No such thing as a stupid question?

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Just started welding a couple days ago with my precision tig 225 in stick mode.  That went well but I have some possibly dumb questions.  1.  I assume you can change the 6011 rod with the machine on since commercial guys walk around with only stingers on long leads?  Any precautions when doing so?2.  Its perfectly fine to have a buddy hold a piece of material to get a tack right as long as he is wearing gloves and keeping heat in mind?  I know these are very rudimentary, even laughable questions to a veteran but better safe than sorry I guess.  I like safe, I like it very much
Reply:No such thing as a dumb question, only way you'll know is if you ask, we all started somewhere.1: Yes, good idea to wear gloves and have dry feet/hands. you'll know it when you don't GBG2: Yes, again gloves would be a good idea. make sure that the piece he's holding is making connection with the other  that you want to weld to. As well be sure to strike your arc on the main/grounded piece that way there'll be less chance of giving you buddy a shock.On the last subject. Myself and another guy were building a mock-up of a ship for a fire fighting school quite a few years ago. We had started to put up the walls, 8' x 20' sheets of plate, boom truck was there and it started to rain. We had no choice as we had to at least get everything secured so we were tacking temporary plates from wall to wall to keep everything together and we had just started so it was the second wall at an intersecting corner. We were soaked to the skin, I was tacking and he was holding the plates across corner, the ground was on the first wall and he was holding the plate with his other arm braced on the first wall and I struck the arc...on the tie plate. They, the walls , were painted with a thick crap and the current travelled thru him. Looking back he was very lucky but at the time we never even thought of it. He went down in a pile and when he recovered called me every name under the sun at the same time laughing his butt off. I swear he straightened out and jumped a good foot off the floor.....Mike
Reply:So basically you are reiterating the first page of any welder manual.  That little symbol of stick man in the rain with an x.  And the symbol of stick man grabbing stinger with one hand and work clamp in the other?  LOL.   Seriously though your saying wear gloves and stay dry and you are good.  I am stick welding in DC too btw.  I heard that is much safer.  I just feel like I am putting more concentration into fear of getting shocked than I am some of my welds.  I want to have facts that I can rest assured with to dedicate perfect concentration on the task at hand.  Learning quickly otherwise.
Reply:And the symbol of stick man grabbing stinger with one hand and work clamp in the other?
Reply:No dumb questions, just the occasional cranky reply!  I've only ever gotten shocked when working with my buddy Mike. If I'm holding and he's welding and I'm the shorter path. Pretty funny as we just need to get the piece tacked into place and he can hear me clenching and I can hear him giggling under his hood. Tightens your arm muscles up pretty good. Ah, good times200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:Changing out electrodes is the necessary evil of stick welding.  No, you don't have to shut the machine off.   Make sure you aren't too sweaty either, as salt water likes to conduct electricity.  Most likely all you will get is a nice tingle, but there are times it could kill you.   If I am sweaty, I just open the jaws and quickly drop the electrode in and bump it into place, never really making much contact directly with the electrode while it is in contact with the jaws of the holder.Last edited by lugweld; 04-21-2010 at 02:49 PM.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:If I'm really sweaty and in a position where it takes too long to turn off the machine, I use a small block of wood with a hole drilled in it.  Drop the spent rod end in your scrap bucket.  Put the new rod in the hole in the wood.  Hold the wood and insert the rod into the stinger.Dynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:I never sweat when welding, so I have never had this problem.My feet don't sweat, ever. Go figure.I have never been shocked with welding current, It seems unlikely if you are doing things right.
Reply:Never been fixing a broke axle on a tractor or combine out in the middle of the hot GA sun in August I see.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:Have you thought about or plan to take a class.  Also can you put your location in the upper rt hand corner.
Reply:The thought of class makes me sick.  Learning at the snails pace of others has never been my thing.  I started welding SMAW on Monday and am doing vertical welds on a trailer today.  The weld isnt stuctural but none the less looks very good.  I typically learn things at a blistering pace.  It make sound like I am a liabilty with some of the laughable questions but once I put those dumb issues behind me thats where they stay,  I was very nervous at first and that is gone which has helped dramatically.
Reply:Having been out in the field for 3 1/2 years, there seems to be a difference between welders that have gone to school and those who have not.  The difference does vary some and I'm not saying school is necessary to learn how to weld but it can provide you with a good base of info to start with.  What you learn out in the field about welding sometimes seems to go against what you learned in school but combined those together and you start to get a good understand of what it takes to create a sound weld.  If you hear a comment like "the weld isn't structural" it usually comes from a welder with no schooling.  A quality weld is a quality weld and if you want to be good at what you do then treat your craft that you want to learn with respect, since your welds will be your signature.
