Arcing at the rod end / stinger

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On my AC / DC buss box, from time to time I get some arc at the end of the Rod in the stinger, the two screws are tight and it is a 200 amp stinger. The stinger seems to be in good shape, but I am no stick welder. Any ideas on what if anything I might be doing to make this happen. All the rods are new, 1/8,3/32,5/64 ...7018,6013. I keep the box on the DC+ side..
Reply:Sounds to me like the rod holder spring may not be strong enough?
Reply:Arcs occur when the electrical energy can't find a better conducting path from one conductor to another than the air itself. Air is a rather poor conductor, so seeing an arc generally means you have a poor electrical connection. Is the clamp face of your rod holder clean? Hit it with a file/sandpaper/whatever to get it back to shiny metal. Your rods aren't rusty/dirty/corroded are they? Emery cloth makes sure they have a clean tip to grab in the stinger, but if they are that dirty they are probably junk for any important welding. If you still see arcs, you may not have enough surface area in contact. If the pads are worn, it can make the contact area a small point. Make sure you have good surface area contact with the rod in the clamp.
Reply:I will start with cleaning the stinger first, the rods are all new.  Thanks for the info..
Reply:Got a pic?old Miller spectrum 625 Lincoln SP-135 T, CO2+0.025 wireMiller model 250 and WP-18V torchCraftsman 100amp AC/DC and WP-17V torchCentury 115-004 HF arc stabilizerHome made 4 transformer spot welderHome made alternator welder
Reply:Originally Posted by Thats HotOn my AC / DC buss box, from time to time I get some arc at the end of the Rod in the stinger, the two screws are tight and it is a 200 amp stinger. The stinger seems to be in good shape, but I am no stick welder. Any ideas on what if anything I might be doing to make this happen. All the rods are new, 1/8,3/32,5/64 ...7018,6013. I keep the box on the DC+ side..
Reply:Post some before and after Pic, too.07 Fowler 200D65 RedFace04 Miller TB 302, 22hpMiller 12RCMiller HF 251-1Lincoln SP135HyperTherm PM 380and a few others... Originally Posted by RhynoBut, if I "all of a sudden disappear....  ...." hopefully I didn't suffer too much....
Reply:http://stingerv.com/Never had that problem.
Reply:your local tractor supply or home depot has new electrode holders for around $15. It may be easier to just slap on a new one and be done.Miller Multimatic 255