Another Newbie--hi

[Mike360000]

Hi everyone.
I've been lurking around here for a few days. I got here by curiosity while looking for information on some stick electrodes. Plus I have one of them Hood auto darkening helments, and so I got to reading and thinking, and now you fellas have gotten me to wondering.-----so.......

I've been welding, as an amateur since I was a teenager, working on the farm and helping in my uncle's garage. (about 30 years ago) I took a welding class in high school and the teacher said I had a knack for welding. Anyhow, over the years I've added my own welders, a Lincoln AC 225C and I just upped from a SP 100 to a SP 135. (had a promise to sell the 100, and because it was the older type with the push in tips and larger less flexible hose I bought the 135 only to have the fella back out on me afterwards.) On the farm and in the garage we had a Lincoln AC 225 and I never got used to the "buzz" box welders Miller had, because I never knew anything about them untill well after I had been using the Lincoln for a long time. (Wonder why the Miller's buzzes and the Lincoln's don't?)

Over the last couple of years I've noticed the Lincoln stick rods as well as their other equipment becoming harder to get, except through places like Home Depot and Lowe's Hardware. I'm wondering why it has become so hard to get Lincoln stick rods anymore, except at the aforementioned places? I can't get the types I use from there, plus in the sizes, except the 6013s and 6011s. Lincoln used to make a "Green Dot" series welding rod that was extremely easy to use and easily made nice welds. And so it has become so hard to find these rods that I just decided to change brands. At my local Tractor Supply Co., about 5 miles away from my home, carried the Hobart supplies, and being that my nearest Welding Supply shop was about 35 miles away, it was just simpler for me to consider the Hobart rods. So I came to the Hobart site to read up on what I was intending on getting. (I do truely love my Hobart Hood though! --Good investment!)

But my main question comes from reading the posts here, about my MIG welder, running gas. I mainly use my MIG for small jobs, smaller metal and usually inside my shop. It makes for much better looking/neater welds on things that may be inside the home or where appearence counts. But since I sometimes weld metals up to 1/4" thick with it, I noticed in the threads here that certain gas combinations were much better for deeper penetration on metals of this thickness. I'm running a 75/25 mix, which I think is supposed to be one of the more popular choices. Now my tank is about empty and if it would be better to change gas mix types, then I would consider this. (Do consider that I do weld very thin metals from time to time.)

I had hoped of eventually becoming capable of welding aluminum and stainless steel with my MIG, but I get so few calls for it I've never saw the practically of adding this.

I do welding as a side for people from my house/shop. Being disabled, welding on the side gives me a little extra cash from time to time. (Although I seem to put all my profits back into extra tools or materials.)

I have some other questions to but I've wrote alot already, so I'll wait untill another time to ask them. I have enjoyed reading all your posts so far though, and look foreward to reading more.

Thanks,
Mike Lamb

[deere_x475guy]

Good Morning Mike and welcome to the board. As you have already seen this is a great board with a good group of people on it.

I think with your machine your better off to stay with your c25 mix. Your machine is going to handle short circuit welding only and this is the prime gas to use for this job.

Good luck, I am sure others will chime in here shortly

Bob

[Hobart Expert Rock]

HI MIKE360000..............WELCOME ABOARD.......... CAN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION ON THE LINCOLN WELDING RODS... I AM GLAD YOU FOUND THIS SITE........... WE CAN USUALLY ANSWER MOST QUESTIONS........... WELL IF THE MILLER BUZZES THE SHUNT IS RATTLEING AND NEEDS ADJUSTED............. PERIODIC 6 MONTHS CLEAN UP INSIDE IS SUGGESTED.................... THEIR IS REALLY NO ONE GAS FOR ALL JOBS........ ARGON FOR ALUMINUM, 75/25, CO2, FOR MILD STEEL WELL MANY OPTIONS ON MIXES........... EACH DOES A DIFFERENT THING.............HEAT WISE ADD SOME HELIUM TO THE MIX AND SEE HOW HOT IT GETS........... BUT GAS IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT SENERIO.............. I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS A GOOD INFORMATION SOURCE AND HOPE YOU ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS............. ENJOY THE SITE AND HAVE SOME FUN WITH IT...........................WE DO.......................ROCK..........
[email protected]

[cope]

Mike, good morning and welcome. I remember the green dot rods, had some given to me 30 years ago. The best 7014 rods I had were those old Lincoln rods. The weldor who gave them to me thought there was no other rod than Lincoln. I agree w/Bob on C-25. That machine is a short arc unit. If you get a 210-250 amp ,achine, I would think about C-15 as an all purpose blend, or keep the C-25 for short arc and get C-10 for spray.

[Mike360000]

OK thanks all. I guess I'll just stick with the 75/25 mix.

So for my next question:
I have a Generac 7500 XL portable generator. It is rated at 7500 continueous watts and 33 continueous amps. I have been using this generator with my stick welder when I can not use the house/main 220 volt line. So what I would like to know is what is the max amp setting I should use from my welder without over-taxing my generator? I know the welder supposed to max out at about 40 amps @ 225 amps from welder, off the 220v household line. The highest I've ran the welder off the generator is at no more than 130 amps, selected from the welder. Anyone see any problems with this?

Thanks,
Mike

[Mike360000]

Originally posted by cope
Mike, good morning and welcome. I remember the green dot rods, had some given to me 30 years ago. The best 7014 rods I had were those old Lincoln rods. The weldor who gave them to me thought there was no other rod than Lincoln. I agree w/Bob on C-25. That machine is a short arc unit. If you get a 210-250 amp ,achine, I would think about C-15 as an all purpose blend, or keep the C-25 for short arc and get C-10 for spray.

Yep it was the 7014s that I specifically had in mind.
It really appears to me that Lincoln is not selling or pushing the sale of their stick rods like they used to.

Do you remember a welding rod called Marquette?
We used to get them in auto-parts stores. They were real easy rods to use also, but I haven't seen any of them in years.

I've started using Hobart's 6013 rod in 1/8". They seem pretty good, though somewhat harder to restrike. But what has surprised me, and correct me if I am wrong. It seems Hobart's 6013-1/8" rods I have used is better suited to drag over the surface, like the 7014s than holding off the work area about 1/8", like I was used to with the Lincoln 6013 rods? What is actually the correct way to use the Hobart rods here?

Thanks,
Mike

[Franz]

Mike, you needen't worry too much about hurting the generator by overloading it with the welder, cause the engine will stall real quick when the generator is maxed out.
Being that you have a Generac, I'd be a bit hesitant to max it out for long, cause Generac is aluminum wound.
Off the top of my head, I'd say you are pulling about 25 amps primary with the welder set at 135 amps.

[cope]

Originally posted by Mike360000


Yep it was the 7014s that I specifically had in mind.
It really appears to me that Lincoln is not selling or pushing the sale of their stick rods like they used to.

Do you remember a welding rod called Marquette?
We used to get them in auto-parts stores. They were real easy rods to use also, but I haven't seen any of them in years.

I've started using Hobart's 6013 rod in 1/8". They seem pretty good, though somewhat harder to restrike. But what has surprised me, and correct me if I am wrong. It seems Hobart's 6013-1/8" rods I have used is better suited to drag over the surface, like the 7014s than holding off the work area about 1/8", like I was used to with the Lincoln 6013 rods? What is actually the correct way to use the Hobart rods here?

Thanks,
Mike

Mike the 6013 is made in several formulations. Check Hobart's site or ITW for details. I think Marquette is belly up in welding.