Could someone help me with this please ?

[Neil Rochford]

I have been given a welder from my new place of work , I have been trying to work out what type of welder it is ,It has no gas connection at all and my best guess is a `TIG` welder but my knowledge about such things is no great .

Id be very grateful for any help. I attach 3No pictures .

Thanks 

Neil R 

[pil...@comcast.net]

Neil thats not a TIG, its a simple stick welder. my guess would be 140amp range based on the 140. they tend to label these things simply.   the bottom dial is amp adjust not sure what the top dial is though... can  you get a better pic of that?

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From: "Neil Rochford" <Funky...@ntlworld.com>
To: rctank...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Monday, January 16, 2012 11:30:20 AM
Subject: [TANKS] Could someone help me with this please ?

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[Neil Rochford]

Thanks Pil ,, 

The other dial must be voltage (but cant imagine why) as it says v240 . 

I must need some "sticks". 

I`d better do some google research on stick welding.

Does anybody have an opinion on stick welding ?

Neil R

[Frank Pittelli]

Not as easy as MIG welding for beginners. You need a steady hand to
bring the stick close enough to the work piece to get the arc started,
without touching the work piece (at which point your stick welds itself
to the work piece). Then, as the stick melts into the work piece, you
need to move it ever so closer to the work piece to maintain the proper
distance. Stick welding also generates smoke and soot, which make it
harder to see the seam being welded.

In MIG welding (which uses a wire instead of a stick) you just press a
button and the welder plays out the wire at a preset rate. As the wire
approaches the work piece it automatically arcs and melts into the
piece. That allows you to concentrate on moving the gun along at a
proper rate to weld the seam. MIG welders also allow gas to be used
which significantly reduces smoke/soot and creates a better weld.

Frank P.

[Kurt]

I took as course on MIG welding at local Community College. Best thing I did. They were teaching stick welding in same shop. Got to try it and was not the hardest but was harder than MIG and wayyyyyy messier. They also teach TIG welding which is back to a harder thing to do right compared to MIG....
He'll, Frank was able to weld aluminum with MIG. A decent 110v MIG will do most anything a non-professional fabricator could need, in my opinion....

Kurt (welding is fun)G

Sent from my iPad

[Ben Holko]

I have an ARC (stick) and a MIG welder. The MIG is WAY easier, and makes little mess if you use solid wire with shielding gas. Most MIG welders also support gasless wire, which has a flux in the core of the wire. I now only use the ARC outside where wind would blow away the shielding gas. The ARC takes a bit to get the hang of, and the mess makes it hard to see what you're welding. Having said that, if you've ever seen an ARC weld done by a pro, it's a beautiful thing.

The MIG can also weld aluminium and stainless steel (with pure argon gas, and apparently aluminium is a REAL challenge due to its low melt temperature). You can get aluminium sticks for the ARC, I bought some, and was then too scared to use them after I read the cancerous warning label....

Ben

[Jean-Maxime Cyr St-Pierre]

Hello guys,
I am a welder. So, I know a lot on welding. Stick welding is the most basic welding for its the technical value, but not the easiest to do...! You have the machine, the ground and the stick-older. The stick welding is the best for work-out purpose. You can use its in a shop, outside, in winter, wen the rain falling down... everywhere. But its need some skills and for big welding jobs, its a bit slow. For who don't know, stick welding is more used for thicker plates like 1/4inch and +. So, for small welding on someting like tank!! its not really easy to done. Simple tricks:  If you weld plate of 1/8inch you most use 1/8 and less sticks

[Loren]

They've already got most of it covered, but one important thing is no
matter what kind of welding you do, make sure you have plenty of
ventilation. Open the garage door a foot or so should be plenty, but
welding gasses of any sort are not something you want to breathe much
of.

With stick you'll also need a few more tools--the flux makes a thick
layer of slag on the weld, which you'll need to break off before
painting or anything. They make slag hammers for this, and I'm sure
the people with more experience at this than me will tell you half a
dozen other things that would be useful for you to have.

[bass...@aol.com]

TIG welding is the only way to go 

They've already got most of it covered, but one important thing is no
matter what kind of welding you do, make sure you have plenty of
ventilation.  Open the garage door a foot or so should be plenty, but
welding gasses of any sort are not something you want to breathe much
of.

