welding!

[zman525]

well i just went out and bought a new 40-100 amp arc welder to learn how to weld ( i didnt have the $$$ for a mig , but what are you gunna do) Anyways i was hoping to use this welder for repairs on my Z. I was screwing around today with some rusty old exhaust pipes and some random bolts to see if i could weld at all but i seem to be havin trouble. It says to "strike" the arc but nothings striking. I can slide the stick across and make a million little beads but it wont stay "struck" so i can hold it the proper distance away from the object being welded. Any tips? i thought i set the amperage right, im using 3/32" welding rods with 90 amps of power. Maybe itl just take practice, maybe im gettin a bad ground on the object im not sure. Any input on arc welding is appreciated.

[Ed]

Like you said, it takes practice, a lot of practice. Also you want to make sure the metals your welding are clean, any impurities (rust, grease, paint) will affect your welding.

[Hrududu]

make tiny circles or zig zags as you move along. Don't go too fast, but if you go too slowly, you will make a giant puddle.

[andrewg3300]

you have to strike the arc and then pull it away one eighth onf an inche from the surface. this will allow you to move in little cicles. its got to be clean.

[gator]

with arc welding I would also recomend good leather gloves so you can hold the stick while you weld. it makes it easier when the stick is new and long. a good mask and good arm protection will be very helpfull.

[webdawg1]

If you have a "Lowes" near you, they sell a fairly decent little book on welding...(I.E. - Stick, TIG, MIG...etc...etc) Runs about $15.00 or so unless you decide to buy some other stuff.

webdawg1

[EScanlon]

By "strike" they mean, HIT the tip of the rod on the metal that has the ground clamp attached to it. As you hit, the tip should "chip" the flux at the tip. Then as soon as you note the spark, and it should be a nice bright spark, then pull back just a bit to maintain the arc of the spark.

Remember, the reason it's called ARC Welding is that you are maintaining a gap between the tip and the metal and the electricity ARCs between the two. As it arcs it melts the metal rod and deposits it on the base metal that has the ground clamp attached to it.

Lastly, check to make sure that you have a good ground with the clamp. I've seen "little beads" being made because of a poor ground clamp.

2¢

Enrique

[jmortensen]

Arc welding has its purpose, but I don't think working on a Z is it. Z metal, even the frame rails, is too thin for arc welding I think. If you were going to build a trailer or fix a fence arc would be a good choice. For fixing your car, especially if you are going to weld any of the paper thin Datsun sheet metal, a gas shielded mig would be a much better choice. Not wanting to rain on your parade, but that's the truth. At the very least I suggest you practice A LOT before you strike an arc on your car, so that you know what kind of results to expect. Try to use thin metal like you'll find on the Datsun too. I think you'll find that your arc welder is tough to use on thin stuff.

I spent about $900 on my mig welder with cart, bottle, helmet gloves, extra spool of wire, pair of welding pliers and a big wire brush. That was the best $900 I've put towards my car. Enabled me to do all kinds of projects I couldn't before.

[Sundowner]

an arc welder is inapproriate for sheet metal work. I'd rather see you with one of those $100 clark migs, which flat-out suck arse, but are better than an arc welder for sheet metal work. you'd really want to invest in a good Mig like an ESAB, which I flat-out love, but a Miller or Lincoln wouldnt' be a bad second choice.

even if you were doing heavy structural welding, working with an ARC is 50% experience and 50% artistic talent. whereas you could train a rhesus monkey to run a bead from a MIG.

[cj71z]

I agree with Mortenson. For the body arc welding could easily burn holes in it causing more work. I think arc welding would be good for exhaust or structural/frame repairs. I bought a mig kit from Home Depot to do major rust repair on an old Toyota Pickup. Even with the mig I burned a couple holes at first so I had to turn it down low. Then I was able to take my time and make good welds. I too taught myself how to weld on this project and my friend who took bodyworking classes was impressed, it just takes time to perfect.

[ncz]

Have to agree with above, there is an attachement you can get from eastwood that will do a pretty good job on spot welds with your arc welder. You have to have special rods. The only pain is that you almost have to have a rotisserie(material likes to drip). They have a stitch welding attachment also but don't have any experience with it but it may help with the thinner panels on the Z. I did as above, Hobart mig with gas and .024 wire. Saw Corgan do good job with flux core .030 wire also

[AWC]

I spent about $900 on my mig welder with cart, bottle, helmet gloves, extra spool of wire, pair of welding pliers and a big wire brush. That was the best $900 I've put towards my car.

If you could provide details on that $900 spent, that would be very helpful. What kind of equipment did you buy and where?