So you got problems with modifying equipment? Yea I don't know why a TIG welder, a AC/DC TIG at that can't stick weld, it's a software thing. I can't exactly modify their software so I just stick a stinger where the + terminal is, and ground clamp in the - terminal and it stick welds. You just need...

By the way officially I can't stick weld on my welder but I rigged it to do stick. It makes things easier because I can just rig up a trigger and start or stop the arc when I want, not whenever I touch the stick. this just gets worse and worse. no wonder your having so many problems. i'm surprised ...

J422 seems to be equivalent to 6013. but its not. understand the differences. but if thats all you can get and you can get them to run, then use that. its just hard to compare to others or get advice on if your using something different to everyone else. I got some 10mm mild steel coupons I'm pract...

So about sticks, what do you recommend? And what do you recommend a beginner to stick weld? i typically recommend 6013 single coated rods. easy to run, works on even low quality machines. 2.4mm or 3.2mm. 3.2mm is easier to manage as they shake less but 2.4mm requires less amps which is better on ch...

Yet again, you are wrong. The reason you’re struggling is because you have no formal training, little practice, and you’re attempting the most advanced techniques with cheap equipment and unknown rods. You constantly cite the expense as a reason to pursue your choices, but you can either pony up an...

I tried stick welding thin stainless steel using 2.4mm stainless rod. It is much harder. I can see why nobody stick welds something this thin. It can be done, but it will look like crap. The weld looks so much better if you can have a slower travel speed and let the metal build up, but this only wo...

I haven't tried running a stick rod on DCEN. I always thought they were supposed to be DCEP or whatever. Do I get better result doing it on DCEN on thinner material? I know TIG weld is DCEN. What if you ran stick rods on AC? And what amp do you run the 2.4mm rod on if you are welding something thin...

fit up needs to be near on perfect. spending a few minutes with a file getting just right makes life so much easier. jody likes the blast tacks, i tend swirl the weld. eg move the tig torch like your mig welding, i do circles. this drags the metal across from one side of the other. this helps stop t...

They got thin rods out there, I guess could use flux core wires. But can you enlighten me how do I weld thin stuff on a 2.4mm stick? If you ran it at the proper amp it burns through the material instantly. using 2.4mm 6013 rutile cellulose rod, negative polarity (which you can do with those rods), ...

I think I'm getting it more, I'm able to weld 1mm thick materials with 1mm rod set at 30 amps. It still don't look like Tig welds as well. Also they don't make 7018 rods in smaller diameters, only 2.4mm is the thinnest. And the rods (that j422 stuff) gets much more expensive as the diameter gets sm...

If welding thin stuff, 1.4mm rods. I tried 1mm rods but I couldn't get it to work at amperages that allow me to stick it to thicker material if I'm doing dissimilar material thickness. 1.4mm seems to work best, 50 amps (or so the name plate says). i would be inclined to crank it up to say 70 amps o...

I don't know. Most people have used Chinese welders and they're adequate. Even tried excess amps and all it did was when I stuck the rod by mistake the entire rod glowed red. Are there rods that work better in DCEN or ac? i have some cheap welders myself. the problem with most cheap stuff is you do...

what size rod are you using and what amps?

I’ve seen lots of guys who stick weld and make beautiful welds, even better than most can TIG. +1 man those guys are awesome. there is a lot of fantastic stick welders out there. i wish they where more on utube than those click bait 3rd world country crappy welders who get millions of views for crap.

I'm not sure, it's called J422. I don't know what it compares to. I can't just jam the rod down, doing so will stop the arc completely like sticking a tungsten. I also got some 3.2mm rod with no marking on it whatsoever. All I know is that it's for carbon steel. J422 looks to be a rutile lime rod, ...

I'll stick weld when I'm not that concerned with welds that look great, or if I'm welding something harder to reach and harder to see (basically I don't have to concentrate so hard on arc length when stick welding, I got sticks of various diameters, for different thickness of material but I've foun...

I have to cut 5 openings in a sheet metal cabinet to install ventilation. I have a plasma cutter but worried about heat distortion. I'm sure that using a plasma would be the quickest. I don't have power shears but not against buying them. Only other option I have is a jigsaw with metal blades. What...

ideally, some aluminum square stock that you can clamp into place. otherwise just using weights to push it into place, tack, push the next bit together and tack. but being fussy on fit up makes for much much easier welding. speaking of vision, i've just come in from doing a small stainless repair fo...

Full pen welding of thin stainless results in sugaring unless you back purge them, or use a backing plate. I heard of a product called "solar flux" that you can apply to the back of the weld so that penetration doesn't result in sugaring, but not sure how it works. The problem with backin...

I know penetration and stuff but how much penetration do you really need with 1mm? as far as learning goes, you should always strive for full penetration. while a lot of actual products don't need full pen welding, you need to learn to be able to do it. its something that trips me up. but also i ha...

but I'm sticking to what works for me, exactly my point. everyone's setup is different, so don't get hung up on the numbers. set it to whatever works for you. btw high rate of pulsing acts like its colder, its like running at lower amps. i use that on thin material because most cheap machines don't...

taiwanluthiers wrote: ↑Thu Jan 11, 2024 9:08 pm No you can't use that rule.

odds are your welder doesn't give you the amps it says its does. very very common problem with cheap welders, even good cheap welders.
thats why i say to ignore what the dial says. set it to what works.

i don't bother to much with numbers because i use foot pedal.

Hi everyone, I'm struggling welding 1.6'' aluminium rod. is that size correct? that would take many hundreds of amps. its depends massively on joint configuration. you would need to bevel the joint and do multi passes. big amps and pre heating. your setting are only good for ~1/8" material.

. I've found I needed to really jam the filler rod into it when welding aluminum, otherwise it wants to melt before it hits the puddle (and all hell breaks loose if this happens, the ball of molten filler rod ends up screwing with the arc), and that the arc length needed to be fairly long or else i...

I mention welding 1mm thick stainless and immediately people tell me to practice without pulsing, using foot pedals (I don't have one). Why is everyone so down on pulse welding? Without foot pedal I cannot adjust amperage on the fly, and so by the time I end the weld, either I'm getting no puddle, ...