Arc welding stainless with 140 invertor?

[Richard.]

Soft start is a real thing as is hot start and they do two different jobs.
A soft start is essentially a spatter free antistick ignition probably associated with most decent inverters now, It’s nothing new and it’s not an adjustable setting.
Hot start is adjustable in most cases and comes in straight away whether the machine has an antistick soft start type ignition or not.

 

[KemppiFrog]

Thanks Richard.

 

[Kent]

Soft start is a real thing as is hot start and they do two different jobs.
A soft start is essentially a spatter free antistick ignition probably associated with most decent inverters now, It’s nothing new and it’s not an adjustable setting.
Hot start is adjustable in most cases and comes in straight away whether the machine has an antistick soft start type ignition or not.

So i get the spatter from too high a current / long acrcing but how do you get both surely contradict each other.
Or is it hot ignition then instsnt drop on estsblishing an arc?

 

[Richard.]

So i get the spatter from too high a current / long acrcing but how do you get both surely contradict each other.
Or is it hot ignition then instsnt drop on estsblishing an arc?

As I understand it (happy to be corrected mind if wrong) the hot start is current based and the soft start/anti stick is voltage based so both features can work together at the same time at the start.
Soft start isn’t a cold start so it doesn’t contradict the hot start it’s just a soft smooth starting characteristic offered on most MMA inverters which helps against sticking and spatter

 

[Liquid Metal]

Another thing worth bearing in mind (as well as pinging slag with stainless rods) is that the fumes that come off of them are rather nasty compared to most others. Do yourself a favour and invest in a decent respirator if your going to be using them much

 

[HughF]

Soft start? Thought they where all pretty much hot start not soft start

It's a chinese stick inverter built around an off the shelf fairchild SMPS controller IC - it has a soft start, trust me - I sold it to him.

Think of it like lift-arc but for stick. You touch the rod and lift it, get a small arc which increases to the weld current within about second.

 

[HughF]

Oprative word of course was "sales"

Yeah, cheers mate....