[Gavin]

Hey all I have recently started to teach myself welding, I've been doing a bit of mig and also stick welding.
My current project is fixing a spade for my jack hammer so I thought I would use a low hyrodgen electrodes so its stronger, however I just cant get the arc to strike with them. With the general purpose electrode I can strike the Arc etc but with this brand new pack of low hyrdogen I just cant get it going, I will try again tomorrow and give the whole practice piece a good clean. Is there something I'm doing wrong or are the low hyrdogen just a lot harder to work with?
These are the electrodes: https://unimig.com.au/product/hyperarc- ... lectrodes/

Thanks for any help

[Jack Ryan]

Hey all I have recently started to teach myself welding, I've been doing a bit of mig and also stick welding.
My current project is fixing a spade for my jack hammer

I think you've set yourself a hard task. I don't know what size jackhammer you have but the spade is probably a big bit of hard steel. It needs proper preparation.

so I thought I would use a low hydrogen electrodes so its stronger,

Low hydrogen doesn't make it stronger, it reduces the chance of hydrogen cracking. How long has the packet been open? How are the electrodes stored? They are probably not low hydrogen any more.

however I just cant get the arc to strike with them. With the general purpose electrode I can strike the Arc etc but with this brand new pack of low hyrdogen I just cant get it going, I will try again tomorrow and give the whole practice piece a good clean. Is there something I'm doing wrong or are the low hyrdogen just a lot harder to work with?
These are the electrodes: https://unimig.com.au/product/hyperarc- ... lectrodes/

What are your general purpose electrodes - 6013?

What happens when you try to strike an arc - sparks and nothing or tap and humm?

I expect you would find the 7016 harder to work with - harder to strike an arc, harder to maintain an arc and harder to re-strike.

Once you start the arc, maintain a short arc - drag the electrode (literally).

What is your welding machine? Transformer AC/DC, inverter, any helpful settings like hot start or arc force?

A link to the manual would be good.

For the record, I rarely use 7016 and I have never used HYPERARC 16TC.

Jack

[Gavin]

Hey thanks for your reply, I opened the packet yesterday and they were vacuum sealed. Currently I’m not trying to weld on the jack hammer just trying a flat piece of scrap steel to practice on. So I just used a 6013 to make sure everything was working and I burnt through that rod. Tried a 7016 again and it just stick, if it does ignite it will go out within a second and I’ll have to keep scrapping the coating off to expose the tip it will stick another few times and then rinse and repeat.

The machibe is a Rossi 195es. Doesn’t have any fancy features just a cheap machine I purchased to start learning with before I get a better machine

[Jack Ryan]

The machibe is a Rossi 195es. Doesn’t have any fancy features just a cheap machine I purchased to start learning with before I get a better machine

Is there a link to the correct manual? The link given gives an overview of all of their welders.

With those voltage settings it looks like a transformer machine but if that is the case, how do you adjust the ARC (MMA) current? A similar Rossi machine uses those switches to select current - really? Perhaps the switches set MMA current by changing the voltage.

How do you change from MIG to MMA? MIG is constant voltage and MMA is constant current.

I can't even see the compliance plate clearly - is it AC only? Can you take a clear photo of the compliance plate (circled in red)?

Jack

[Gavin]

Here is the front, it has 4 settings for current, to switch between MMA and mig the the metal switch at the top

[Jack Ryan]

Here is the front, it has 4 settings for current, to switch between MMA and mig the the metal switch at the top

OK, that one has a switch but no proper compliance plate on the front like the other one. It must be on the back.

I gather there is no PDF manual.

This is definitely a MIG that I have not seen before and I have a sneaking suspicion that it is not the best machine to learn on. Without additional information, I would guess that it is not capable of lighting those electrodes. It might work with the AC version of them - but are they still made?

