Suggestions For An Arc Welder For Up To 1/2" Steel?

E350, You said earlier that light from the arc was getting in your hood from behind. What is it reflecting off of? Do you have the hood set so it comes down to your chest? I can tell you for sure you can get a nasty welding burn on your eye from a reflected arc. I got one once from a guy welding behind me. The UVL was being refected off my safety glasses. As far as having a hard time seeing that can be from having a bright light behind you when you weld. Like outside in the sun. I some times throw a towel over my head to block sun light.

Don't take chances with arc flash. If none of the things said seem to be the issue and you think it is the hood get it checked out. Anybody that welds can tell you if it is working right or not as long as they can weld with it. Think local fab or body shops. But a welding supply should also be able to help. But of all the advice you have got not using it until you know what is going on is the most important. (I know i'm not the first to mention it)

Mark: I have only had time to watch the first three videos. They were excellent. But don't you know its not "mechanized inert gas" welding (Or even a "metal inert gas" welding machine). Chuck previously corrected me when I referred to my other machine a "mig machine" it is a "wire feed" machine which is also capable of FCAW-S or FCAW-F. After that I thought well duh... I guess pretty much if you plug it into an electrical outlet, it is "arc" welding.

I think you got Chuck wrong on that. I think he was saying the machine is not a MIG machine it is a Wire feed machine (wire feeder) MIG is One of the process that it can perform. (GMAW) MIG is the same as calling GTAW TIG lot easier to say. Metal Inert Gas Welding, The video guy calls it Mechanized Inert Gas welding. that is where I was saying I lost intrest.

All the videos are good but the last one I posted (not the MIG one) seems to have the best example of what to look for in the puddle. it is at like 14: 20 or somewhere close to that there will be arrows pointing to things while the guy is welding.
Mark
 
Manufacturer Product Name Stock No. Description
Radnor E7018 64001110 E7018 1/8" X 14"
Lincoln Excaliber 7018 MR ED032588 E7018 3/32" x 14" ,,,,,,, 70 to 120 amps
Lincoln Fleetweld 5P+ ED032565 E6010 1/8" x `14"
Radnor E6010 64001006 E6010 3/32" x 14"

I would trade your radnor rods in and then try this one as it is available in 20 lb masters with 5 lb tubes
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/asse...ndLowAlloySteels-Jet-LH-Jet-LH78MR/c21025.pdf
This rod 3/32nf dia. runs at 65 to 100 amps, should be a little cheaper to.
E350 said:
I am wondering if professionals use primarily fixed shades for a reason.
Click to expand...
I use the 2 x 4 1/4 inch viewing area fixed shade because it is light. I weld 8 to 10 hours a day it makes a big difference. Most of the welders in our shop, about 20 of us use a combination of fixed shade and auto,,The headgear handles the weight of the smaller veiwing area lenses better, the helmet drops more smoothly, the tension adjustment can be set lighter so less of a head nod drops the helmet easily.

AND, we can see better with cheap glass lenses, than with any auto darkening lense.
 
E350,
For a beginning welder an automatic helmet is a huge advantage. There really is no advantage to an auto helmet for me other than when I am tacking sheet metal every inch which I do a lot of.

I don't use auto helmets for the following reasons
I don't need one most of the time.
They are not as comfortable.
They fog much more easily.
They are not as optically clear as the cheapest glass lenses.
Cost, I have never had an auto last more than a year.
Proprietory covers, they're expensive.
Have to have a proprietory cover on the inside to, it's expensive.
Damn batteries, half the time their dead when you buy them.
The plastic cover on the inside reflects the light that is reflecting into your helmet from your chest and the ceiling. This does'nt happen with small glass fixed shade lenses, glass lenses don't need plastic covers.
If you drop it just right it won't ever work again.
The optics with auto helmets degrade over time and they become slightly fuzzy or less clear when looking at the arc.
 
