Inverter stick welders - advice wanted

**korg20000bc** · 11th December 2010, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by clean32

Mate in all honesty just get a second hand Transformer welder, they are not that big, 200 amp with a sliding Bar or choke.
most Handyman welders use or try to use cheep or incorrect rods so stick with Phillips, 2.5 mm 38s for the panel or small stuff, 3.15 48a for your plate or even on the bigger stuff 48a root weld then fill with a 38 iron power type.

for the hard stuff use a 56s and defiantly if you are doing any chassis stuff

i think the biggest problem with home welders they are just to light ( duty cycle) regardless of what you may be told and once they pick up a bit of heat they tend to very there supply.
Keep the rods dry ( in a box with a light bulb).

as for striking worm the rod up on a bit of scrap ( or earth clamp) so the tip is concave. weld with 2 hands, one as a guide. none of this one handed hero rubbish.
inverter welders are nice but nicer = $$$ and i doint see any real advantages with that. Mig is ok, there is a good selection of wire available now days and gas blends, but it gets a bit expensive if you wish to cover all bases. and flux core ( glassless mig) is just a dog, visuce welds, excessive undercut little control over weld quality and inconsistent weld strength, Hate them with a passion.

I know this thread is a bit of a time-warp but I just bought a 2nd hand arc welder today for doing some basic chassis repairs. A lot of the online info I've read states that arc is no good for thin sheet work.

Should it be reasonable to use arc on most Land Rover applications? ie. chassis/outriggers, door frame joints etc.

Could someone recommend what are the best rods to use?

I intend to do some training, but would appreciate any advice for starters.

**bee utey** · 11th December 2010, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by korg20000bc

I know this thread is a bit of a time-warp but I just bought a 2nd hand arc welder today for doing some basic chassis repairs. A lot of the online info I've read states that arc is no good for thin sheet work.

Should it be reasonable to use arc on most Land Rover applications? ie. chassis/outriggers, door frame joints etc.

Could someone recommend what are the best rods to use?

I intend to do some training, but would appreciate any advice for starters.

Before I bought my MIG welder I became quite proficient in arc welding. Rules for successful arc welding:

Arc welding is usually good for steel thicker than 1.6mm. Easiest is 3mm up.

Best welding is done level or down slope. Get your current right. Adjust it for different welding angles. Upside down is hard. You need to rotate your work to easily do welding underneath. When I finished welding my dune buggy I tipped it over and did the underside.

Good cleanliness is recommended, paint and rust will cause holes and lack of penetration.

KEEP YOUR RODS DRY!!! Damp welding rods are a curse, I used to fry each rod over a gas flame before use to get them pre-heated, worked well.

Your starter rod size should be around 2.5mm. General purpose mild steel rods are all you need.

Be rigorous about removing slag before going on. Slag inclusions can be covered up but are dangerous. Grind off sus welds and start again.

When you are finally proficient, go out and buy a MIG. You will never look back. The day my MIG was up and running I rang up my sleazy second-hand merchant mate and sold him the arc welder before I could be tempted to keep it. Never looked back, nearly all my steel welding for the last 25 years have been done by the same MIG.

**LowRanger** · 12th December 2010, 08:34 AM

Originally Posted by korg20000bc

I know this thread is a bit of a time-warp but I just bought a 2nd hand arc welder today for doing some basic chassis repairs. A lot of the online info I've read states that arc is no good for thin sheet work.

Should it be reasonable to use arc on most Land Rover applications? ie. chassis/outriggers, door frame joints etc.

Could someone recommend what are the best rods to use?

I intend to do some training, but would appreciate any advice for starters.

When using arc,the first thing is preparation,you want the area to be welded as clean as possible,it will make it a lot easier to not only strike,but to get good clean welds.You should get some scrap.the same thickness as the material you are about to weld,and practice.Not just making pretty welds,but making sure that you are getting full penetration.One way to do that and using the rod guide that clean32 gave,as I think that would be fine for your use,is to turn up the amps till you blow through the material when making a normal weld.Then back the amps off and make a bead,until you can see the weld has just penetrated the material enough to leave a mark on the back of the material.Once you have that,then you will know you have full penetration and a strong weld.

Wayne

**Hoges** · 12th December 2010, 06:06 PM

FWIW, there are some rods you can get for use with the inverter stick welder which are called "drag" rods...you strike the bead and lay the rod on the work and drag it along... the slag keeps the correct distance and it works rather well for thinner metals once you get the hang of it. The rods are difficult to find..I think BOC still sell them...apparently the use of a drag rod has been somewhat outmoded by the popularity of MIG.

I bought some drag rods because I'm a complete novice (though my camper did hold together despite a real pounding on a trip to the Cape earlier this year

) and they are a much cheaper option than 'through life' costs associated with MIG bottles etc for small and infrequent welding jobs...
good luck!

**bee utey** · 12th December 2010, 07:40 PM

And if you do end up getting a mig you buy a couple of disposable bottles of gas for the weenie jobs, and rent a big bottle for 3 months if you have a construction project in mind.

**ozscott** · 12th December 2010, 11:20 PM

I don't weld much but when I do I like to pick up my esseti 150 inverter lift arc/dc tig and weld. I love it. Light as a feather and yet drives
3.2 rods as fast as you can keep loading them with excellent penetration. Deft enough to weld sheet with practice. And came with the regulator, lines and tig piece but I have not grabbed a bottle of argon for it. Been meaning to for years. I have yet to really take to mig. My brother is very mig profIcient. But I can't see me going past the inverter and if you weld outdoors in wind you just can't beat arc. I also dOnt much like trying to weld through the cloud with gas free mig. Cheers

**clean32** · 13th December 2010, 04:39 AM

thay are Iron powder rods, leave a very nice weld to. can only be used on the flat.

easy to get if you know what you want. but yes the mig has all but replaced these, thay are great much less heat and realy easy to use for a novice, no good for diging in.

Originally Posted by Hoges

FWIW, there are some rods you can get for use with the inverter stick welder which are called "drag" rods...you strike the bead and lay the rod on the work and drag it along... the slag keeps the correct distance and it works rather well for thinner metals once you get the hang of it. The rods are difficult to find..I think BOC still sell them...apparently the use of a drag rod has been somewhat outmoded by the popularity of MIG.

I bought some drag rods because I'm a complete novice (though my camper did hold together despite a real pounding on a trip to the Cape earlier this year

) and they are a much cheaper option than 'through life' costs associated with MIG bottles etc for small and infrequent welding jobs...
good luck!

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