council cleanup a couple of years agao. It comes in very handy for all sorts of jobs. If I am having a welding day, I throw the rods in the oven for the day while I am working. Just over 100 deg is all I find I need. Really dry sticks will make your life easier.

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  3. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

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    Quote Originally Posted by Fossil View Post
    I have a samll oven in my workshop. I picked it up from a council cleanup a couple of years agao. It comes in very handy for all sorts of jobs. If I am having a welding day, I throw the rods in the oven for the day while I am working. Just over 100 deg is all I find I need. Really dry sticks will make your life easier.
    Thanks for the tip fossil.

  4. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay Qld
    Posts
    3,466

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    Quote Originally Posted by martrix View Post
    I will be trying to turn a new leaf with my welding.......minimal use of the angle grinder.
    If more would use the angle grinder, a lot more before than after welding, we could reduce all this $eagull $hit <Grin>

    If you are a bit shaky like - drop your gloved left hand fisted - down to the bench- but with index finger pointing and drop the near the end (notice I said near -not at the end) the electrode over it to steady the electrode up. Fossil is dead right about the rods in the oven.100 degrees C is spot on.Rods will pick moisture up if stored in open packets. I will be happy to look at your mig runs Matrix

    I have another post coming on overwelding and distortion and complete with MS paint illustration. In the welding section too,before I get into strife with the mods.

    She who must is home ,so its time for a cuppa
    see you lot later
    Grahame

  5. #19
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Pakenham, outer Melb SE suburb, Vic
    Age
    54
    Posts
    4,158

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    Quote Originally Posted by Grahame Collins View Post
    If you are a bit shaky like - drop your gloved left hand fisted - down to the bench- but with index finger pointing and drop the near the end (notice I said near -not at the end) the electrode over it to steady the electrode up.
    Great tip! I shake like I've got the DTs, amplified when I use a new rod (I usually cut them in half for this reason) so this tip is a good 'un for me. I had thought I'd get a belt if I touched the electrode.


    The beatings will continue until morale improves.

  6. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

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    Crikey Scoot, you're only 38 mate I got 15 years on you, mind you come to think of it mine started about your age. Apparently every one has these nerve twitches but they are usual random in most people so they cancel each other out. About 2.5% of folks have something called sympathetic twitching where a lot of the twitches happen in synch, magnifying the effect.

    I've been starting off welding two handed and when I get going I move to one hand but Gra's idea sounds good - must go and try it. The problem with two handed is sometimes you need to hold something awkard in place - can't have too many clamps and one of my faves is this edge one.

  7. #21
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Kalamunda, WA
    Age
    52
    Posts
    1,989

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    The use of copper sheeting is a trick used by car restorers to weld up pin hole rust spots in car repairs. If you hold a sheet of copper on the back of the hole you can weld it up then take the copper away.

    Question about sticking the rods in the oven. I only use my welder every few months so my rods sit around (in plastic container) for a fair while and some have been around for a few years. If I put the whole lot in the oven would this rejuvinate them back to like new or do I need to use them straight out of the oven? I can see SWMBO asking what the hell am I doing already

  8. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    WA
    Age
    51
    Posts
    27

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    Thanks for the tips everyone - have some rust holes to patch up soon, so will be looking out for some copper. I use a mig for almost all my welding but also have an arc welder that I am teaching myself to use. Just need to find the time to practice.

    Best thing I ever did was buy an auto darkening helmet. The quality of my welds improved as I could use two hands to hold the gun or even one to hold the job whilst I spot. I think not having to start in the dark was the main reason. Nothing worse than lining the tip up and then dropping the mask to find you start your weld 5mm (or more) away form the joint!

    Magnetic angle clamps are another investment that make me wonder what I did without them.

  9. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

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    Ok I dropped my amps as recommended, using brand new 2mm rods and things have just gotten worse.

    I'm now @ 55A (as shown on the welder scale) mainly because I'm now working on 1.2mm SHS - boy is this tricky stuff with just a stick machine.

    Firstly its taking 6 - 10 attempts to strike an arc and then the poo factor has gone up significantly. They all now look like my first run or worse!

    On a more positive note I haven't made anywhere near the number of holes as I have in the past using Grahames tip of keeping the rod oriented towards the thicker side. Excellent tip.

    I think I might try 60A? I was using 65A on the 1.6 mm SHS.

    Cheers

  10. #24
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Warwick, QLD
    Age
    45
    Posts
    3,462

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    The trick with thinner metals is speed. You need to have enough amsp to make sure that you get the penetration but you can't go to slow because you will burn holes. I have this problem with students regularly. They always go too slow on the thin stuff and burn holes, and strangely enough the go too fast on the thicker welds??? Go figure that one out!?!
    Have a nice day - Cheers

  11. #25
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    North Of The Boarder
    Age
    68
    Posts
    16,794

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    Hi BobL

    One thing I noticed in the photo's is NO clean up of the area to be welded removing paint etc makes for a cleaner start to the weld easier to get that first spark/arc.

    One trick I was taught with hard to start rods is knock off a bit of the end of the rod Flux and its bonding agent. I either used a pair of pliers and just griped and turned a tiny fraction of the tip or run/drag/bounced the rod off some steel at the tip this gives metal to metal contact.

    For shakey hands starting at intersections etc I place the side of the rod down past the weld joint and draw back slowly after dropping the helmet.

    Being comfortable when practicing helps if your sitting down and the job is a stretch then your uncomfortable. If your stooping over its uncomfortable. Wait till your doing overhead welding lying down twisted and in a small space with just enough room to move.

    The shudders n shakes I had when I first started welding was hammered out of me and I do mean hammered, the TAFE teacher & fellow I was working under would walk up behind those they were teaching and slam a hammer down while they were welding. talk about needing a change . After about 1/2 doz of these situations you got to be able to put it out of your mind and calm yourself so much so some of us wouldn't even hear the lunch hooter to intent on listening to that wonderfull sound of weld being deposited and the hum of the machine.

    Ok I dropped my amps as recommended, using brand new 2mm rods and things have just gotten worse.

    I'm now @ 55A (as shown on the welder scale) mainly because I'm now working on 1.2mm SHS - boy is this tricky stuff with just a stick machine.

    Firstly its taking 6 - 10 attempts to strike an arc and then the poo factor has gone up significantly. They all now look like my first run or worse!

    On a more positive note I haven't made anywhere near the number of holes as I have in the past using Grahames tip of keeping the rod oriented towards the thicker side. Excellent tip.

    I think I might try 60A? I was using 65A on the 1.6 mm SHS.

    Cheers
    BobL You changed rods being newer they would not have absorbed moister and begun to crumble the flux ( I guess the other rods were old)
    Are they similar rods type flux coating etc.
    I am guessing they are, look at the tips of the rod and you'll see what I was saying above that resin and flux cover the tip and trying to weld through paint and oil on steel is not good.

  12. #26
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    North Of The Boarder
    Age
    68
    Posts
    16,794

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wood Butcher View Post
    The trick with thinner metals is speed. You need to have enough amsp to make sure that you get the penetration but you can't go to slow because you will burn holes. I have this problem with students regularly. They always go too slow on the thin stuff and burn holes, and strangely enough the go too fast on the thicker welds??? Go figure that one out!?!
    I went through that at TAFE WB when learning as did most of the class its an easy one to answer.
    Larger rods and higher amps push the rod ( you have learned to be master of the rod not let it master you) you tense up or over relax.

    To explain this the teacher showed how by resting the grip on his open palm and the higher amp rod would push it along danced off the metal due to the force of arc and ams. While the lighter amps and lighter rod just burnt holes. He taught us to change from one rod to the other changing amps on both and back again to get the feel and weight difference.

  13. #27
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay Qld
    Posts
    3,466

    Default Striking the Arc problems

    OK guys i hear ya!
    The problem
    You have dropped the amps to suit the smaller diameter rod and the rotten basket won't arc properly.
    .The solution
    A bit of scrap plate adjacent (up to 100mm away) to the welding area that you can strike on -draw and arc - get the electrode warmed up so to speak - and then jump across to the to be welded area
    and arc will run _( if amps are not too low).No pharting about now-while the rod end is still red hot -jump over-no trouble at all with your auto darkening shield.

    No chunks of bird poo to make the bead look crap and no nasty words to shock the neighbors.

    It will work - its all about technique.
    trust me
    Grahame

  14. #28
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    perth
    Posts
    169

    Default

    if you have a inverter type machine revers the leads so you have + earth - electrode
    this will make all the heat go into the earth so you will be able to run more amps they use this for full penertraltion on low hyg rods on pipe work, well thats what i was taught it will also leave the bead more raised so be prepared for more grinding

  15. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
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    Quote Originally Posted by Grahame Collins View Post
    OK guys i hear ya!
    The problem
    You have dropped the amps to suit the smaller diameter rod and the rotten basket won't arc properly.
    .The solution
    A bit of scrap plate adjacent (up to 100mm away) to the welding area that you can strike on -draw and arc - get the electrode warmed up so to speak - and then jump across to the [I]to be welded area
    .......
    Excellent! - and "slightly " I didn't think of that!

  16. #30
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Brisbane, QLD, Australia
    Age
    46
    Posts
    2,115

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    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    I used to be quite good at this before the shakey hand problem but am finding it hard getting back to my former skill level.
    Too much chainsaw milling Bob
    How much wood could the woodchuck chuck if the woodchuck could chuck wood?

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