1st Stick Project

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Not pretty but it is solid. I hate anything sitting on the floor, it needs to be on wheels to easily move so the floor can be swept.One of my Techs gave me an AC-225 that had been sitting in his barn and it seems to works wonderfully. The welds got better has I went, at least I think they did. Nothing came lose when beating it wth a hammer or trying to twist it. This was my first time stick welding.Amp setting was 90 and I used a 6013 rod. The steel is 1/8" angle and flat.The project is not finished. Plan is to get some rod to go up either side of the welder to hang the leads on.Last edited by RonG; 12-17-2009 at 06:29 PM.
Reply:very nice machine - gotta love the old stuffwelds arnt bad, but i think i know half your problem. the 6013 is really a sheetmetal rod. for that 1/8" id use either a 6011 or 7018. at my school we start with 6011 because they are "rust cutters" and we work with alot of rusty stuff (ag mechanics) and the 7018 looks great, even if you cant weld. you also need to make yoru welds more fluid. remember to watch the puddle, keeping the electrode in the leading edge. your not trying to stick the metal together with the electrode, your creating a puddle that fills the gap between the metal and feeding it and directing its course. the frame looks good. did you check the diagonals for the squareness? i would also weld the other two areas where the caster mounting bar is in contact with the angle frame. this will increase the welded surface area.keep up the practice and looking good!!I break things for a living...
Reply:Is that a few burn throughs I see?. Yeah do what was mentioned above.. 7018 would be your best bet either 3/32 or 1/8 rod with a fairly low amperage to control the heat. It will take the bird **** welds and make them look a bit better.. remember to keep your step closer to the last pass to get a nicer bead. watch your puddle and control it a bit more
Reply:Thanks for the input guys. I'll get some 6011 & 7018 and play some more, see the differences. There is only one burn through spot but several pieces that have some drops on the back side.I did keep everything square, no reason to practice half ***.What is meant by "keep your step closer to the last pass to get a nicer bead"? I am reading a book and reading here and somethings I just can't visualize.Below is another weld with the back of it. It aint pretty but I cant break it. Putting it in the vice and beating it with a hammer just bends the metal.
Reply:I recently finished my level c training and something that was mentioned to me is when you first strike the electrode just pause there for about a half second or so so it has time to establish a good arc and burn out the begining stuff at the start of the rod, especially on a machine without "hot start".... another tip is to try make the weld look like you are stacking dimes, keep the ripples tight and uniform... im sure you wont have a problem with the cart falling apart though, looks heavy duty enough for that machine there... one of my friends has an older miller thunderbolt 250 he picked up for about a 100 bucks and it is a great machine ... good luck with the welds, it can only get better ( most of the time)
Reply:Looks like it will do what you want. Most people move too fast when they start learning. It's a bit hard to tell what was going on with your welds. I can't really tell if what I'm looking at is slag, or just an ugly weld. If it's slag, besure to clean up the weld before posting so we can see the actual bead. Grinder with a wire brush does a good clean up job fast.7014 is a good AC rod to start with. It's easier than 7018 to get the hang of and just about as strong for small projects like this. It also doesn't have the storage issue with moisture that 7018 can have if it gets really damp. 6011 is a good choice for the rusty dirty stuff that you just can't get clean well but it doesn't look as nice and isn't as strong.Those AC tombstones are tanks, you will probably beable to pass it on to your grandkids if you take reasonable care of it..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:6013 should work fine for that, just need more practice. Doesn't look bad for a the first time and if it did break for some reason the equipment to fix it will be near by. If you get 7018 make sure it's for AC.... not just plain 7018.HH 187Miller Bluestar1EAHP AlphaTig 200X