Reply:Beleive me I hear where you are coming from.  Its just not for me.  I have to run my business (not welding) and that already leaves little time for family let alone welding class.  Welding is just my most recent hobby.  I guess you have a point with a weld is a weld if its sound.  I have been welding all week in the evenings repairing my buddy's trailer. There is no question the welds are sound.  I have to work on some finer details like the crater issue at the end of welds etc but I am definitely getting good welds with no inclusions.  I have cut through my prcatice welds on all axis and they look good.  My first vertical weld attempt resulted in a complete grind down (blobby mess)  but after reading sme very important tips on vertical welding I was able to lay down a beautiful vertical up weld on 1/8th to 3/16ths butt joint.  I guess I should post a picture of my last couple welds.  In fact I will.  Go easy now on appearance.  I only started welding last monday!!  LOL Everybody knows somebody who seems to be able to do whatever they want with relative ease.  In my circle of friends, I am that guy. Attached ImagesLast edited by edjamakated; 04-23-2010 at 05:15 PM.
Reply:Watch rusty parts. When someone is holding a rusty part. The connection might not be too good. Rust can act like an electrochemical charge. If the rust is disintegrated or hit by an ARC.You can get a shock right through your boots standing on dry concrete many stories up. Also you may not want to lay on the floor especially when you are wet. Even painted concrete can whack you if you grab the rod to change it. Even with gloves on. None of the above ever killed me. It just made me look. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFtoqm3ELLI[/ame]TIG high frequency and rust can make you scream like a women.        Sincerely,             William McCormick
Reply:Originally Posted by daddyI never sweat when welding, so I have never had this problem.My feet don't sweat, ever. Go figure.I have never been shocked with welding current, It seems unlikely if you are doing things right.
Reply:Just make sure your buddy holding the parts is also wearing a hood or dark shades. My pal helped me tack an entire roll cage together one day. Even though he didn't see the arc even once, he had severe flash burn in both eyes.Scotthttp://www.welders360.com/New guy.
Reply:just in case: after you burn your eyes. put 1 raw potatoe in a blender.pulverise it into juice.use it like eye drops really oftenyou'll be ok in a day or two.lincoln sa200 redfacehobart handler 140dodge 3500 duallycatalina 22 sailboat89' jeep cherokee 4x4
Reply:Originally Posted by txtowmanjust in case: after you burn your eyes. put 1 raw potatoe in a blender.pulverise it into juice.use it like eye drops really oftenyou'll be ok in a day or two.
Reply:people also forget the open circuit voltage of a stick welder is quite a bit lower than a wall socket. So if you're wearing thick stick gloves that aren't saturated with sweat you should be fine.  I was/am always paranoid of getting shocked by stick welders but I never have. The big thing being never changing grounding clamp and holding the electrode at the same time, or working while wet.When I get a stubby I simply open the stinger and let it drop into my bucket, pick up another one and place it in the  the stinger.  Shoot it's hard enough to get an arc start through the flux coating as is. Let alone having an arc start thru the side of the flux coating, your gloves, travel up your arm go and go thru the table and what not.  And also even when the shocks do happen it's extremely rare for them to be fatal.  Just a tingle usually.Now TIG high frequency I've been shocked enough times by that to just get mad at the machine. The 10,000 Volts of the high frequency will jump sideways through the torch or right through the back of the pigtail and it hurts!  Not really dangerous though.oh and it terms of class. study after study has shown that people tend to learn faster in classes. When I took classes it was go at your own pace. If you excelled or already had some experience laying down beads in the flat they would start grilling you on horizontal vertical and overhead.The real big thing about classes is hopefully they won't let you gain any bad habbits or sloppy practices. Like people thinking you can get away with out removing slag.  Or bad fit up.  Then again I'm a career welder and engineer, and in my line of work everything is 100% xray.Welding EngineerCertified Scrap Producer
Reply:Originally Posted by txtowmanjust in case: after you burn your eyes. put 1 raw potatoe in a blender.pulverise it into juice.use it like eye drops really oftenyou'll be ok in a day or two.
