316l Electrode questions + others
Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 6:41 pm
Hey everyone, I have an issue and along the process of explaining it i might have a few questions. please bear with the structure of this as i am not always the best as keeping continuity while writing.
i can lay very nice beads with 6011 (my favorite rod) and 6013 (i use for decorative purposes or drawing on steel)
but..am having issues with ....stainless, before we get to that however:
I have my workshop roughly 125 feet from the 20 amp breaker that is supplying power to it.
I was a child when the power was ran to the shop, i don't know the gauge that was used.
I am using an 80amp DC arc welder and striking arcs with 1/16 CARBON steel electrodes never seems to be an issue, the puddle is brilliant white, and bites deep.
When using 3/32 rods, they STICK....they barely arc, and are un-usable.
Obviously an 80 amp DC can handle a 3/32 rod on 1/8'' steel however, I am suspecting that my welder is STARVING due to the 125 feet of wire it has to go through. I do "think" I recall using a 3/32 rod when i first worked with my old 70 amp welder plugged directly into the house and i was able to lay a bead with it somewhat, when i moved into the shop, that same rod would no longer lay a bead.
Does it sound likely that a larger rod would force the welder to admit it was starving while the thinner 1/16s will cooperate and deceive you into thinking everything was ok? Being that the 1/16'' electrodes work perfectly i just assumed the proper voltage was getting to the welder.
now on to the Stainless question, this one is most important and i suppose ties into the situation already mentioned.
I need to get into stainless stick welding, its the final step for my products, I am determined to make this happen.
I purchased some VERY cheap (10.92 per LB) 1/16'' 316L electrodes from Zoro.com.
i mention this because at first i thought because they were cheaper china made rods, that was the issue.
the amperage listing on the package is a modest 30-50 (SAME AS MY HOBART 1/16'' rods)
HOWEVER....these Stainless rods, stick often, AND...the puddle seems more orange and dim than brilliant white, and my welder is CRANKED to 80.
i am able to lay a bead with them on a flat piece of steel dragging them slowly.
the bear is TALL, nowhere near as low profile as my 6011 or 13s telling me is a cold weld?
finally...i never encountered this before but when i add the part to the plate i want to join and try welding again with the stainless the bead globs in some areas and doesn't even wet in others!
it will "appear" that the puddle is doing its thing, however after chipping off the slag, i notice that A LOT of areas i went over DID NOT even get a bead at all, rather other areas got a GLOB of stainless on them, in the end both pieces are not joined, the rod material actually chose one of the parts but not BOTH to bond.
I was told that Stainless rods are a WHOLE new can of worms and that they require A LOT more amperage.
ok i hope this thread is fairly easy enough to follow along to. I feel that the answers i get here will greatly educate me and bring me one step further.
Thanks in advance for any help you can voice.
i can lay very nice beads with 6011 (my favorite rod) and 6013 (i use for decorative purposes or drawing on steel)
but..am having issues with ....stainless, before we get to that however:
I have my workshop roughly 125 feet from the 20 amp breaker that is supplying power to it.
I was a child when the power was ran to the shop, i don't know the gauge that was used.
I am using an 80amp DC arc welder and striking arcs with 1/16 CARBON steel electrodes never seems to be an issue, the puddle is brilliant white, and bites deep.
When using 3/32 rods, they STICK....they barely arc, and are un-usable.
Obviously an 80 amp DC can handle a 3/32 rod on 1/8'' steel however, I am suspecting that my welder is STARVING due to the 125 feet of wire it has to go through. I do "think" I recall using a 3/32 rod when i first worked with my old 70 amp welder plugged directly into the house and i was able to lay a bead with it somewhat, when i moved into the shop, that same rod would no longer lay a bead.
Does it sound likely that a larger rod would force the welder to admit it was starving while the thinner 1/16s will cooperate and deceive you into thinking everything was ok? Being that the 1/16'' electrodes work perfectly i just assumed the proper voltage was getting to the welder.
now on to the Stainless question, this one is most important and i suppose ties into the situation already mentioned.
I need to get into stainless stick welding, its the final step for my products, I am determined to make this happen.
I purchased some VERY cheap (10.92 per LB) 1/16'' 316L electrodes from Zoro.com.
i mention this because at first i thought because they were cheaper china made rods, that was the issue.
the amperage listing on the package is a modest 30-50 (SAME AS MY HOBART 1/16'' rods)
HOWEVER....these Stainless rods, stick often, AND...the puddle seems more orange and dim than brilliant white, and my welder is CRANKED to 80.
i am able to lay a bead with them on a flat piece of steel dragging them slowly.
the bear is TALL, nowhere near as low profile as my 6011 or 13s telling me is a cold weld?
finally...i never encountered this before but when i add the part to the plate i want to join and try welding again with the stainless the bead globs in some areas and doesn't even wet in others!
it will "appear" that the puddle is doing its thing, however after chipping off the slag, i notice that A LOT of areas i went over DID NOT even get a bead at all, rather other areas got a GLOB of stainless on them, in the end both pieces are not joined, the rod material actually chose one of the parts but not BOTH to bond.
I was told that Stainless rods are a WHOLE new can of worms and that they require A LOT more amperage.
ok i hope this thread is fairly easy enough to follow along to. I feel that the answers i get here will greatly educate me and bring me one step further.
Thanks in advance for any help you can voice.
