Arc rods - different sizes - advise please

[Tin Can]

Been messing/learning on the mig this weekend which was fun however i could do with a bit of advice regarding arc welding rods

Brought a cheapie powercraft from Aldi for learning on - this came with a selection of rods AND i also brought a packet of rods from there as well.

How do i know which rods to use for different thicknesses of mild steel. ie with mig you change the wire speed and the power settings to suit the different thickess metal. However i was about to tinker with the arc welder and looked at the different size rods and thought how do i know which 1 to use.

Sorry if this sounds a dumb question - but i cant seem to get my head around it.

The reason i am asking this question is that i have another thread going regarding joining 2 x 8mm plates together with a mig and waiting for the 'experts' opinions from this forum and it crossed my mind and the fact that the argon is running low wether to have a go at arc'ing if my mig welder isnt upto it

Thanks

Mark

 

[brightspark]

Been messing/learning on the mig this weekend which was fun however i could do with a bit of advice regarding arc welding rods

Brought a cheapie powercraft from Aldi for learning on - this came with a selection of rods AND i also brought a packet of rods from there as well.

How do i know which rods to use for different thicknesses of mild steel. ie with mig you change the wire speed and the power settings to suit the different thickess metal. However i was about to tinker with the arc welder and looked at the different size rods and thought how do i know which 1 to use.

Sorry if this sounds a dumb question - but i cant seem to get my head around it.

The reason i am asking this question is that i have another thread going regarding joining 2 x 8mm plates together with a mig and waiting for the 'experts' opinions from this forum and it crossed my mind and the fact that the argon is running low wether to have a go at arc'ing if my mig welder isnt upto it

Thanks

Mark

heres a chart . try the rods on some scrap metal at diffrent settings u will soon get the feel of the amperage

 

[Paul.]

You will probably find that your welder will struggle to run anything bigger than a 2.5mm (12swg) without popping the fuse, also supermarket electrodes are not known for being easy to use, for general home use on a buzzbox I would try and get some Oerlikon fincord m, or murex E6013 or similar, run them at about 80 to 90 amps and see how you get on, for building up the weld profile on thicker plates lay stringer beads, rather than weaving. there's a bit in this thread to explain it

 

[Tin Can]

You will probably find that your welder will struggle to run anything bigger than a 2.5mm (12swg) without popping the fuse, also supermarket electrodes are not known for being easy to use, for general home use on a buzzbox I would try and get some Oerlikon fincord m, or murex E6013 or similar, run them at about 80 to 90 amps and see how you get onthis thread to explain it

Thanks guys for the info, Paul just 1 question, you say about blowing the fuse, do arc welders draw more current or spike more than migs. The reason i ask is my mig is maxed out at 160 and i used it on full on a 13 amp plug/supply (came with it and says 13 amp fused on the front cover specs).

The arc is 40-160amp but didnt come with a 13 amp plug on it and said it couldnt be used on a demestic household supply - so this would seem to confirm what you said

Just wanted clarification

Thanks in advance

Mark