Arc gouging with AC?

admin

I was trying a little DIY arc gouging, and found that the air would always blow out the arc. I'm thinking that DC may keep the arc more stable. I was using AC at 250 amps with a 3/16" carbon. I thing I learned why the air holes on the ready-made gouging handles are positioned next to the rod. That rod gets HOT, and the insulators on my holder went up in flames. I had an air nozzle strapped to the handles with an extension nozzle aiming at the arc. Your opinions are welcome.
Reply:Were you using AC carbons? According to the Arcair catalog, AC carbons have rare earth material added to stabilize the arc. That might be your problem.Hey I just got a shipment of that there rare earth material. Give me your credit card and I will ship some out to you!"Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:DC does give a more stable arc, but AC works OK with the right rods. Where is your air running? It should be under and parallel to the rod. Wrong flow rate could also cause problems. Your travel speed could be too slow or uneven, it is a  fast moving process ( faster than welding). Too long an arc length, Finally, a poorly connected work (ground) lead could cause these problems.