Thread: Sticking Stick welder

Originally Posted by boxers

Hi Guys I was giver an old stick welder and am trying to learn the technique. Got much advice but I find the stick often gets stuck. Once I get going it seems okay.
Any advice??

Try turning the current up a bit, it will probably be a bit too hot to weld but it will be OK to practice starting. once you get the hang of starting, turn it down little by little.

Hi, dont you just hate that. Try rubbing the end of the rod on something abrasive like a concrete floor before you insert it in the holder, low amps and damp rods can cause them to stick too. Don't know what sort of welder you have. When using my old TransArc Tradesman which has a heap of grunt, the rods stick if I have not used them in months, they are stored in plastic containers. Two things that I do have proven worthwhile, either rum them on the floor to get a good contact, or put a few rods in the oven to dry them out, then use. Have found the latter one very good when using the Inverter welder.

Good welding

DD

Originally Posted by boxers

Hi Guys I was giver an old stick welder and am trying to learn the technique. Got much advice but I find the stick often gets stuck. Once I get going it seems okay.
Any advice??

What make is your welder it and what amperage is it.? If its old and a good brand it may be copper wound and if so will last for years.Ckeck the leads out and make sure the insulation is in good condition.

If its a fair age ,the terminal connections may be unbolted and brushed up to get rid of corrosion and provide a better electrical connection, and therfore better starts.Even the cable to hand piece connection can be pulled apart and cleaned up.

A temporary striking block ( 50mm square of plate tacked to the job) is good to start electrodes on.Strike on block to start an arc then when your arc is stable jump quickly to weld while rod end is red hot. Bingo! easier arc starts.
An auto darkening helmet is major advantage if you can afford one.

If you are an older person be aware that graduated vision glasses can be problematic with welding vision and the focal length required.
What works for a lot of people is diopter magnifiers fitted in the helmet cover lense. The come in a range of strengths. The best way to judge the strength needed is to try the the reading glasses you see in the chemists shops.What ever strength works for you( 2.0, 3.0,3.5) is the same strength you buy the diopter in at the welding shop.
Hope something helps

Grahame

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

If you are an older person be aware that graduated vision glasses can be problematic with welding vision and the focal length required.
What works for a lot of people is diopter magnifiers fitted in the helmet cover lense. The come in a range of strengths. The best way to judge the strength needed is to try the the reading glasses you see in the chemists shops.What ever strength works for you( 2.0, 3.0,3.5) is the same strength you buy the diopter in at the welding shop.
Hope something helps

Grahame

Awesome idea thanks Grahame! I have always resorted to taking my glasses off so I can see something and was resigned to the fact I would never be any good at this craft! I didn't know these existed.

Originally Posted by rodweb

Awesome idea thanks Grahame! I have always resorted to taking my glasses off so I can see something and was resigned to the fact I would never be any good at this craft! I didn't know these existed.

I'd suggest not getting the really high magnifiers even if your prescription indicates you should - the optics aren't fantastic. A few comments also in this thread https://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/we...ml#post1647724. Particularly for stick welding - if you're too close you'll get splatter burns all over your visor and you won't be able to see a thing anyway. Given that they are reasonably cheap, I'd grab a couple around the magnification you think you require.

Fully agree with turning up the amperage. Another tip is use your spare hand to hold/brace the rod say half way down its length for starting. This will allow you to give the rod a good solid peck (or scratch) to initiate the arc but still gives control, particularly if you're using thin whippy rods.

Cheers

- Mick

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

A temporary striking block ( 50mm square of plate tacked to the job) is good to start electrodes on.Strike on block to start an arc then when your arc is stable jump quickly to weld while rod end is red hot. Bingo! easier arc starts.
An auto darkening helmet is major advantage if you can afford one.

These were two of the best tips I got off this site when I was starting out. Particularly with short welds I use a starting block almost every time. I have a piece of ~300mm x 150mm scrap sheet and a quick clamp that I just position near the weld site and move around as required. Things to be aware of - if you sometimes get lazy like me and just rest it on the job without clamping it can arc to the job and make a mess and possibly stick. Better/safer to clamp. Every now and then just grind off the rust/spatter/slag and keep using the same scrap. Although I should replace it it's good enough for warming up the rods. Just drag the rod along it once or twice and good to go.

And I've got a top-of-the-range helmet that makes life 100 times easier.

Another tip for learners, especially if they have the shakes is to start with short rods or cut the rods in half which halves the shakes.
However, just like a driver that gets their licence in a auto, once you master the start with short rods, move as quickly as possible to the full length jobbies otherwise you will be stuck on the half size ones for ever.

Another tip when starting out is to brace a part of your body like a hip or leg on the side of a bench so that it minimizes body movement and reduces the shakes - I have bad hand tremors so I have developed approaches to minimize this.

The other basic trick I learned is reduce the amount of contortion of your arms/hands/body needed to optimise rod and work angles by bending the rod before you start welding to suit your needs. This sounds a bit daft or simple but it makes things a hell of a lot easier. I generally find it easier to bend it downwards in an arc like a banana so that the tip it is about 20-30º below where it would normally be. This suits the rotation motion of a wrist better that just a straight dive that would be needed with a straight rod.