varying the heat while welding

[aidank]

hi all,

what are the tricks for varying the heat during welding, what I mean is how do I make my weld hotter or colder as I weld

I can shorten the arc until the rod is virtually touching the steel which has the effect of reducing the amps

any other tricks, find I often hit a soft patch in steel and be handy to have a few tricks to cut down the amps without having to stop and twiddle the dial on the machine

all the best

 

[Paul.]

Arc welders are constant current, so when you vary the arc length you are varying the arc volts not amps, a longer arc increases the volts and therefore the heat input, the trick with arc welding is a combination of careful joint preparation, selecting a suitable size and class of electrode for the joint and position, using the correct amps and being able to manipulate the arc length and and angles as you move along the joint, the latter will come with experience, another trick is whipping the electrode to the side without breaking the arc, to allow the pool to freeze then moving back to the pool before the slag solidifies.

 

[aidank]

Arc welders are constant current, so when you vary the arc length you are varying the arc volts not amps, a longer arc increases the volts and therefore the heat input, the trick with arc welding is a combination of careful joint preparation, selecting a suitable size and class of electrode for the joint and position, using the correct amps and being able to manipulate the arc length and and angles as you move along the joint, the latter will come with experience, another trick is whipping the electrode to the side without breaking the arc, to allow the pool to freeze then moving back to the pool before the slag solidifies.

Angle manipulation and whipping the electrode could you expand on these please

 

[shenion]

Yes, arc length is counter-intuitive. you see it getting too hot do you pull away and then blow a hole.

Note, cheap buzz boxes are a bit of the opposite, the shorter the arc, the higher the current.

The lower the angle, the more the heat is spread over a wider area. Think of a flashlight, shine it straight onto a surface and it makes a circle. Angle it and it makes an oval. Thing is the width is the same, so you can do it and not change the bead width.

Whipping is moving out of the weld pool for a second or so. Gives it a chance to cool down. Usually jump a bit ahead and come back.