Re: Stick Welder

Those are good prices. Alonzo is not 1km from the other tool places so I suggest you go. You are right though not to bring too much cash but for the wrong reasons ... I don't carry too much because I'd end up spending it all 🙂

My I know the street or shop where you get your tools?

Thanks!

Re: Stick Welder

Sorry if my post was misleading. Actually, I don't buy tools there in Binondo but only because I usually get my tools from an industrial supply near my house which is in Cainta. I do buy other stuff in Binondo so I have seen the shops. Dasmarinas has the big shops, and there are other smaller shops off it.

Re: Stick Welder

last saturday while accompanying someone in ongpin, i manage to sneak to t alonzo st and finally bought an arc welder.

i got the yamato brand 160A for Php3,600 plus a head type mask for Php125.

i was actually eyeing the yamato 175A but the salesman said those are actually rated 150A. dai chi brand are the only ones that carry a 175A arc welder.

so i got the more compact (but still heavy) 160A machine.

i'll still buying some stuff before i try it with my home-made charcoal grill.

fyi, compact TIG welder costs aroung 16K to 20K.

Re: Stick Welder

Congrats on the purchase. Welding opens up a whole range of other projects. 160A is a good choice for general purpose work. You can still use it for heavy work but watch out you don't overheat it.

I'm not expert but here are a few tips I can share:

1. Always use a welding mask. The other day our handyman welder was complaining his eyes hurt. Idiot was too lazy to get the welding mask and would just close his eyes. The welds were good enough but his eyes were not.

2. Store your welding electrodes in an air-tight container so they don't absorb moisture. I use one of those containers used for keeping spagetti noodles for my short electrodes and a plastic bag for the regular ones.

3. Electrodes come in many sizes and there are different types for different materials. I keep two sizes of electrodes for stainless steel, and the regular size for ordinary steel.

4. You can use electrodes meant for stainless steel on ordinary steel. It is a lot easier to make good welds.

5. Beware of flying flux chips while a weld is cooling. These are VERY HOT and will burn you even a minute after welding. Best to wear clear safety goggles or face shield. The welding mask goes in front of these.

6. If you must cool your workpiece after welding by water, do so after a minute or two to give time for the weld to cool (anneal) otherwise the welds will be brittle.

7. A cooling weld shrinks pulling the welded pieces together. It is not always possible but you can try compensating for the unavoidable movement.

Re: Stick Welder

Congrats on the purchase. Welding opens up a whole range of other projects. 160A is a good choice for general purpose work. You can still use it for heavy work but watch out you don't overheat it.

I'm not expert but here are a few tips I can share:

1. Always use a welding mask. The other day our handyman welder was complaining his eyes hurt. Idiot was too lazy to get the welding mask and would just close his eyes. The welds were good enough but his eyes were not.

good thing i already bought a welding mask.

2. Store your welding electrodes in an air-tight container so they don't absorb moisture. I use one of those containers used for keeping spagetti noodles for my short electrodes and a plastic bag for the regular ones.

i was actually thinking where can i get that kind of container. the haynes welding manual recommended that too. i'll see if a a tall "alkansiya" will fit the purpose

3. Electrodes come in many sizes and there are different types for different materials. I keep two sizes of electrodes for stainless steel, and the regular size for ordinary steel.

ok. i'll try to figure out what sizes i'll be using the most. i'll be welding mostly angle bars and stuff.

4. You can use electrodes meant for stainless steel on ordinary steel. It is a lot easier to make good welds.

hmmm. i must try this. but how much is the difference in cost between the two kinds of electrodes?

5. Beware of flying flux chips while a weld is cooling. These are VERY HOT and will burn you even a minute after welding. Best to wear clear safety goggles or face shield. The welding mask goes in front of these.

are bonnets (those used by bank robbers hehehw) good enough as a face shield?
my welding mask actually has a clear sight glass under the dark glass. so i think i don;t need a google

i am actually stacking on some protective gears before using the machine. i got hand gloves already. i got an overall factory uniform from my brother (short sleeves pa so will bring to the tailor to make it ling sleeves). maybe i'll use my old boots as protection for my feet.

6. If you must cool your workpiece after welding by water, do so after a minute or two to give time for the weld to cool (anneal) otherwise the welds will be brittle.

7. A cooling weld shrinks pulling the welded pieces together. It is not always possible but you can try compensating for the unavoidable movement.

ok. tnx for the tips!

Re: Stick Welder

Unfortunately, SS electrodes are much more expensive than electrodes for regular steel. I don't get to practice much so my skills have much to be desired so for difficult work I use SS electrodes.

When you can, buy by the box but make sure you keep them in away from moisture. Electrodes come out much cheaper when buying in bulk rather than buying per piece or per kilo.

No to the bonnet! It will catch fire. Just be careful. Me, after doing a weld, I just put the welding mask over the weld so the mask will catch any flux chips that pops off. My mask is no longer nice and shiny so no problem.

Good for you bro on the protective clothing. I used to wear gloves. I think I even used one of those leather aprons. I still put on the gloves from time to time when I do a lot of welding work but generally I just use a pair of pliers.

Good luck.

Re: Stick Welder

Hi!

I am planning to use my 160A Yamato welder for the first time this weekend.

However, I noticed that the plug cord was short and I plan to make an extension cord that can both be plugged directly to a house socket or tapped directly to the main box.

How do go about it? What kind and size of wire should I get?

BTW, up to what amp setting in the welding machine can the normal house socket bear before the breaker breaks hehehe?

