ARC Practice Sticks

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Hey guys, I'm borrowing a little 110 Lincoln "Hobby Weld" machine and I just picked up some 6011 sticks to learn with. I'm wondering what the best stick is to just practice with? I'm not 100% sure how to read all the numbers and info on the box and he doesn't seem to know more than "stick goes here, ground clamp goes here, plug in power, and good luck"...  Any advice???
Reply:http://www.lincolnelectric.com/asset...ln3/imt681.pdfHere's the Manual from Lincolns site. Looks like it's a fixed 50 amp machine, so you have nothing to adjust. His description pretty much covers what is in the manual for the most part. With only 50 amps you will be quite limited. Use 1/16" electrodes for your best bet at managing to accomplish anything. Don't be discouraged if you find using this to be a challenge. With limited amps and no adjustment, this unit will be very hard to use and you won't have much luck with anything thicker than 14 to 16 ga..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Nice, thanks for the link! Anything you recommend doing besides just making straight lines over and over?
Reply:Start with that for now. You will find the rods hard to strike and keep lit I bet. That's pretty typical of small 110v tranny type stick units like this. Small 1/16" or 5/64" rods are very whippy. Many find them a bit easier to use if you cut them in half and knock off enough flux on the one end so you can put it in the stinger. 6011's probably will light better than anything else if you can find them that small. 6013 rods require more power for a given size, and may be harder to light.Work on running individual beads for now to get the feel for things. Then once you are semi consistent, work on laying the next bead so that it covers up the previous one by 50%. that will allow you to get the most practice aiming where the bead will go for the minimum amount of material. Once you reach that point we can cover the next steps.Post up picts of your beads and we can give you what help we can. this machine will be quite limiting, since all you can really adjust is rod angle, arc length and travel speed. To change how "hot" it welds, you can only move to a different thickness of material or different rod type and size. Not a whole lot of available options that will work well at only 50 amps.I'll tell you right now, this will be some what frustrating using that machine. I don't want you to get discouraged and think welding will be this hard on every machine. You are just starting out with a machine that is going to really handicap you..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Says Fleetweld 37 (E6013) on the front. Any 1/16" or 5/32" 6013 rod will do.Like DSW said, not going to be good for anything thick.GravelThe difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference.
Reply:Typo on the 5/32" rods there Gamble..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:DSW, No worries, it's not frustrating at all. I actually found striking an arc and getting everything going a really fun challenge. I'm assuming the better I get at working with this little thing, the easier it'll be to work with a more capable machine. More practice ahead tomorrow!
Reply:I'd suggest trying to find a welder that will at least run an 1/8" rod. You may find that trying to learn on a1/16" or 3/64" electrode is rather frustrating. As DSW said, they're very whippy, or flexible, and control is much more difficult. This is all coming from a beginner stick welder, I find even 3/32" rod much more challenging than 1/8"
Reply:Originally Posted by GravelSays Fleetweld 37 (E6013) on the front. Any 1/16" or 5/32" 6013 rod will do.Like DSW said, not going to be good for anything thick.
Reply:Originally Posted by Sharon NeedlesI'd suggest trying to find a welder that will at least run an 1/8" rod. You may find that trying to learn on a1/16" or 3/64" electrode is rather frustrating. As DSW said, they're very whippy, or flexible, and control is much more difficult. This is all coming from a beginner stick welder, I find even 3/32" rod much more challenging than 1/8"
Reply:There's a number of members in the LA area. Maybe you'll get lucky and someone will invite you over to help you learn or allow you to try a better machine.  There have been a few weldorama get togethers in Cali in the past, but I'm not familiar enough with the geography there to know if they were close to your location or if they were down around San Diego or some where else.If worse comes to worse, you can always post up that you are interested in getting together with someone in your area to learn. Offer to buy lunch and cold ones and you might have some offers..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I'll copy your picture here to keep things neat. Originally Posted by valentin_84The champion has arrived!!! Don't be jealous boys - feast your eyes on THESE! Today, my first welds ever 110 Lincoln Hobby Weld ARC fixed 50ampAttachment 993171
Reply:valentin Considering what you have to work with, that's not bad at all. Post up what size and type rods you are using. Looks like 6013 rods from the bead shape, but I can't tell what size. Also how thick is the material?Looks like you are erratic in your travel speed in many of those beads. Beads could also be hotter, but with what you have to work with, that's tough to change.Thick material will chill the puddle and suck out heat needed to give you a good bead profile. With only a fixed machine to work with, material selection will be critical if you want good looking beads. My bet is that tube is moderately thich and this is part of your issue. Also a bigger rod uses more heat than a smaller rod does everything else being equal. So you'll get a better bead using 1/16" rods vs 5/64" ones. 6011 rods also run at lower amps than similar sized 6013's, so if you change rods, you can change how well they run. though the bead shape will change between 6011 and 6013.You are doing much better than I expected for that machine, good job..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:My advice to you is get rid of that electric fence charger.Buy a real welding machine.Just a couple welders, big hammers, grinders, and torches.Work will free you.Men in dirty jeans built this country, while men in clean suits have destroyed it. Trump/Carson 2016-2024
Reply:Definitely ^^ what happend to your 900$ budget? That's welders probably worth 60 bucks. You should of atleast got a 225 buzz box
Reply:Originally Posted by motolife313Definitely ^^ what happend to your 900$ budget? That's welders probably worth 60 bucks. You should of atleast got a 225 buzz box
Reply:keep your eyes open on CL. 230v tranny type stick machines tend to pop up regularly most places. Around me Ac only machines run between $50-150 pretty regularly. The store brand machines like Sears and Montgomery Wards, or less well known brands like Century or Daytona usually sell for less than similar Millers or Lincolns. An AC/Dc unit will run a few hundred more used.Don't be too afraid of buying one of these used. Most are built like tanks and have almost no complicated electronics to fail. A bad fan or bad switch is the most common issue with AC only machines, and on AC/DC units, add a bad rectifier diode to the list. If it welds, chances are it will still be useful 20 years from now, and many times guy can sell them when they upgrade for the same money they paid for them..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan