[Blaise]

Hi,

I am an absolute noob. I have always been interested in welding, and have finally taken the plunge to see if I like it - so far so good!

I bought an inexpensive machine: BestArc 145A MIG Welder. It does gas and gasless MIG, Stick and lift TIG. So far I've just played around with flux core MIG, welding "coupons". Most of my welds are really pitiful, but I am slowly improving.

I was thinking of buying an inexpensive plasma cutter - taking advantage of the "black Friday" discounts. Do I absolutely NEED a plasma cutter? No, but at some point I'll have to cut up some steel into pieces needed for a welding project. There are so many machines to choose from, it's kind of overwhelming. I'm looking at a BestArc BTC500DP. Both "7GEN" and "10GEN" models are available at a hefty discount. (https://www.amazon.com/bestarc-BTC500DP ... R3YLC?th=1)

I have watched a few YouTube reviews and they speak well of both of these models. I would generally assume the the newer 10GEN would be "better" (have better features), but honestly, I don't know enough to even appreciate the differences between these two models - or any other models, for that matter.

If anyone can provide any guidance, it would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

- Blaise

[tweake]

i wouldn't bother with a plasma cutter. a grinder will do everything you need. far more important things to get before plasma cutters.

also for learning welding, i highly recommend starting with stick. its not as hard as you think and once you get reasonable with that, it makes learning mig and tig a whole lot easier.

[cj737]

As for your flux core welds looking bad, you need to determine if the machine automatically switches the polarity to DCEN for flux core. MIG and Stick are DCEP usually, though some Stick rods do run on DCEN.

The reason I’m asking is you stated the machine was inexpensive, so the built-in switching is not always guaranteed.

I’m with Tweake, get 5# box of 7018 rods and start padding beads! Use as thick a piece of steel coupon as you can lay your hands. Get a bucket of water and set it beside you. Weld 2-3 beads. Chip off the slag, then drop the coupon in the water to chill it. Pull it out, dry it off, and weld some more. If you don’t cool the metal, your beads will start getting pretty wonky and the coupon will curl badly.

[Blaise]

Hey, thanks for the responses!

I appreciate the advice. I had picked up a 5# box of 6011 rods when I bought the welder, and I played with those a bit ... it didn't go well

I would touch the rod to the work piece and it sparked an arc and then went out. This happened several times, and then the rod got stuck to the piece. I wiggled it and pulled it off and tried again. same thing. Tried again and the rod got very stuck! Out of curiosity, I held the trigger (2T) and instead of coming loose when wiggling, the rod got red hot along its entire length and bent into an "S" shape!

OK, I won't do that again! I picked up a box of 7018 and will give that a try when I get a chance.

I'm thinking that the arc might have kept going out because I got a bit startled when the arc started and moved the rod just far enough from the piece to extinguish the arc.

Just guessing here, but I will definitely try again!

Thanks again for the feedback!

[cj737]

It takes a bit of time to become comfortable starting stick rods. The sparking has an ingrained habit of “short circuiting” response in people.

You might try lighting them up this way:

Move to the end of the piece, lay the side of the rod on the edge (the thickness of the piece you’re practicing on) and the slowly raise the rod until the tip barely brushes the flat surface. Expect it to light up, use your other hand to slide the rod between your fingers very lightly and then just slowly move along the path of travel.

Between welds, look at the end of the rod. There will be a hard film of slag on the rod. That needs to be cleaned off for easier restarts. Use a scrap file and just sweep the rod once or twice to get back to bare filler with the outside slag in tact.

If you post some pictures of your welder, including the screens when you struggle, perhaps someone can offer adjustment advice to help you out. And indicate what size filler, rod, or wire diameter when posting for advice.

[tweake]

]Hey, thanks for the responses!

I appreciate the advice. I had picked up a 5# box of 6011 rods when I bought the welder, and I played with those a bit ... it didn't go well

Out of curiosity, I held the trigger (2T)

cheap multi welders do not always work with 6011. your problems could easily be the machine. i have one thats much the same. an easy rod to start with, which works well on cheap machines, is 6013.

what did you have the rod in?
stingers don't have triggers and 2T is a mig function.
could you post a picture of your setup please.

[Blaise]

@tweake Yeah, you're right. I mixed myself up a bit ... I also played with .030 flux core, and I was thinking about that when I said I held the trigger. When the stick was stuck I just kind of watched it. I guess the right thing to do when a rod sticks is to open the stinger to release the rod (and break the circuit).

Sorry for the confusion. I'll post a pic of my setup. Probably can't do that until Wednesday.

Thanks so much for your help.

[Blaise]

Hey tweake,

I hope you and yours had a pleasant Thanksgiving. We had family over, it was very nice,

I have put links to a couple of pictures down below (can't seem to figure out the img tag). In the mean time I had some 7018 rods, so I tried them. I did slightly better with those - I was able to at least get an arc going, though it died pretty quick. A couple of times the arc lasted for maybe 5 or 10 seconds. I was going too slow on 16 gauge metal and burned through the coupon! I'll pick up some 6013 and try that.

I don't know if we're allowed to post videos here ... if so, maybe I'll post a brief video. Maybe you or someone else can point out what I'm doing wrong.

Links to pics:
Setup: https://1drv.ms/i/c/0d5f219ba3d487fc/ET ... A?e=w3AeOr
Welder closeup: https://1drv.ms/i/c/0d5f219ba3d487fc/EX ... g?e=mJFc0Q

Again, thanks for your help.

[tweake]

Hey tweake,

I hope you and yours had a pleasant Thanksgiving. We had family over, it was very nice,

I have put links to a couple of pictures down below (can't seem to figure out the img tag). In the mean time I had some 7018 rods, so I tried them. I did slightly better with those - I was able to at least get an arc going, though it died pretty quick. A couple of times the arc lasted for maybe 5 or 10 seconds. I was going too slow on 16 gauge metal and burned through the coupon! I'll pick up some 6013 and try that.

I don't know if we're allowed to post videos here ... if so, maybe I'll post a brief video. Maybe you or someone else can point out what I'm doing wrong.

Links to pics:
Setup: https://1drv.ms/i/c/0d5f219ba3d487fc/ET ... A?e=w3AeOr
Welder closeup: https://1drv.ms/i/c/0d5f219ba3d487fc/EX ... g?e=mJFc0Q

Again, thanks for your help.

posting links is fine. you can link video's if you want.
jody of course has plenty of stick welding videos on utube to help you get started.
but burning through is good, at least you got it going enough for that. tho i would get a big thick piece of steel to start with. that way you don't worry about burning through.

one thing i do see, is connect the earth directly to the work. that table looks like its got a finish on it that might interfere with the power path.

edit: we don't have thanksgiving downunder. tho the shops are getting into black friday. xmas is around the corner and time for the bbq.

[Blaise]

OK, so I did the usual American thing of assuming you were in the US! Sorry about that ... live and learn. Anyway, Christmas only about 3 weeks away - coming up fast! Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas.

I didn't mention it, but I did make a couple of changes before my minor success ...I connected the earth directly to the work piece as you suggested, and I used my free hand to steady the rod, lightly gripping it in the middle. I'm guessing that 1 or both of these changes helped.

Also, I am getting a couple of small pieces of 1/4 inch and 1/8 inch plate to practice on. I'll keep trying and watching more YouTube videos. Sorry, I'm not sure who Jody is, but I'll look around in the forum. There does not seem to be a "search" function in the Members section, unless I'm missing something.

Thanks for your comments.

[cj737]

Jody is Jody Collier, the king of welding videos on YT. Welding Tips and Tricks is his channel. He’s been producing outstanding content for nearly 10 years and his expertise and arc shots and tips cover every process, every position, every metal. They are very well worth watching.

He has hundreds of Stick videos from absolute beginner to advanced certification tests. I highly recommend you do a bit of searching and grab a beverage, some snacks, and binge watch his channel.

[tweake]

OK, so I did the usual American thing of assuming you were in the US! Sorry about that ... live and learn. Anyway, Christmas only about 3 weeks away - coming up fast! Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas.

I didn't mention it, but I did make a couple of changes before my minor success ...I connected the earth directly to the work piece as you suggested, and I used my free hand to steady the rod, lightly gripping it in the middle. I'm guessing that 1 or both of these changes helped.

Also, I am getting a couple of small pieces of 1/4 inch and 1/8 inch plate to practice on. I'll keep trying and watching more YouTube videos. Sorry, I'm not sure who Jody is, but I'll look around in the forum. There does not seem to be a "search" function in the Members section, unless I'm missing something.

Thanks for your comments.

gripping it helps steady the rod. especially 3/32 rods, they tend to whip. quite often use the "pool cue" hold and use that to help strike the rod.
i recommend getting something like 3/8" plate or even 1/2". nice and thick, great for padding beads on.
its going to take a bit of practice to get striking rods, but after that then its down to looking at the puddle and reacting to it, and thats the key to welding regardless if its mig, stick or tig.

sorry i should have mentioned, jody is the owner of this forum (hes "admin"), who has the weldingtipsandtricks utube channel (and website). also has the weldmonger store if you want to buy welding stuff.

[Blaise]

Hi tweake, thanks for your replies and guidance. Had a minor "emergency" - the kitchen oven stopped working, so that takes precedence over everything else

Turned out to be the igniter (i think!). I ordered the part and we'll see if replacing that does the trick.

I'll get some heavier plate and get to practicing.

Also, I'm setting up a DIY ventilator to avoid breathing in the flux fumes. It's just an 8" fan from harbor freight (1400 cfm) and some 6" flexible metal hose. The plan is to pull air (and fumes) from the welding table and push them out of my garage window. Does that sound sufficient to you? I'll post pics once I get it set up. I think maybe I should pick up a decent respirator too.

In any case, thanks again, and I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas!

[cj737]

If you’re using a fan to pull air, make some type of cowl to funnel the fan surface area to the 6” pipe. That will help increase the air speed within the tube and draw more air.