Rooting steam lines Maxstar 150

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What would you guys think if your employer bought a new maxstar 150 to do full pen welds on high pressure steam lines ?   We run 6011 for the root and I find the rod wants to snuff out,   I think they should have gotten a cst280 but they're cheap SOB's....  I can do a good root pass on the shops machines or my Powerarc 200.   Just doesnt seem to have the jam when it comes time to tieing in and I shove it in there...Journeyman / Red Seal Welder (What a useless test)Miller CST 280Miller XMT 350Miller 12vs XtremeEvolution Evo 28 mag drillEvolution 380 Dry Cut saw
Reply:in my opinion thats not a pipe welding machine, maybe good enough for thin wall food grade stainless. Personally at our generating station we have all 600amp lincolns for our plant welding, weather it be boiler tubes, or exposed steam lines. Although i have used a cst 280 on some of our inconel and hastalloy pipe and i did like it
Reply:In my opinion the CST would have been a better choice... I don't think they are much more than a Maxstar either...Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:Work thinks its an awesome machine lol.  The foreman suggested getting it, he thinks its great but yet hasent tried putting a root in with it.  Im almost sure I can get a passable x ray root in with it using 6011 but it isnt going to be near as nice as running the shops syncrowave, Lincolns at the local trade school, or my Powerarc 200.Im really not keen on going in there and taking my chances fighting a root in with a sub par machine and then taking the blame if an x ray goes south.  But yet they wont give me another machine that im sure, the other guy who got switched off the job was sent in with a Miller Thunderbolt.I think I may have to throw in the towel at this shop.Journeyman / Red Seal Welder (What a useless test)Miller CST 280Miller XMT 350Miller 12vs XtremeEvolution Evo 28 mag drillEvolution 380 Dry Cut saw
Reply:Originally Posted by Newfie_1986Work thinks its an awesome machine lol.  The foreman suggested getting it, he thinks its great but yet hasent tried putting a root in with it. I think I may have to throw in the towel at this shop.
Reply:We have one in the plant, it is great for TIGing sanitary piping, but for 6010 roots it is useless. If I have to do a steam line, I will drag out the old monster Idealarc and be happy. I am trying to talk the cheap purchasing manager in to getting us a CST 280 to up date our fleet of old 700 pound 3 phase monsters from the 70's. Typical plant management, grab a fork truck and move the monster a mile away for one weld, whoops some one robbed the pin and sleeve plug off off it, wait the rest of your shift for the electrical dept.... Grumble Grumble......Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Another vote for the CST 280. Awesome stick machine.We got some maxstar 200's but for stick, most want the CST 280.
Reply:CEP   I may have to do just that take in my PA 200, can do an awesome root with it using 6010 so 6011 should run fine on it as well.  This guys is new to the foremans position and im young only 26 so no one listens to me.  Told them the bobcat wasnt welding right and the foreman said it was fine and it was maybe a loose lead.  When it came time and he used it he said the same thing (that it wasnt right)...I can bring my PA 200 but that just encourages their behaviours of sending us out with **** equipment.I may get him to root a pipe with it,  He couldnt put a root in the other day with one of the shop machines, he definitly wont be able to with this Maxstar.My powerarc I can turn the heat down and she will just chew away the bevels, when I turn the heat down on the Maxstar like that it snuffs out, just doesnt have the arc force even with 6011.Sure with the Maxstar I can run a hotter root with tighter gap but at the risk of getting suck back and undercut inside due to the heat or a larger keyhole that cannot be controlled.TozziId imaging this machine would be alright for sanitary pipework, hell if I was rooting with tig it would be awesome.  Sounds like its a real PIA to do anything where you work, must be frustrating having to drag large old machines around...Journeyman / Red Seal Welder (What a useless test)Miller CST 280Miller XMT 350Miller 12vs XtremeEvolution Evo 28 mag drillEvolution 380 Dry Cut saw
