Want to get into stick welding ?

[grumpy]

Moved from Tig

If you have made it this far,you are probably a novice looking for some start up info on stick or MMAW- Manual metal Arc Welding.That's the professional term.
It is important at the beginning to have an idea of what you wish to achieve in terms of the projects or work.Give us some info to work with What material ,how thick,what postion, flat butt joint or a corner fillet,that sort of thing .
That determination should be arrived at BEFORE you race out and purchase a welder. Obtaining a welding machine that can successfully perform the tasks that you envision for it will get you off to a good start. Without the benefit of experience you could be at the mercy of some less than honest salesman.
The people that make up this forum can and will help you with the information you need and help you ask those telling questions about brands ,fitness for purpose,warranty ,spare parts,repairs and after sales services.

Armed with advice and the the correct questions to ask you are in a far better position to buy the best machine to suit what you wish to do..

A stick electrode welding machine is capable of welding metal thicknesses down to to 1mm with correct settings and techniques.If you wish to weld thinner material try another process. The upper thickness will depend on the top amp limit of your machine -there's too much variance in whats machines there are available, for general comment here and now.

Stick welding machines for home use in Australia are manufactured in 10 amp or 15 amp input settings. Most homes are normally fitted with a 10 amp system with a few sporting 15 amp outlets for A/C and washing machine use. Filing the plug down on a 15 amp machine can result in an electrical fire and loss of your residence .15 Amp outlets must be fitted by a licensed electrician.

If there is further interest ,I can continue this .Please leave a comment or a question..Register,it costs nothing a join our little online community,learn a little and contribute a little.

We can all learn from one another,even our mistakes.You won' make mine and I won't make yours if we get the information out there for all to see. Don't be a lurker or a stranger.We need you and you need us.

grumpy

[dobre]

Hi all,
The choice of the appropriate size of the welding electrode for a certain weld is based on the thickness of the material, the overall size of the material, the purpose intended, and the experience of the operator. If you decide to use a smaller diameter electrode this will generally require less skill than welding with a larger diameter electrode. Most jobs for around the house or car trailer, making or repairing a gate would be done with a 2.4 or 3.2 gp (general purpose) electrode
The rate of that weld metal (deposition rate) added to the weld is much slower if you use a smaller diameter electrode. Depending on the thickness of the material you may get away with it, but in most cases you will need to do 2 or 3 passes to achieve the desired result and therefore using the larger size rod will do this in one pass.
For general handyman/woman this is not a big issue but it will make your project far more enjoyable by adopting the above pointers and learning to do things the right way will save you a lot of time, wasted material and money.
Don't forget to pick the right composition electrode for the type of material you are working with. Always store your rods in a dry location and should you forget to leave them outside overnight stick them in the oven at a medium setting for about 1/2 an hour and this will dry out any moister they have in them, and take them OUT of the cardboard packaging first. Seen this done many a time in the factory and it wont make good wife happy either is she sees flames inside her oven and if she does i suggest you get take away for tea for yourself cause she aint going to cook you dinner.