Perhaps use the 6013s

Jack

[Gavin]

There is a manual but it doesn’t seem like I can upload it to this forum, I think it just covers all there models from memory the manual is pretty useless
Is it possible that a machine can do general purpose electrodes easily but can’t do low hydrogen?
Also what would you recommend for fixing the jack hammer bit? Would normal mig wire be strong enough?
To explain what I’ll be doing the spade is attached to a shaft that goes into the jack hammer, the spade broke off the shaft which is was welded to before

[tweake]

Hey thanks for your reply, I opened the packet yesterday and they were vacuum sealed. Currently I’m not trying to weld on the jack hammer just trying a flat piece of scrap steel to practice on. So I just used a 6013 to make sure everything was working and I burnt through that rod. Tried a 7016 again and it just stick, if it does ignite it will go out within a second and I’ll have to keep scrapping the coating off to expose the tip it will stick another few times and then rinse and repeat.

The machibe is a Rossi 195es. Doesn’t have any fancy features just a cheap machine I purchased to start learning with before I get a better machine

the problem is the machine. its just crap. its bad enough thats its a 4 setting mig, even worse that its hacked into being a stick welder as well.
the reason is low voltage. you need high enough voltage to run certain rods. the 7016's require a little bit more than the 6013's. i suspect your 6013's would have been running pretty marginally. i've seen the same problem with some of the cheap bunnings welders.
its one of the reasons i don't recommend fluxcore or even cheap migs.

get one of the cheap basic inverters stick welders (as long as its not one of the rip off brands) and it will be fine. even the bossweld ones will work ok.

[Gavin]

I was thinking of getting this as my next machine so I can learn each welding type.
Thoughts?
https://unimig.com.au/product/razor-mul ... ck-welder/

[Jack Ryan]

the problem is the machine. its just crap. its bad enough thats its a 4 setting mig, even worse that its hacked into being a stick welder as well.
the reason is low voltage. you need high enough voltage to run certain rods. the 7016's require a little bit more than the 6013's. i suspect your 6013's would have been running pretty marginally. i've seen the same problem with some of the cheap bunnings welders.
its one of the reasons i don't recommend fluxcore or even cheap migs.

get one of the cheap basic inverters stick welders (as long as its not one of the rip off brands) and it will be fine. even the bossweld ones will work ok.

Well, yes. I was being diplomatic.

Jack

[Jack Ryan]

I was thinking of getting this as my next machine so I can learn each welding type.
Thoughts?
https://unimig.com.au/product/razor-mul ... ck-welder/

I have not used a Unimig machine but they seem to be well supported and that model looks good on paper and is not likely to hold you back. Unimig seem to have changed sources - they were using Jasic machines for their premium (Razor) line. I don't know who made that one.

You could, if you like Unimig, use a cheaper one, even a 200A Viper would be streets ahead of what you have now. Their manuals are a damn sight better too.

If you have the cash, get what you want. Otherwise get what you need and still have plenty of scope to learn.

Jack

[Gavin]

Thanks for all your help, I do have a question about the welder I posted before. It says for stick welding it uses electrodes 2.5-4mm does that mean it won’t take the 2.3mm electrodes I have?

[Jack Ryan]

Thanks for all your help, I do have a question about the welder I posted before. It says for stick welding it uses electrodes 2.5-4mm does that mean it won’t take the 2.3mm electrodes I have?

They'll be fine for size. I can't imagine the electrode holder would find them too small to grab.

Which electrodes are 2.3mm? The HYPERARC 16TC are 2.6mm and CIG GPs (6013) are 2.5mm.

Jack

[Gavin]

Oh it’s actually 2mm I have. I guess if they won’t go into the new machine I’ll just have to use them all up before I get it

[Jack Ryan]

Oh it’s actually 2mm I have. I guess if they won’t go into the new machine I’ll just have to use them all up before I get it

I've never had an issue with small electrodes and I doubt you will.

Jack

[tweake]

Oh it’s actually 2mm I have. I guess if they won’t go into the new machine I’ll just have to use them all up before I get it

they will be fine.
some machines won't go to low enough in amps for really thin electrodes like 1.6mm. but specs say that new machine is just fine. i suspect they simply say that because 2.5mm is the lowest you can normally get. there's not many manufactures that make smaller rods.

[Gavin]

Cheers guys thanks for all your help