Reply:"Everybody knows somebody who seems to be able to do whatever they want with relative ease. In my circle of friends, I am that guy."there is an old saying in the horse world and it applies to most vocations/activities;"Pride before a fall"
Reply:edjam...,Not trying to sound like an A$$, but your attitude towards learning "proper" welding techniques leaves a lot to be desired.There's an old saying that applies here.  IGNORANCE IS BLISS.You don't know what you don't know.When I first started scuba diving, my instruction was minimal.  Basically, put this mouthpiece in your mouth and don't breath thru your nose, don't hold your breath, and don't come up faster than your bubbles.  It was only after becoming a diving instructor and gaining much additional knowledge, did I realize how dangerous my initial pursuits had been.Welding is a building block process that, in order to do it well, requires a firm foundation.  This is obtained in many ways.  Formal instruction, mentors, extensive reading/practice, etc.  Without it, you will always be just another "hack" who thinks he knows how to weld.Based on the questions your asked, you haven't done the reading/study.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Originally Posted by Metarinkapeople also forget the open circuit voltage of a stick welder is quite a bit lower than a wall socket. So if you're wearing thick stick gloves that aren't saturated with sweat you should be fine.  I was/am always paranoid of getting shocked by stick welders but I never have. The big thing being never changing grounding clamp and holding the electrode at the same time, or working while wet.When I get a stubby I simply open the stinger and let it drop into my bucket, pick up another one and place it in the  the stinger.  Shoot it's hard enough to get an arc start through the flux coating as is. Let alone having an arc start thru the side of the flux coating, your gloves, travel up your arm go and go thru the table and what not.  And also even when the shocks do happen it's extremely rare for them to be fatal.  Just a tingle usually.Now TIG high frequency I've been shocked enough times by that to just get mad at the machine. The 10,000 Volts of the high frequency will jump sideways through the torch or right through the back of the pigtail and it hurts!  Not really dangerous though.oh and it terms of class. study after study has shown that people tend to learn faster in classes. When I took classes it was go at your own pace. If you excelled or already had some experience laying down beads in the flat they would start grilling you on horizontal vertical and overhead.The real big thing about classes is hopefully they won't let you gain any bad habbits or sloppy practices. Like people thinking you can get away with out removing slag.  Or bad fit up.  Then again I'm a career welder and engineer, and in my line of work everything is 100% xray.
Reply:Originally Posted by William McCormick Jr welding handicap rails on your back
Reply:I have been in formal training for 1 month now, and there is no room to be cynical about the process. It will be a bad day when your work fails and somebody gets injured to any degree. ESPECIALLY when it was because the welder utilized some fuzzy logic and perceived a defected weldment to actually be "sound".For Example:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=f5b07e88bf I completed the first phase of my stick training last monday (two weeks early) and was allowed to become acquainted with my beginning MIG training that will be coming up soon. After becoming adequately knowledgeable in the introduction stick portion, my instructor only wanted to give me a very brief explanation of what i was doing in the MIG booth. He told me the heat ranges, wire speeds, and waved his finger around a few times explaining my pattern. "Run a 3G 1/8th inch gap and bring it up here"http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=8eeb5f8097This was my very first MIG attempt. I could see what was going on during the weld and tried my best to run it according to my instructions, but i had a really vague sense of what the end result was going to look like (or, i didnt know wtf i was doing). By all appearances i was pretty satisfied. It was somewhat uniform. Root pass fully penetrated top to bottom. So about 10 minutes later the instructor was done blistering me on all of the flaws and defects and it boiled down to "This is failure. You dont get a job with this, you lose a job for this. ill give you credit for putting the weld in the groove thats about it."Moral of this? Read a book. Find someone qualified to teach the process. Fly-by-night quick internet guide to welding and a quick trip to Sears is not acceptable. Most of us without many years of experience cannot benefit from a tip or a trick. A typical response to "Look at this, what do you think? Any tips?" here is "Weld better"I'm gonna' start class Wednesday, why? A. I'm trying to open up a new career for myself at 62: B. I'm hoping to  meet some college chicks.C. My wife would like me to find something to do with my time.D. I've got 200+ hours of college and several degrees but would like to get 4 more hours in learning the basics of welding correctly.  For a gradeB. was a good choice but nah... D is the right answer.  Go to school till U can't stand it anymore, or ya' croak which ever comes first.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Originally Posted by William McCormick JrYou cannot pickup sticks with welding gauntlets. So you end up wearing one glove on your right hand most of the time, and nothing on your left. If you are doing a lot of overhead, you wear both gloves but take one off to load the arc rod holder, then put it back on to weld. The glove does not have to get real wet to feel the ARC welders voltage. Especially if you are on your back in the summer. And I know of no way not to be sweaty in the summer in the sun welding handicap rails on your back.
Reply:want to feel fuzzyness all over....try arch welding underwater. Tingles all the way up your forearms.Synchowave 180SD  Bernard 3500SS water coolerMillermatic 200Parker Plasma Tec 40dvOperating Engineers Local 12
Reply:you won't really learn until you get bit a time or two.