Hi all, I found an interesting, 70 year old movie on arc welding: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI4bGRqG4F4 One interesting point, that was new to me, is shown at 3:22 - 3:45. The weld is started at a strong drag angle, then mostly done at a small or zero drag angle, and the last few inches are com...

Hi all, Here's some more feedback. I spoke to two of the workshops here. They mostly use Afrox electrodes, and specifically Afrox "Vitemax" is touted as the best electrode for mild steel, and this is (you guessed it!) a 6013 electrode. Then I actually took my DC inverter welder to one of t...

Hi Steve, Indeed, I'm involved in end-uses of hydrogen. I do research into catalysts for fuel cells, being devices that can, as you probably know, convert fuels (e.g. hydrogen or methanol) directly into electricity. The technology is not new in principle (the Apollo missions already used fuel cells)...

Congrats, Steve!

For someone like myself, who's involved in a completely different part of the hydrogen chain, this has made for fascinating reading!

Mark

I'm just back from a hardware shop and an industrial and welding supplier. The hardware shop had the ubiquitous 6013s and some 6010s, but those were only available in 3.2 mm (1/8"). Probably a bit thick for the type of plate I'll mostly be working with. But I might give them a try. The welding ...

GWD, Thanks for the additional info. I like the idea of asking the people working in a welding shop which rods they work with, and where they get them. I work at a research institute with several workshops (including welders) on campus. They should know... And thanks for the heads-up on 6011 with DC.

And there exactly lies my problem, gentlemen! I'd gladly buy other rods if I could, but I've been to numerous suppliers, and 6013 is literally the only electrode I can find here! It appears to be the "norm" here in South Africa. (From what I've read, there seems to be a similar situation i...

Thanks, then I'll try more of a weaving motion the next time.

In your experience, does it make a difference whether there is a small gap at the foot of the "V", or whether the "V" is completely closed? I'm just wondering what's the best position for tacking my two pieces together.

Right, so here are my pictures. *trembling* Corner weld between two pieces of angle iron (thickness 2.5 mm or 0.1", side length 25 mm or 1"), tacked together angle-to-angle. DCEP, 85A, rods: Eurasia 6013, 2.5 mm / 0.1". Top of picture is blacked out because it shows a flat weld irrele...

Here's some more feedback on my progress, and some questions... My arc-striking has improved significantly after doing myself the favour of cleaning the scale off my angle iron (2.5 mm x 25 mm) with a grinding pad. Not that the angle iron was really all that dirty, but apparently, these 6013s don't ...

Hi Martin, I've tried to read up as much as I could find on the 6013s and polarity. Apparently, they were originally developed for AC, but they can be operated on DCEN and DCEP as well. The manufacturer of my 6013s says the same thing on the package: suitable for all three set-ups. But if I remember...

Martin, Your responses have been very valulable. Re. seeing the arc, cheater lenses, etc.: I think that all the good videos, including Jody's, have spoilt me. I might consider buying myself some reading glasses (many pharmacies here carry them relatively cheaply) and wear them underneath the shield....

Many thanks, Mike, I popped into the site quickly, and there's obviously a lot of info for me to digest.

Thanks, Otto.

From what I've read, if I go with 7018, I'll have to look at dry storage. I'll also have a look-see whether I can find some 6010s, perhaps thinner (1.5 mm?), or get some thicker metal scraps to work on.

Not the best form to reply to myself, I suppose, but I just wanted to say that I've also found a (copy of a) very instructive video by Steve Bleile.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrFxti6o ... re=related
This has given me many pointers on my questions.

Hi all, I've just started to weld. I only envisage smallish DIY projects such as stands, shelving brackets, etc., and I'm on a budget, so I decided to go with SMAW/MMA. I have an IGBT-type DC inverter (10-140A) and I'm using 6013 electrodes (2.5 mm) on DCEP. The 6013s were recommended to me in the s...

Steve,

Fascinating thread.

Can you elaborate on the reason for having to replace all the valves? Do they become embrittled or otherwise deteriorate because of the hydrogen?

Yes, I realize that color coding is not constant from one system to another. Here in South Africa, even single phase AC has two different color codes: one is for "behind the wall" (live=red, neutral=black, earth=bare or green-yellow), the other for appliances and extension cords (live=brow...

Hi, I'm new to the forum, and have been thinking about this exact topic. Ultralow787 wrote: I've actually been doing quite a bit of research into this subject lately. I have read everything I can find on the subject and the consensus from the experts at Lincoln Electric is that: 1) When it comes to ...