Reply:Since your welding a high pressure steam line, you are having to follow code here with this type of weld.At the high pressure power plant I work in, 6011 is not a code rod for root passes on high pressure steam lines. 6010 is the root rod for code welds on high pressure black iron steam lines (where I work anyway).Needless to say, there are no Maxstar 150's at my place of work. The only inverters we have are XMT 304's and 350's.  Most of our other machines are big transformers and we still have a few electric motor generator welders. All are great welders that are up to the task of running 6010 roots. All our welders run on 575v 3 phase power.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:I had a Maxstar 150 and it's a great little TIG machine.  If you can TIG weld your root passes, you should have no problems.  I think the issue with 60XX rods and this machine is the voltage that the power supply delivers while welding.  60XX rods need something like 26 Volts in order to run correctly.  the Maxstar 150 doesn't deliver this much voltage.  The maxstar run XX18 lo-hy rods just fine, because they need less voltage to run correctly.I also didn't care for the fixed hot start the Maxstar 150 has.  It's too easy to blow a giant hole in the bevel when you strike and arc with any rod in an open root joint.If your outfit has an approved WPS for a TIG root, I'd switch to that, if you're qualified.  Then you can fill and cap with 7018 or whichever lo-hy rod you need for your steam lines.As far as shop machines go, I've also welded with CST280s, XMT304, XMT350, Dynasty 200s.  All run XX10 rods much better than the Maxstar 150.  I'd guess that the Maxstar 200, 350, and 700 all do a good job with XX10 rods as well; but I've not run these machines.Benson's Mobile Welding - Dayton, OH metro area - AWS Certified Welding Inspector
Reply:snoeproeThis shops procedure is 6011 or tig and im not qualified on tig.  I hate a 6011 root too, id much rather 10's...A_Dab_will_do  Funny thing you bring up the hot start, the hot start on this machine seems to do very little and is very finicy over the ground.I may have to go with what CEP said and bring my PA 200, ran it this weekend and its a night and day difference.  The darn thing is twice as heavy as the maxstar and I have to go up 6 flights of stairs ugh....The last guy who was at this job was sent in with a thunderbolt lmao, he tried and tried to use it then gave up and refused to do the job with it, and they went and got this new Maxstar.Journeyman / Red Seal Welder (What a useless test)Miller CST 280Miller XMT 350Miller 12vs XtremeEvolution Evo 28 mag drillEvolution 380 Dry Cut saw
Reply:In my opinion, the fellow who is buying your shops tools needs to be hauled in to a meeting with management. He is waiting the companies money and time buying Miller thunderbolts and Miller Maxstar welding machines to weld pipe. You dont bring a knife to a gunfight. If you do, expect poor results.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Originally Posted by Newfie_1986snoeproeThis shops procedure is 6011 or tig and im not qualified on tig.  I hate a 6011 root too, id much rather 10's...The last guy who was at this job was sent in with a thunderbolt lmao, he tried and tried to use it then gave up and refused to do the job with it, and they went and got this new Maxstar.
Reply:POST THIS IN THE MILLER FORUM! (Include the pipe specs.)Then show your pinhead tool buyer this thread AND that one. In my opinion, the fellow who is buying your shops tools needs to be hauled in to a meeting with management.
Reply:SnoeproeHere in NL the Deparment of Labour issues the welding tickets  and does the inspections etc.   We are required to weld according to the ASME code,  My pressure ticket test had to pass x ray and meet ASME standards to pass....Journeyman / Red Seal Welder (What a useless test)Miller CST 280Miller XMT 350Miller 12vs XtremeEvolution Evo 28 mag drillEvolution 380 Dry Cut saw
Reply:You go the DIG turned all the way up? 3/32 is all it will run for me, but I have it to be adequate with arc force turned all the way up. Its not like the lincolns, if it feels you touched the rod at all, it will shut the voltage down. Keep the rod moving. Old school whip it, the voltage will not go way up when you long arc it like allot of other machines. Make sure you have set to stick! I cursed one for an hour till I figured that out one day.It will do better on three phase, it gives you more voltage.Constant Current Weldor.
Reply:Theres no dig adjustment on a maxstar 150. 3 phase ? lol   I don't really know what you mean by old school whip but I whip all of my root passes.   If you mean I should whip further out, well you should only whip 1 1/2 times the electrode dia otherwise you risk slag entrapment/porosity etc....  Not saying for sure you will have those issues but the probability is higher....Journeyman / Red Seal Welder (What a useless test)Miller CST 280Miller XMT 350Miller 12vs XtremeEvolution Evo 28 mag drillEvolution 380 Dry Cut saw