Re: Stick Welder

Your welding machine, although rated at 160A, will draw a lot less from the socket since the welding machine steps down the voltage. 20A is about what a normal house hold socket will deliver. As long as your breakers are ok you should be fine.

As for the wire, it would be best to ask the store you buy the wire from what size. Maybe your welding machine has a nameplate that will tell you the current it will draw. Go to a hardware store, don't buy at the mall, wires is so much more expensive their. My welding machine is 300A so I put a 100A breaker mostly because this is what I had. The wire is royal cord but I forgot what size I used ... gauge 10 stranded maybe.

Good luck on the project bro. Have fun.

Re: Stick Welder

i tried my welding machine on some spare 3/16" (i think) angles bars last night.

first observation was that my welding rod was always sticking to the angle bars. any techniques i can do?

second, i think my welding rod is quite large for the angle bar. the weld beads are quite large compared to the metal being welded.

and, i can really use my welding machine just by plugging it into an ordinary house socket. YEY!

Re: Stick Welder

It will all come with practice bro. The sticking is part of what is called striking the arc which is to me still "black magic" and I don't totally understand it myself. Anyway this is what I do to avoid it.

1. Make sure the ground is well connected: no rust, good solid contact to workpiece and as close as possible to the weld point.

2. If the rod is new then scraping it along the workpiece or quickly striking it again the ground electrode will heat the tip up and make striking the arc easier. If the rod is used (even just a minute ago), I tap it against the floor or the workpiece to break any unused flux so the metal core is exposed.

3. To actually strike the arc, try a swing the electrode in a very small arc with your wrist. As soon as the arc is created reverse the swing without dropping the arc. The idea is to keep a constant distance between the electrode and the workpiece.

It does take a bit of practice but it really is not hard. I heard that trade schools give their students 12"x12" steel plates that they have to fill with perfect welds to graduate.

You might try asking the store where you buy your electrodes what size would be appropriate. I'm also pretty sure there would be something here on the internet. Another good source of information are the pros who will generally tell you all they know once they know you are aspiring to be one of them :).

Re: Stick Welder

i actually have some videos on basic welding downloaded from the net.

It is very useful but unfortunately the techniques are not really that easy as it seems.

But as you've said, I think it all come down to practice.

One thing I remember from that video is the striking-a-match action to start the arc.

With regards to the welding rods, I'll buy a smaller size to fit the job.

Re: Stick Welder

It will all come with practice bro. The sticking is part of what is called striking the arc which is to me still "black magic" and I don't totally understand it myself. Anyway this is what I do to avoid it.

there's no magic actually but very plain and simple... just point the electrode into the workpiece while maintaining about 1/16"-3/32" contact clearance then scratch it creating an arc. but maintaining the arc is the challenge... how to do it? just maintain your composure after arc has been created, maintain your arc length as close as possible. rule of thumb here... size of electrode=arc length

1. Make sure the ground is well connected: no rust, good solid contact to workpiece and as close as possible to the weld point.

yes to this... get a good quality ground clamp

2. If the rod is new then scraping it along the workpiece or quickly striking it again the ground electrode will heat the tip up and make striking the arc easier. If the rod is used (even just a minute ago), I tap it against the floor or the workpiece to break any unused flux so the metal core is exposed.

this is right... but normally in heavy construction electrodes are baked to 300 deg then stored in holding ovens before usage

3. To actually strike the arc, try a swing the electrode in a very small arc with your wrist. As soon as the arc is created reverse the swing without dropping the arc. The idea is to keep a constant distance between the electrode and the workpiece.

yes to this... maintain your arc length

It does take a bit of practice but it really is not hard. I heard that trade schools give their students 12"x12" steel plates that they have to fill with perfect welds to graduate.

pwede rin sa TESDA at pati 8" pipe x sched 80 ang test piece

Re: Stick Welder

good thing i already bought a welding mask.

dapat yung isinusuot (may head harness) para free yung isang kamay habang nagwewelding. a free hand is useful when time warrants it

i was actually thinking where can i get that kind of container. the haynes welding manual recommended that too. i'll see if a a tall "alkansiya" will fit the purpose

an empty biscuit tin can will do the trick

ok. i'll try to figure out what sizes i'll be using the most. i'll be welding mostly angle bars and stuff.

electrode with 3/32" dia would be suffice for general purpose work

hmmm. i must try this. but how much is the difference in cost between the two kinds of electrodes?

normal mild steel electrodes are very cheap against its SS brother. E6013 is good enough

are bonnets (those used by bank robbers hehehw) good enough as a face shield?
my welding mask actually has a clear sight glass under the dark glass. so i think i don;t need a google

i am actually stacking on some protective gears before using the machine. i got hand gloves already. i got an overall factory uniform from my brother (short sleeves pa so will bring to the tailor to make it ling sleeves). maybe i'll use my old boots as protection for my feet.

if you're not into heavy welding the bonnet might be too hot to handle. btw, dark glass should be sandwich with two clear glass dahil usually clear glass lang ang pinapalitan pag masyado ng maraming dumikit na weld spatters. medyo pricey kasi ang dark glass... but beware on its shade number. for beginners, #12 shade is clear enough. shy away with 13 or 14 if you're only starting coz you might end up pulling your hood most of the time. end result... red eyes compounded with sand grain like feeling inside your eyes.

 

Re: Stick Welder

Here is a site with some Free Welding Videos.

http://www.tonywelding.com/

Re: Stick Welder

when welding 3/16" inch angle bars, should the weld penetrate to the other side?