No such thing as a stupid question....

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First off, I am not a welder. I weld as a hobby but not very well, I grind very well. Anyway I have a question that may seem basic to the experienced welder but .....  I have a Century 230Amp AC- 140Amp DC weldor that I have had for years and have just recently started using. It has the "squeeze levers" to adjust amerage. So the question is where do I set the "squeeze levers" for any given amperage? I mean is it at the top of the upper lever?... the middle of the 2 levers? I mean I can set the levers so the top one is even with 130 amps.... but then the middle of the 2 levers reads 75 amps. So which is it?
Reply:Its the one that welds best.   You should be able to find where your welder works best for you, then use the numbers as a reference to repeat the same settings later on.Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Like David said,what works best. Use a black magic marker or paint marker to make your own reference mark on one of the handles. That way you'll always go back to the same setting.  OH and by the way,the only stupid question is the one that wasn't asked.                                HTH,                                      MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:True, ultimately it is what welds best.  I assume the scales you are reading are AC or DC, for however you current you are using to weld.  I am not familiar with that welder, does one lever represent AC and the other Represent DC.  If not, for peace of mind I would push to lever all the way to minimum get a reading from which ever lever make sense then do the same at the maximum.
Reply:That shouldn't be to hard to find out. Adjust the welder to the highest current setting, see what lines up with what. Now adjust it to the the lowest setting and see if the number line up to close to the same spot. My guess is that going by the top lever is where yo read it. The numbers are just a starting point ultimately you use what works for you. 105 amps one welder might weld the same as 120 on another.
Reply:I have one of those welding machines. Do what Tresi said. Run the lever all the way to the top and see where 230 lines up. The DC scale is oposite the AC scale. I used a lot of 1/8" 6011 rod with mine. The heat setting was critical to get a good weld. Too low and it was very difficult to strike an arc. Too high and I could strike the arc with ease, but had either burnthrough problems or else the rod got so hot the flux popped off before I used half the rod. By accident I finally found the best rod for this machine. 7014 made my weld quality go way up compared to 6011 or 6013.
Reply:All have given good advice.  I attempted to weld with a century welder twice in my life, and both machines were crap for adjustments.  neither one adjusted or put out as they were marked.  I finally had to play with it to find the amperage I needed.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Oh my, I learned on my 230amp AC Century machine, and still have it. E7014? I will have to try some! The scales are not what you'ld call accurate, I sort of figure the middle of the upper lever, but if it is burning rod, why bother! City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny