Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi folks,

New to this forum....
Recently purchased a "chinese" made TIG/Stick welder and like most of them, documentation sucks! This one actually has lot of options/knobs that can be adjusted, not a computer program that guides you through the settings and therefore I have a few questions:
#1: In regards to pulse settings: Does it make sense to use "pulse" when welding on AC like aluminum? It can be configured, but does it make sense or is it only useful for DC?

#2: Stick welding, besides DCEN and DCEP, it also supports AC. What should the settings be for AC? It can be adjusted from 40 to 200Hz and AC balance from 10 to 90%. It welds when setting 60Hz and 50% duty cycle, which would equate to AC outlet or transformer based welder, except that it is square wave. Can you get better results using different settings? Assumption is that an electrode is used that supports AC. There is always the trial and error method but some guidance would be appreciated. Just because you can configure it doesn't mean it makes sense
Thanks,
Olaf

Sorry for the duplicate posts. Was my first one and didn't realize that it wouldn't get posted right away

Pulse is one of those things that has its place, and not everyone will use it in the same way.

Most that I know don't like to use pulse on AC, where I like it sometimes is on thin open corner fusion joints. I do have joints I will do manual pedal pulsing with ac, mostly on tube where I use that moment to reposition around the tube. Be careful with aluminum pulse, you can get a crack each time the puddle cools if its cooling it too quickly.

AC stick isn't very common anymore, if you have an old AC only welder you would need it or I suppose if you were fighting arc blow on a weird joint and couldn't figure it out you could try some ac rods, but usually you can fix arc blow with welding direction and ground placement. DC welds much friendlier. I think they might still use it across the pond for certain things. Typically on inverter machines there is a stick mode that is different from tig mode and doesn't let you change as many variables.

Olaf wrote:#2: Stick welding, besides DCEN and DCEP, it also supports AC. What should the settings be for AC? It can be adjusted from 40 to 200Hz and AC balance from 10 to 90%. It welds when setting 60Hz and 50% duty cycle, which would equate to AC outlet or transformer based welder, except that it is square wave. Can you get better results using different settings

Welcome Olaf!

Most inverters don't use these settings when it's set for stick, they are only active when the unit is set for tig for the most part.

You can weld 7024 and 7014 on AC, as you can 6013, but all of those will also weld with DC as well.

I use 6013 on DC and it works fine like that. I would recommend sticking with DC as more rod works well with it.

I like to stick to the more common rods, like 7018, 6013 and 6011 (my machine doesn't do 6010).

The one thing I would recommend for a Chinese machine is to get a quality stinger, the ones they ship with the machines are fairly crappy, even the better ones. Get a decent Lenco, Tweco, Bernard, Martin Wells or other quality brand stinger. I would also recommend replacing the ground clamp, but that's me. Take my comments with a grain of salt, I'm not a professional, just a hobbyist...but the consumables are crap on the Chinese welders.

I put one of these on my machine, it's a hefty bugger, but use proper welding cable.

https://www.amazon.com/LINCOLN-ELECTRIC ... 142&sr=8-2

Which welder did you get?

Alan

TraditionalToolworks wrote: You can weld 7024 and 7014 on AC, as you can 6013, but all of those will also weld with DCEN as well.

I use 6013 on DCEN and it works fine like that. I would recommend sticking with DCEN as more rod works well with it.

I like to stick to the more common rods, like 7018, 6013 and 6011 (my machine doesn't do 6010).

afaik most rods run DCEP.
not many rods run DCEN including some of the AC rods.

tweake wrote:afaik most rods run DCEP.
not many rods run DCEN including some of the AC rods.

That is what I meant, and dyslexically mistyped that...I meant to just type DC. I fixed that, thanks for spotting it.

TraditionalToolworks wrote:

tweake wrote:afaik most rods run DCEP.
not many rods run DCEN including some of the AC rods.

That is what I meant, and dyslexically mistyped that...I will fix it. I have tig in my head.

no worries, we have all done that before

tweake wrote:

TraditionalToolworks wrote:

tweake wrote:afaik most rods run DCEP.
not many rods run DCEN including some of the AC rods.

That is what I meant, and dyslexically mistyped that...I will fix it. I have tig in my head.

no worries, we have all done that before

Yeah, I meant to type DC as I changed my reply...I'm really screwed up and out of sync today...

Good thing I came back to add that link for the ground clamp, that was a great buy at $6.25. Strangely it hasn't gone up in over a year.

TraditionalToolworks wrote:

Olaf wrote:#2: Stick welding, besides DCEN and DCEP, it also supports AC. What should the settings be for AC? It can be adjusted from 40 to 200Hz and AC balance from 10 to 90%. It welds when setting 60Hz and 50% duty cycle, which would equate to AC outlet or transformer based welder, except that it is square wave. Can you get better results using different settings

Welcome Olaf!

Most inverters don't use these settings when it's set for stick, they are only active when the unit is set for tig for the most part.

You can weld 7024 and 7014 on AC, as you can 6013, but all of those will also weld with DC as well.

I use 6013 on DC and it works fine like that. I would recommend sticking with DC as more rod works well with it.

I like to stick to the more common rods, like 7018, 6013 and 6011 (my machine doesn't do 6010).