With stick you'll also need a few more tools--the flux makes a thick
layer of slag on the weld, which you'll need to break off before
painting or anything.  They make slag hammers for this, and I'm sure
the people with more experience at this than me will tell you half a
dozen other things that would be useful for you to have.

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[Neil Rochford]

Thanks to everyone for the input. I strongly consider a MIG welder to be more suitable to my needs than a stick welder, however a stick welder is what I have been given so I intend to give it a go, I aim to practice on scrap pieces that are similar to what i`ll be building tank parts out of. If this fails I`ll buy a MIG.

I do have a few questions to people who Know about welding:-

1/Frank P wrote>-

"You need a steady hand to 

bring the stick close enough to the work piece to get the arc started, 

without touching the work piece (at which point your stick welds itself 

to the work piece)"

What do you do if and when this happens ? 

2/Modena wrote>-

"You can get aluminium sticks for the ARC, I bought some, and was then too scared to use them after I read the cancerous warning label"

Point taken , I`ll avoid aluminium.

3/Jean-Maxime wrote>-

"If you weld plate of 1/8inch you most use 1/8 and less sticks"

OK, so if possible use electrodes of the same size as the work piece?

4/Loren wrote>-

"welding gasses of any sort are not something you want to breathe much 

of."

All good advice .

Thanks fellas . Im still wondering why this stick welder has a dial with 0-240v on it ? 

and the dial that says 140 mix>min has no calibrations, just an arrow.

Neil R 

[Frank Pittelli]

On 1/19/2012 6:08 AM, Neil Rochford wrote:
> 1/Frank P wrote>-
> "You need a steady hand to
> bring the stick close enough to the work piece to get the arc started,
> without touching the work piece (at which point your stick welds itself
> to the work piece)"
>
> What do you do if and when this happens ?

If the electrode (stick) is small enough you twist it and try to break
it off. If not, you turn off the welder and pry it off or snap it off
using pliers. NOTE: Don't use pliers while the welder is on ... unless
you want the pliers to be welded to the part!!

> Thanks fellas . Im still wondering why this stick welder has a dial with
> 0-240v on it ?
> and the dial that says 140 mix>min has no calibrations, just an arrow.

The 140 dial regulates the current flow and the 0-240v regulates the
voltage. You need higher current for larger parts (or parts that
conduct heat well). Different voltage settings are used for different
materials. Any welding book (or web site) will have a welding
"schedule" that tells you the preferred current setting, voltage
setting, electrode type, electrode size, gas and feed rate (for MIG
welders) for a given material, thickness and type of weld (butt, outside
corner, inside corner, etc).

Frank P.

[Bob]

Neil, did you try to google the maker of this unit?
You may be able to find a manual for the welder.
Bob

>  welder from school.jpg
> 62KViewDownload
>
>  welder from school 1.2.jpg
> 62KViewDownload
>
>  welder from school 1.3.jpg
> 56KViewDownload

[Loren]

Unless you have a special welder that can start without touching, you
have to touch the electrode to start the weld. It's like striking a
match. Once it's started, you have to keep the arc a certain length
to weld properly, that's the big challenge with stick welding since
you start with a 12"+ stick, and run it down to a stub usually.

[Neil Rochford]

Thanks again everybody for all the advice, 

I`ve tried to find an online manual for this welder but failed miserably. Il`l keep looking but its as if Cifes Sprint 140 is google invisible. 

 

[Aaron]

also, atid-bit i found when arc welding. The longer the rod the more
challanging it is to keep an arc. The shorter you work it down the
easier it is. In high school weld shop I prefered to use eveyone's
1-2" stubs they tossed away than to start with a fresh stick. I had to
stop and change alot, but I usualy could keep a better bead.

Aaron F

[Lee Jackson]

Cutting them in half works nicely too. I do that quite often.

[Neil Rochford]

more good advice thanks, 

I`ve done an inch or two of welding along a piece of 1.5mm bar ,havnt actually joined anything together yet,

it took about 40 very bad attempt's and I blow a hole in the end of it but I feel like I`ve made a small step into a new world. I started with the Amps on lowest and after each desaster I turned up until I created a steady arc.

