Just got my first stick welder, what do you think?

[Higgins420]

hi, i've just gotten my first stick welder and have spent the last couple of days burning rod after rod and feel like i've definitely improved, but any constructive criticism would be great.
the welder... its an Oxford RT110, i got in touch with pickhill and they recon it was built in 1976 and gotta say i already love it. took a while to get used to it but was alright once i got it going, and its got character

ive all of these pics are with Murex 3.2mm 6013's, starting with first welds

I seemed to get a lot of splatter on some welds, i think i had the arc a bit long, i struggled with keeping the rod at a good distance consistently but have gotten a bit of control over it now i think.
like i said any comments would be great,
cheers,
josh.

 

[waddycall]

One of the best tips I've received for stick welding was to use a wire cup brush in a grinder to take the slag off. Much quicker and avoids hammer marks on the welds.

 

[Higgins420]

ah nice one, i've got one somewhere so ill give that a go, had to just tap the slag off with a flatty and a hammer, quite satisfying when it comes off in one haha

 

[davidjohnperry]

I would say matey not bad at all

 

[123hotchef]

not bad for an old machine like that

 

[BrokenBiker]

One of the best tips I've received for stick welding was to use a wire cup brush in a grinder to take the slag off. Much quicker and avoids hammer marks on the welds.

very good advice, not only does it avoid peck marks but it gets every little last scrap of slag off that you sometimes cant get with a hand brush that easilly if youve had a bit of a judder during the run

 

[davidjohnperry]

a grinder with a wire cup wheel is nice but some times a light tap and a old hacksaw blade with some tape round one end running down the sides of the weld to take the slag off

 

[Bsmith]

Definitely heading in the right direction with the welds.
The old Oxfords are a great welder but I have heard of a few burning out because of water below the oil being splashed onto the transformer coils and whatever is inside, especially after moving them.
For some reason the oil cooled welding sets seem to attract water moisture from the air while in use.
Good idea for a welder of that age to change the oil and fit a tapping on the bottom of the box so any future water can be drained.

 

[Kent]

The shorter the arc the lower the power - to much on the dial or too long an arc leads to spatter
Looking at the welds improving your certainly getting it
When you have burnt through a few boxes I think it will all be very respectable on the flat

 

[Bill Edwards]

Not bad at all, a shorter arc length I think and a little more consistency with the travel speed and you'll be there.

not bad for an old machine like that

How old those machines are doesn't seem to make any difference, they all seem to weld beautifully. Great welders.

 

[the snooper]

Not bad at all, a shorter arc length I think and a little more consistency with the travel speed and you'll be there.




How old those machines are doesn't seem to make any difference, they all seem to weld beautifully. Great welders.

if it works, it works

 

[Turbo]

Some nice welds there, well done!

Your welder is an RT110, am I right in thinking that its max output is 110a? If so I'm surprised you are getting it to weld consistently well with 3.2 rods, you must be on a decent mains supply.

 

[norlander]

superb sets Oxfords, I learn't on them and love em to death. Maybe try some 2.5 6013s, and think of it more as feedspeed than travel speed maybe. Very good start, when you get it dead right with 6013s, the slag will peel back and can be flicked off with the bare end of the next rod. Looks you are on your way.
Enjoy your Oxford.

 

[Higgins420]

ye i was planning to start with some 2.5's but got them cheap from a local workshop so couldn't complain really, went to buy some cheap rods to play with locally but i couldn't bring my self to spend £29 on 2.4kg of super 6's!
yep its 110 amp, but it seemed a bit fierce to be honest, and i've had some undercuts so i'm gonna take it down a peg and try it on 95 amps see how that goes.
than you all for the encouragement, i'm gonna have a go today and really concentrate on keeping control of the arc length and rod angle see if i can reduce the splatter some, will report back later on.
cheers,
josh.

 

[Kent]

I should think in terms of 75 amps up to 90 with a 2.5 6013
Your way hot over 100! If you're getting what your dialing
90- 100 can be used for certain things but it's rare
Start at 75 and see how you go working upwards in small stages

 

[Higgins420]

its 3.2 that i'm running at the moment, i think the current range they give on the box is 80-130 Amps, haven't had a chance to have a go with 2.5's yet.

 

[Kent]

Well you ain't so far off. Might go better at 100 but 90 is a tad low on the flat. Generally 100- 120 so your about bang on middle

Hey- it depends and not all dials tell the truth

I suspect we are back to arc length. Keep a short tight arc almost in the puddle and watch your angle

Going up and down with the arc length will create spatter. Keep your elbow in to your ribs and do a few dry runs first to get comfortable with the run - before you go live

 

[norlander]

When you can, try to get some decent fresh rods, it the Murex you have have been lying around a bit, but they are ok for burning and learning. ^ +1 above, getting the angle right trips me up when I go back to doing the occasional stick work.

 

[Higgins420]

i have definitely struggled to keep the arc a uniform length if you know what i mean, especially as soon as i've stuck an arc, with a new rod it seems a lot easier to hold nearer the end of the rod and move my hand back to grip the stinger but in doing that it causes my arm to shake a bit, i will try holding solid against my chest asd you said, i cannot wait to get an auto darkening helmet, makes life 10 times harder having to position the rod, get hood down and strike an arc without ending up wayy off course
i think i've gotten the feed right nearer to correct.

 

[Kent]

You don't want to be moving your gripping hand at all
Keeping your elbow in to your body is just the most basic prop. A lot of times in position you can't but on the flat you pretty much can always.
Props can be used from all sorts a loop of welding cable, your non dominant hand, side of a nearby stantion etc etc
Keeping your elbow in to the ribs effectively just uses your body as a prop

I think from what your saying is your struggling lighting up in the right place? That comes with practice but just try dragging the rod past were you will weld over using the arc light to guide you back to the start with a
nifty push back

There were no auto darkening lids when I started and still many use a fixed shade 11 and nod the lid down when in position. A hand held visor is worth getting as Some sports require one and I think they can actually be easier right at the beginning of the learning curve