Hi All & a question .

[TURBO]

Hi Guys ,

I stumbled on this forum today & I have to say is has a wealth of information on it . I work as a maintenance engineer in a food factory & most of my welding experience is on stainless . We have a huge 310 amp Murex welder that has every control you can imagine for TIG & MMA , DC+ , DC- , AC , slope up & down , HF start & continuous , etc . In fact it spoils you for using a normal welder .

This leads me onto my question . At home my welding equipment consists of a 200 amp sealey MMA ( stick ) welder & a 130 amp MIG . The MIG is supposed to weld up to 3/16" sleel but I've found that it won't weld anything much heavier than body panels . It just doesn't have enough penetration for anything else . I use the stick for heavier work but my problem is that my positional welding sucks . Horizontal flat butt & corner welds are no problem but once gravity comes into play the problems start .

On my last project , installing a roll cage into my new stock car , I resorted to hiring out a 200 amp MIG welder as I didn't trust my stick welding to hold . I've been tempted to sell my 2 welders & buy a large MIG but I don't do enough welding at home to justify the cost of buying the welder & hiring the gas bottle .

Can any of you guys give me some tips on positional stick welding or point me towards any websites with good free tips & advice ? I know you can get special rods for vertical welding but around here they are difficult to get and expensive . I've searched this site but most advice seems to be for MIG & TIG .

Thanks in advance ,
Derek

[Sberry]

Well,,, I take it that the stick machine is an AC machine? Hobart does make 7018AC for it which will help some but it is still a little loose especially on verts. A DC machine would help and they really are not special rods, just DC rods. What are you using now? 6011 is a fast freeze rod for AC and its DC equivelent is 6010. What size wire are you running in your mig? I take it you are flux core and no gas? Hobart has a 210 machine I think for about a grand (havnt used one and a Miller is about 200 more, both cheap enuf) and you can actually buy a bottle so you dont have to lease. Linde sells them. I own all of mine. I dont have much use for 120V wire feeders and one reason is that where there is 120 there is 240 nearby and often the building wiring really doesnt support the small ones well. If you are very far from the panel, more than about 20 ft a dedicated circuit on 10 wire and a 30 A breaker is what they need to run very well.

[TURBO]

I'm from Northern Ireland & I don't think Hobart equipment is available here . My stick welder is an 240 v single phase AC welder . I have installed a 30 A supply straight from the panel to my workshop for the welder so I have no voltage problems . I'm using a general purpose electrode , not sure what number's on it . My MIG uses 0.6 mm plain wire ( which always runs out at 6 pm on a Saturday evening when you have no spare spool ) & I buy small diposable bottles of CO2 for the shielding gas , though if I'm doing a lot of MIG work I borrow a bottle of Argoshield from work & use it .

Welding equipment sounds to be expensive with you , I'm assuming your prices are in US $ . My stick welder was £130 new 10 years ago , my MIG was £270 7 years ago , though you can get the equivalent for around £180 now . A good 180 amp MIG costs around £500 . In the UK you cannot own your own gas bottles so the only option for me would be to rent one . As there's only 1 main supplier ( BOC ) and a couple of smaller ones there is a monopoly and to rent even a small bottle costs £50 per year . A refill is around £30 plus delivery & you have to get it delivered . You are not allowed to collect a refill from the depot as it is illegal to transport gas bottles in a vehicle unless you have a special licence which you have to show to get a gas bottle !

[Dave Haak]

TURBO,

Perhaps, on the average, we may not appreciate how well we have it. All things considered, I, personaly, don't think the equipment is all that expensive. Even though I hate spending money! (bought a plasma cutter today) Keep the posts coming.

Dave

[cope]

Turbo, not knowing brand names in the UK, sounds like the equipment is cheaper than Hobart/Miller/Lincoln, but on a par with HTC and others. Your gas prices are definately higher; a 60 cf refill costs me $18. A larger refill would run $25-35. We can transport cylinders in our car if under 80 cf, and in an open truck in any size; as long as a certain quantity is not exceeded we don't need a USDOT permit. What brand equipment do you own?

[Guest]

Re: Hi All & a question .

Originally posted by TURBO
Hi Guys ,

I stumbled on this forum today & I have to say is has a wealth of information on it . I work as a maintenance engineer in a food factory & most of my welding experience is on stainless . We have a huge 310 amp Murex welder that has every control you can imagine for TIG & MMA , DC+ , DC- , AC , slope up & down , HF start & continuous , etc . In fact it spoils you for using a normal welder .

This leads me onto my question . At home my welding equipment consists of a 200 amp sealey MMA ( stick ) welder & a 130 amp MIG . The MIG is supposed to weld up to 3/16" steel but I've found that it won't weld anything much heavier than body panels . It just doesn't have enough penetration for anything else . I use the stick for heavier work but my problem is that my positional welding sucks . Horizontal flat butt & corner welds are no problem but once gravity comes into play the problems start .

On my last project , installing a roll cage into my new stock car , I resorted to hiring out a 200 amp MIG welder as I didn't trust my stick welding to hold . I've been tempted to sell my 2 welders & buy a large MIG but I don't do enough welding at home to justify the cost of buying the welder & hiring the gas bottle .

Can any of you guys give me some tips on positional stick welding or point me towards any websites with good free tips & advice ? I know you can get special rods for vertical welding but around here they are difficult to get and expensive . I've searched this site but most advice seems to be for MIG & TIG .

Thanks in advance ,
Derek

Hi Derek, and welcome to the forum. It sounds like you're comfortable with your MIG, so why not go with fluxcore wire in your MIG. E70T-11 is a viable alternative for 7018 stick electrode and you don't need the gas with it, plus, you can weld outside in the wind and get good results. Your 130 amp machine will handle 3/16" and better if you are skillful enough.

Say, St Patricks day is a holiday here on the 17th...do you folks honor that, too? or is it just a thing we Yanks do? Boy, I'd love to hear your accent!

[rangerod]

UK Derek

Derek

This is off subject but what part of the UK do you live in? I lived just outside of Oxford for 8 years. Boy I tell you that is one beautiful country you live in I hope to make it back there one day to visit old friends & do some reminiscing I sure do miss hitting the pub after work. If you drink have a pint for me

[Hobart Expert Rock]

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