The one thing I would recommend for a Chinese machine is to get a quality stinger, the ones they ship with the machines are fairly crappy, even the better ones. Get a decent Lenco, Tweco, Bernard, Martin Wells or other quality brand stinger. I would also recommend replacing the ground clamp, but that's me. Take my comments with a grain of salt, I'm not a professional, just a hobbyist...but the consumables are crap on the Chinese welders.

I put one of these on my machine, it's a hefty bugger, but use proper welding cable.

https://www.amazon.com/LINCOLN-ELECTRIC ... 142&sr=8-2

Which welder did you get?

Alan

I agree most don't, even though two of my TIGs have AC stick welding functionality and adjustability. Can one get better results? Not really, just different results.

Similar to AC TIG welding:

• Lower AC frequency = wider weld bead and slightly more heat input (for a given amperage, and all other variables held constant)
• Higher AC frequency = narrower arc cone and slightly less heat input (for a given amperage, and all other variables held constant)
• Generally 40-70Hz works great
• For balance, 50% works great.
  • Shifting the time balance towards EN gets less penetration (it becomes more and more like DCEN)
  • shifting towards EP gets more penetration (it becomes more and more similar to DCEP)

If you were trying to weld very thin sheet metal, perhaps then it could help to narrow up the weld bead using a 1/16"/1.6mm stick electrode, by cranking up the AC frequency and adjusting the amperage as needed.

Oscar wrote:I agree most don't, even though two of my TIGs have AC stick welding functionality and adjustability. Can one get better results? Not really, just different results.

That's interesting, although I know you have a water cooled stick machine, don't you? That's interesting in itself.

Oscar wrote:If you were trying to weld very thin sheet metal, perhaps then it could help to narrow up the weld bead using a 1/16"/1.6mm stick electrode, by cranking up the AC frequency and adjusting the amperage as needed.

I actually have a few different types of 1/16" rods, they're kind of hard to find. I have 7018, 6011 and 6013 in 1/16", but I haven't used it too much other than just testing on some scraps. I like stick and it's a good skill to have under your belt. That TLP 200 you have looks like a nice box.

Alan

TraditionalToolworks wrote:

Oscar wrote:I agree most don't, even though two of my TIGs have AC stick welding functionality and adjustability. Can one get better results? Not really, just different results.

That's interesting, although I know you have a water cooled stick machine, don't you? That's interesting in itself.

Oscar wrote:If you were trying to weld very thin sheet metal, perhaps then it could help to narrow up the weld bead using a 1/16"/1.6mm stick electrode, by cranking up the AC frequency and adjusting the amperage as needed.

I actually have a few different types of 1/16" rods, they're kind of hard to find. I have 7018, 6011 and 6013 in 1/16", but I haven't used it too much other than just testing on some scraps. I like stick and it's a good skill to have under your belt. That TLP 200 you have looks like a nice box.

Alan

Yup, I have those same 1/16" 'rods', more like 'wires', lol. 5/64" E6013 are much more useful because they are typically shorter, so they don't whip/shake around as much when they are full length.

As for my DC Stick welder, it's not the machine that is water-cooled, its the stick stinger. I "invented" it about two years ago I think. Summer of 2018. Still works. Really it's a normal, small stick stinger rated at 200A; the water cooled part is the power block adapter that I made that transmits the power just as a long, heavy gauge copper cable would, except it's light as a feather.




Milled and drilled to near-final shape





silver-soldered the power/water inlet & outlet, and capped the side holes










Tested before finalizing the setup


installed a full kevlar sleeve over the whole 50 foot length of cables






Ended up using the 50ft leather tig hose velcro cover, and installed a custom extended 50ft remote slider amperage control







That HTP DC stick welder is simply unbelievable how smooth yet crisp it delivers the arc! It's hard to explain in words, it's just one of those things that you have to use to see for yourself. One of the HTP rep's (who owns 3 or 4 Lincoln engine driven stick welders, Vantage 400's I believe) says that little lunch-box of a stick welder is tied with his Lincoln engine drives for arc dynamics, crisp-ness, and smooth-ness. Of course those words are just that; it just has to be experienced. HTP's Instagram/facebook mentions that it will be on sale next month. They typically knock off $200 to $300 off the machine.

Oscar wrote:Yup, I have those same 1/16" 'rods', more like 'wires', lol. 5/64" E6013 are much more useful because they are typically shorter, so they don't whip/shake around as much when they are full length.

They are flimsy, more like a wet noodle...

The good thing is they don't get very hot so it's not bad steadying them with your second hand.

Oscar wrote:As for my DC Stick welder, it's not the machine that is water-cooled, its the stick stinger. I "invented" it about two years ago I think. Summer of 2018. Still works. Really it's a normal, small stick stinger rated at 200A; the water cooled part is the power block adapter that I made that transmits the power just as a long, heavy gauge copper cable would, except it's light as a feather.

Wow, that's fascinating. I just assumed you had got it from HTP, but this is interesting in itself. But if you stick an electrode? The heat in that case is at the metal and rod where it is stuck. At least that's where it starts glowing.

It's an interesting idea, although it looks like it bulks up the cord. One of the beauties of stick for me is that it is so simple, a ground a stinger and an electrode.

I don't want to pollute this guys thread up.

Alan