Im using a No 11 shield I`ve put a lamp near the work piece and I still cant see a dam thing.

This is as hard as people have said it would be but Im making some progress after half an hour.

Neil R

[Jason]

For a new welder I think shade 11 is too light, you shouldn't be able to see anything sheild down, arc off. Once you get the arc your eyes will adjust and you can see more, there's also not a lot that you would want to see. There's also a lot to learn to recognize from what you can see and how to read the puddle. I've been welding for better than 5 years and anything less than shade 12/13 gives me headaches, and I've even been known to wear sunglasses under the hood with a 13 plate in it

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From: Neil Rochford <Funky...@ntlworld.com>

Sender: rctank...@googlegroups.com

Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:31:46 -0800 (PST)

To: <rctank...@googlegroups.com>

ReplyTo: rctank...@googlegroups.com

Subject: Re: [TANKS] Re: Could someone help me with this please ?

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[keith_j...@btinternet.com]

Have you thought about a solar powered auto-varioshade welding helmet,they are about £50,but excellent for a novice. keith

[Jason]

An auto darkening at that low of a pricepoint will be crap, I speak from experience, and there is NOTHING worse than when it turns off mid weld

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

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From: "keith_j...@btinternet.com" <keith_j...@btinternet.com>

Sender: rctank...@googlegroups.com

Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:34:26 +0000 (GMT Standard Time)

To: <rctank...@googlegroups.com>

ReplyTo: rctank...@googlegroups.com

Subject: Re: [TANKS] Re: Could someone help me with this please ?

Have you thought about a solar powered auto-varioshade welding helmet,they are about £50,but excellent for a novice. keith

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[Neil Rochford]

Well actually yes i have thought about buying an auto darken shield, however reading that they can turn off has put me off them a little (or maybe a lot).

Neil " I`ll just get the girlfriend to tell me when Im about 3 mm off" R 

[todj...@comcast.net]

I have used one for years with no trouble at all. I haven't had any trouble with them turning off. If anything they stay on longer than the arc does. They even darken when grinding and the sparks fly.

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From: "Neil Rochford" <Funky...@ntlworld.com>

To: rctank...@googlegroups.com
Cc: pil...@comcast.net
Sent: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 6:03:53 PM

Subject: Re: [TANKS] Re: Could someone help me with this please ?

Well actually yes i have thought about buying an auto darken shield, however reading that they can turn off has put me off them a little (or maybe a lot).

Neil " I`ll just get the girlfriend to tell me when Im about 3 mm off" R 

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[Neil Rochford]

Shall we be a little more precise here . Jason what make/model has turned off on you half way through a weld? and Todj what make/model have you been happy with ?

After doing a small amount of ( very poor ) arc welding I think I`d like to have a try on a MIG . 

I`ll keep the arc welder for thick stuff, 6mm+ . My attempt at welding 1.5mm mild steel with a 3mm electrode didnt go so well.

Neil "Not putting photos on here just yet" R

[Jason]

The last one was a jackson eqc(125 dollar range) with adjustable shades. Currently I've got a speedglas 9100( about 500+ dollars I think) that is working as it should. I just don't trust the electronic ones fully because of the less that total reliability I've experienced with them, once your eyes are screwed up that's it no do-overs

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From: Neil Rochford <Funky...@ntlworld.com>

Sender: rctank...@googlegroups.com

Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 03:34:58 -0800 (PST)

To: <rctank...@googlegroups.com>

ReplyTo: rctank...@googlegroups.com

Subject: Re: [TANKS] Re: Could someone help me with this please ?

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[Loren]

The higher end non-China ones should be reasonably reliable. Make
sure if you have an adjustable lens, the sensitivity is at max, and
the delay minimum. Also expect to pay at least $100 for a good one.

A cheap Harbor Freight fixed shade hood will be fine, adjust the
tension so you can drop it with a nod. Get everything set up,
position the rod, shake it down, and strike your arc. You don't
really need an auto one unless you have cash to burn, or plan on doing
a fair amount of welding. One of the advantages of fixed shade hoods
is that it's easier to get a larger window on them, which can help a
lot.