billyO Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Hello all. I've got a 50-ish year old Marquette arc welder/generator with an Onan engine that still works great. When I got the machine a year or so ago, I had a friend who's got a number of welding certificates help me calibrate the machine and adjust the output settings for 6011 and 6013 in 3/32" and 1/8" rods. I have a couple of things I want to do that need different rods, some hardfacing and some 70xx for higher tensile strength. My question: Is there a constant difference in the output settings I'm using on my welder and the recommended output on these rods compared to others? Or do I have to buy extra rods and experiment to find the correct settings with each new rod I use? Thanks for the input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Hello all. I've got a 50-ish year old Marquette arc welder/generator with an Onan engine that still works great. When I got the machine a year or so ago, I had a friend who's got a number of welding certificates help me calibrate the machine and adjust the output settings for 6011 and 6013 in 3/32" and 1/8" rods. I have a couple of things I want to do that need different rods, some hardfacing and some 70xx for higher tensile strength. My question: Is there a constant difference in the output settings I'm using on my welder and the recommended output on these rods compared to others? Or do I have to buy extra rods and experiment to find the correct settings with each new rod I use? Thanks for the input You have to buy extra rods. Until you are extremely familiar with each rod, in each size, in each position, on every combination of thicknesses, of every alloy, you will need to experiment. Eventually you will know rough parameters for given rods/common metals, ordinary positions. For example, I often weld 7018 uphill, joining generally 1/2" to 3/8" A-36 steel. My welder has digital control and I can increase or decrease 1 amp at a time. So, with my medium set of leads and no preheat I can set the amps at 113 and get what I want. With my short leads, 104, and with my long leads, 118. "But", if I change one thing, I may need to adjust the heat. For example, on the same piece, I may make a fillet weld and turn the heat up to 125 amps, then a horizontal weld and turn it down to 110, then an overhead weld and turn it back to 113. These settings give ME the ability to make welds which meet the code, with MY particular machine and lead lengths, they are almost meaningless to you or anyone else. Rough guide lines to help determine which way to turn the knobs? Rod sticking to work constantly, hard to strike arc; too cold. Rod turning bright red and sagging before being half consumed; too hot. Undercutting, too hot. tall narrow bead, too hot Blowing away base metal; too hot. Turn heat down for uphill and overhead welding, turn heat up for flat position/ fillet welding. (fillet is joining two pieces with the bottom piece in the flat position and the other piece vertical. The weld is made horizontally, but is not a horizontal weld. A horizontal weld is a horizontal seam in a vertical position. There are lots of good books about welding, the best (IMHO) is by Lincoln, but Hobart Bros. also wrote a good book, and there are many, many others. Buy at least one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Electrode size and type will change the current and polarity depending on the work being done. Manufacturers will give you the parameters that each rod are designed to be run at. Some rods are DC+ only some are DC- some are AC rods. Check the box or web site for the parameters and start there each machine is different but it is a good place to start Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Every new welding student comes in looking for "The Magic Number". There ain't no such animal. The machine can only be set for polarity, amperage and voltage. Metal composition, thickness, surface condition, shape, position, temperature, gap, etc. has to be accounted for. Arc length, travel angle, travel speed, uphill vs downhill, push vs pull, forehand vs backhand is up the weldor. Every time you change even one variable, you have to compensate somewhere else: that is where the analytic mind, skilled eye, steady hand, and many, many hours of experience pay off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyO Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 Hello all, and thanks for spending the time with the responses. To clarify, I wasn't looking for a "Magic Number" merely a good starting point. On the rods I've been using, I noticed that I had to bump up the amperage about 10% from the recommended amps on the rods, and was wondering if, when going to different rods, that would be a reasonable starting point or if I should go with the starting parameters stated on the box. Sorry if I wasn't as clear as I could have been with the original question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Buy a box of rod and light it up. You will find what John McP said is correct. Those folks that make welding look easy have burned a LOT of rods or wire. They know the metal, their set up, which rod or wire to use, and know their welder. Those that make forge welding look easy have done a LOT of forge welds. Same thing, practice, practice, and more practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 When you say that you had to up your welder 10% Remember that every welder is different some go up some go down some are right on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 What I meant to say is that there is no 'one size fits all' setting, even for rods from the same box. There is a range, high and low, and if you stay within that range, the rods are capable of producing a decent weld bead. You, however, have to do the rest. I give my students 5 tabs of the same thickness metal to produce 4 joints: two fillets (lap & tee) and two grooves( butt & corner). In any given position, it is not uncommon to have to run the grooves 5 - 15% colder to keep from blowing thru at the root opening. When you find a setting that works for you in any given position: WRITE IT DOWN! Many professional weldors keep detailed job files, recipe cards if you will, that allow them to recreate all the parameters in a few minutes, even years later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BM454 Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 A good starting point is if you have a 1/8 rod its wire diameter Is .125 I set a machine to 125 and adjust accordingly to that. Every machine will be a bit different depending on a number of factors. Lead size and length, material being welded and even the manufactur of the rods being used. If you're using AC VS.DC things change as well. A good rule of thumb is diameter of the rod as your heat. 3/32 is .093 so your heat should be around that on a DC + machine and so on. I'm sure you will have to tweak it one way or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yahoo2 Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Troubleshooting MIG I know you are not using a mig but there are some good weld photos on this page. http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/arc-welding-faults.htm these are for an arc welder, they explain things like how arc length changes voltage but the photos dont show the subtle variation you should be looking for. Personally I need to see the swirling molten puddle to make a top notch weld. That means good lighting directed on the weld site and a helmet where I can actually see something through the lens. (I change the lens inner and outer covers pretty often) A comfy armrest so I can hold er steady and long gloves without holes to keep the smell of burning flesh to a minimum. if you are a bit unsure of you setup and angles you can jig or tack it up and do a dry run of the weld with the earth clamp off to see how it all looks, then burn a half a rod on a practice piece of metal (keep the other half for the next practice). knock the slag off and asses your technique or if the rods are not dry enough and maybe tweak the power. Now its ready to weld ( tap tap tap Oh... earth clamp back on :rolleyes: ) NOW its ready! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbillysmith Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Welding machines themselves are CALIBRATED to a specific output typically within 10%.... So, for example, if you set the machine at 100 amps; a calibration tolerance of 10% would be anywhere between 90-110 amps ACTUAL output. different welding rods (types/thickness) have a range of amperages according to the manufacturers' specs. Depending on thickness of material, volume of material, position, what you are trying to accomplish, and the polarity, the amperage will change.... -Hillbilly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.