I have two auto dark helmets and love them at home and for TIG or small tight finish things at work like SS handrail pickets. or even carbon steel rail pickets. But I just don't like to bring it out for the other stuff. They get dropped and beat up to much. one is a high end 3m, the other is a middle of the road Lincoln I picked up for a job out of town neither is much heavier than my Prostar I use at work but then again I rarely spend my whole day just welding. I like the larger lens because I don't always get to weld right in front of me. But these things are more a matter of preference. I know a lot of deckers are now switching to auto. they used to just wear sun glasses and dark face shields (that is why I don't deck.) because all they do is plug/Puddle weld the metal deck down and move to the next weld.

But if your hood is working I can see no reason to run out and buy a new one. My Lincoln is solar so it is always on the 3m has batteries so you have to remember to turn it on.

Chuck I wish I could use the sweet head gear they put in these helmet now a days for work. But I have to pull them out and pull a helmet band in them. You ever need a set of head gear let me know. I go through about one hood a year. (yes that is why I don't use the auto at work most of the time.)

Mark
 
chuck: I traded the Radnor in for Lincoln Excaliber 7018 MR 1/8" Thank you for suggesting the other Lincoln rod, I didn't have your post printed out with me and I thought for consistency, I would just get the same rod in 1/8 that I have in 3/32. The counter guys were helpful suggesting a silver pencil instead of soapstone for best visability. I also borrowed a Lincoln Auto Darkening single shade 11 helmet and a 2x4 fixed shade 10 to try this weekend.

Mark: I also bought a leather neck turkey gobbler dealy that attaches to the helmet. I definitely did not have the bottom of the helmet against my chest.

Also one of the counter guys said something that was counter intuitive. By pushing the rod into the metal as I drag it I am actually making the puddle colder because I am making the arc smaller. That there is an optimum distance from the puddle to the arc which will allow the arc to be the most efficient for the given amperage. And knowing that distance will only come with experience. At least I can now recognize a too long arc. And I guess a pushed-into-the-metal arc is too short. So, I need to play with those two distances and try to see what happens to the puddle when I do. One of the counter guys also said that changing the distance from the puddle to the rod actually changes the voltage (?). All very interesting.

I will get back to my pads of beads this weekend...
 
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OK, sounds like you have made a move on a welder and are having some luck with it. For those looking for a welder and reading this, and some will cringe but I burnt plenty of rod with a Lincoln 225 AC buzz box and never had a problem. I learned to weld on one and though I don't have one any more because I upgraded to a big industrial TIG machine, they are still wonderful for ANYTHING that you would be doing at a home of farm shop. No they will not run baseball bats sized rods, but it's really not typical to need to run that sort of thing anyway. Now I will say that when you begin looking to upgrade machines and have some serious money to put down, get a machine that is CC/CV (constant current or constant voltage). Stick and TIG are both constant current operations of welding. Constant Voltage is used for MIG welding only. But with a machine that will do both you can save up and buy a wire feeder later and have a really nice setup and be able to do all three main types of welding. The other plus is that if you buy a 250 to 300 amp rated machine, then you can run heavier MIG wire and lay beads on 1/2 inch plate in one pass if it's properly beveled. This is also a good time to mention that you should not be afraid of 3 phase machines. I have a 15 HP rotary converter that I use to power a 300 AMP old school Hobart MIG which is a seperate power supply and wire feeder. It will run one pass beads on 1/2 without issue and had never let me down. I will say that if you are looking at older MIG machines, you will need two if you buy a big machine like mine. It does great for 10 gauge and up but sheet metal and body metal, it simply doesn't want to turn down far enough that you can control burn through. Newer machines will not have this issue and will run .023 wire without problems. The smallist I can get away with is .035 but I can run .062 with it and a small 125 amp machine just don't. Hope this helps.
 
Are you saying a full pen V groove in 1 pass on 1/2 thick? If so I have to guess it is in the flat position. I would also wager some very hot steel. and distortion.
Mark
 
Wasn't alot of distortion... Was two pieces about 8 inches long tacked at both ends and in middle. I just wanted to see if it would do it. It would, turned way up and running .062 wire. Have never had a need to do it since. I have run a bunch of 3/8 plate with my son building demo derby lawn mowers. He got mad about how long it was taking to stick it all up so I pulled out the big MIG and we started laying bead.
 
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