Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi all,

Question,

Im using a Lincoln machine at school, training for pipe, uphill and down. I have never used a machine with soft/crisp arc settings before. I have noticed quite a difference when switching between the two. But I am curious to know, when is the best time to use one or the other? For what applications? Under what conditions? Root, filler, cap? Sturctural, sheet, plate? Groove or fillet? Is there even a rule to follow? Advice for my current training would be helpful for now, unless there is some kind of guideline to follow for when to use one or the other...

Thanks,

Jake

Crisp is for 6010/11 electrodes and soft is for everything else. Is your welder a 350 pro?

Kevin

Look up the machine's manual at the Lincoln site - it'll tell you how that particular machine is designed to work.

Here's my Invertec v250-s, but others are different.

What is the actual difference?
Like what happens differently with each setting?

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79jasper wrote:What is the actual difference?
Like what happens differently with each setting?

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Crisp is 100% arc force. It digs a whole lot more. Soft setting will "soften" the arc force. I have noticed if I have crisp on while I do my 7018 fill pass I am more likely to blow a hole through the root pass. If I have the same amperage settings on soft the bead lays in nicely, the tow is more transitional, and it doesn't seem to want to dig in as much while still offering adequate penetration. Just my observations...

MinnesotaDave wrote:Look up the machine's manual at the Lincoln site - it'll tell you how that particular machine is designed to work.

Here's my Invertec v250-s, but others are different.

invertec crispsoft.GIF

Thanks! This helps a lot!

Soft is lower volts higher amps cusp us higher volts lower amps, i prefer really soft settings on cap to reduce chances of undercut.

forrestderp wrote:Soft is lower volts higher amps cusp us higher volts lower amps, i prefer really soft settings on cap to reduce chances of undercut.

Watch this video.
Its kinda different than your explanation...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvZGxFs0bJQ

I'm a pipe welder and I've come to like using crisp much more than soft. It just works better for me. I used to use soft with negative arc force for 7018 but I just use crisp with 0 arc force. I can get everything to look much cleaner on crisp, it's like the puddle is just way easier to control for me. But there are a hundred ways to skin a cat, whichever works for you. I'd just get some coupons and screw with your settings until you find out what you like.

AKweldshop wrote:

forrestderp wrote:Soft is lower volts higher amps cusp us higher volts lower amps, i prefer really soft settings on cap to reduce chances of undercut.

Watch this video.
Its kinda different than your explanation...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvZGxFs0bJQ

Yeah I believe he got it backwards.

DylanWelds wrote:

AKweldshop wrote:

forrestderp wrote:Soft is lower volts higher amps cusp us higher volts lower amps, i prefer really soft settings on cap to reduce chances of undercut.

Watch this video.
Its kinda different than your explanation...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvZGxFs0bJQ

Yeah I believe he got it backwards.

From the video by FieldRes:
(inverter compared to SA-200 settings)

looks like I had it backwards, thanks for the clarification guys.
-Sean