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Chinese inverter welder


bornfree
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14 minutes ago, bornfree said:

I haven't done any cast iron welding for years but when I did it was with nickel rods on an AC welder with an 80v ocv setting.

when i did cast iron welding....we used nickle rods for what was called "buttering"...then filled the gap with mild steel...the buttered layer would prevent carbon pick up...and the mild steel could then be machined...........love using the pure nickle rods ...but by christ they are expensive...

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13 minutes ago, Paddy Galore! said:

for the benefits of us eejits, what's the difference between a bog standard mma arc welder, an inverter welder, and a DC welder?

ta,

gram

Almost all cheap transformer welders are AC. Most inverters are DC. But you can get transformer DC welders and inverter DC and AC welders.

I've just bought a suretig 180 AC and DC tig welder. It's a transformer AC and DC tig and MMA unit 

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Cast items can be a real case of Russian roulette, composition of the material will vary widely especially on stuff like garden furniture which will make appropriate rod selection difficult. You could opt for a dissimilar rod which will give you the best chance of a sound well fused weld, in order to avoid preheating use short 3/4 -1inch welds well peened in between and allow time to cool to the touch between runs, this will give you your best chance against cracking, but this will leave you with a bright silvery bead that will stick out like a sore thumb even if ground flush. For me, my go to rod for cast repairs is ESAB OK92.18 in 2.5mm. This is a true cast rod, and blends with the parent metal almost seamlessly. I have had great success with it on cylinder heads, engine blocks, hydraulic pump casings and many other things. It's big issue is the weld pool, I can only describe it as "fluffy", you will struggle to see the weld metal through the slag and you just have to be confident, A big tip to make the job easier and neater is the use sacrificial plates at both ends of the weld so the weld pool is well established as you reach the repair area. 

 

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2 hours ago, ditchman said:

when i did cast iron welding....we used nickle rods for what was called "buttering"...then filled the gap with mild steel...the buttered layer would prevent carbon pick up...and the mild steel could then be machined...........love using the pure nickle rods ...but by christ they are expensive...

Were Stubbs 65 nickel ditchman, its many moons ago when i last came across them.

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  • 1 year later...

Well the Chinese inverter finally died. It got pulled of a roof by someone driving over the extension lead fell about 15ft smashing it to bits. But it worked well and I never had it cut out on overheat. I've replaced it with a 250amp SIP model about 8x the price of the Chinese one but I wasn't paying. What a machine it will run 5mm 7018 rods with ease on a 240v supply.

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14 minutes ago, manton said:

I have a 180 amp oil cooled welder but recently bought a LIDL inverter, 90 amp I think, which appears to be well built but I find it hard to strike an arc with it . Do these machines have a low open circuit voltage ?

Yes my cheap one wouldn't run 7018 rods which need a high ocv but it was fine with 6013s. The new one has an 82v ocv 

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Hello, I have a 120 amp inverta welder and have no problem with mild steel rods from 16/14/12/10 imperial size, I have to admit I am not clued up on types of rods and numbers like 7018s as I just ask farm to buy mild steel rods, I do tend to start the arc with slightly higher amps with 12/10s, 

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11 hours ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

Hello, I have a 120 amp inverta welder and have no problem with mild steel rods from 16/14/12/10 imperial size, I have to admit I am not clued up on types of rods and numbers like 7018s as I just ask farm to buy mild steel rods, I do tend to start the arc with slightly higher amps with 12/10s, 

Your probably using 6013s they are the standard. 7018s are low hydrogen and need storing dry and warm. Or baking at 300° if they have got damp. But they produce a strong crack free weld and work well in overhead and vertical up welding. I use them for trailer drawbar eyes.

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2 hours ago, bornfree said:

Your probably using 6013s they are the standard. 7018s are low hydrogen and need storing dry and warm. Or baking at 300° if they have got damp. But they produce a strong crack free weld and work well in overhead and vertical up welding. I use them for trailer drawbar eyes.

Hello, I am sure your right seem to remember 6013 on box, cheers

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