Welding Rods

[Mark A]

Hi chaps,

I'm after advice regarding welding rods for a Lidl inverter welder.

For the foreseeable future I'll only be using it to practice welding mild steel, so which rods do you recommend?

BTW It's only 80A.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[chaoticbob]

6013 rutile is an OK starting point - worked for me anyway. Looking at my boxes, 55A is recommended for 2.0 mm, 80A for 2.5mm, but in practice I've found I can use lower currents - but this is with a different (180A Parweld) inverter. Maybe best to start with 2.0mm and see how it goes?
Rob.

 

[pcb1962]

Agree, 6013. Here's a tip Mark, keep your rods somewhere indoors, warm and dry, don't leave them out in the garage, they don't work very well if they get damp

 

[novocaine]

chuck em in the oven for 20 minutes on a low heat.

6013s aren't to adverse to humidity and temperature, so keeping them in a bag or box will be fine. 7018 on the other hand doesn't like it, so will want to be kept nice and toasty in an oven (not that I've ever needed to do this, they don't usually last long enough for that)

6013 from me too, easiest of all electrodes to use and control. buy from a welding place, not screwfix, unless you want to spend a fortune.

 

[Mark A]

Hi chaps,

I've ordered some 6013 electrodes, an auto darkening helmet and a pair of leather gloves from Welding Supplies Direct. I found a discount code for free next day delivery, so the gloves cost me nothing effectively

When the stuff arrives I'll post a picture of my first attempt at welding so you can have a snigger.

Mark


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[Roughcut]

chuck em in the oven for 20 minutes on a low heat.

6013s aren't to adverse to humidity and temperature, so keeping them in a bag or box will be fine. 7018 on the other hand doesn't like it, so will want to be kept nice and toasty in an oven (not that I've ever needed to do this, they don't usually last long enough for that)

6013 from me too, easiest of all electrodes to use and control. buy from a welding place, not screwfix, unless you want to spend a fortune.

Reminds me of an Engineering firm I worked for when I left school.
They had a dedicated welding rod oven for warming up welding rods prior to use.
Some of the fellas would also use it to warm up their sausage rolls.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I worked on Camborne Redruth bypass when it was built in the early '70s - we were fortunate in the welders hut (about 15' x 8', open on the long side), we had the only stove on the site for this reason. We were the only people with dry clothes.

 

[novocaine]

right, you've had a month (nearly), so we now kindly request, na demand, pictures, lots and lots of PICTURES.


my old man worked on a few bridges local to here, used to say the same thing, keep your rods warm and you shoes dry. as this was coded work you did as you were told and followed the markups. if you're welding for yourself you don't need to be quite so fastidious though, unless you are doing it for building, if it's just a gate or the like then just crack on, a bit of slag or a few pores aren't going to make the weld fail in that circumstance.

 

[Mark A]

My first weld. Easy peasy!

 

[Mark A]

Wait, that was my second.

First weld was this:

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[AES]

If that really WAS only your 2nd weld (or even, I venture, your 22nd) then VERY well done Sir.

=D>

AES

BTW, was that the Lidl Inverter that you used? How did you get on with it? Useful tool? Does it run off a 13 amp supply?

AES

 

[Mark A]

AES - I can only wish to weld like that!

Yes, it's a Lidl Inverter welder. My uncle (experienced fabricator) had a go when he was visiting recently and says it wasn't bad at all. A bit under powered, but for £50 I can live with that. Runs off a 25m 13a extension no problem.

When I find time my first job will be to make a pair of grates to secure my garage's windows.

Mark

 

[AES]

Thanks Mark A. I must say I was more than a bit suspicious about "your" 2nd weld!!!!

(I used to work in aviation, where we used approved/certified welders for some repairs, and some of their (regular) test pieces didn't look as good as "yours")!

Thanks for the info on the Lidl machine too. I'm "thinking about it"! (Yet another slippery slope).

AES

Edit for P.S. Pix REQUIRED when finished - NO cheating allowed!

 

[porker]

Just a heads up Aldi also have a 140A inverter MMA welder at the moment. Ordered one today, haven't stick welded in a while and that was with an old buzz box.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/workzone-140-amp-inverter-welder/p/076597143942300

 

[dzj]

Filigree-like welds on your 2nd go?
Not bad.

 

[Mark A]

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[Phil Pascoe]

Just a heads up Aldi also have a 140A inverter MMA welder at the moment. Ordered one today, haven't stick welded in a while and that was with an old buzz box.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/workzone-140-amp-inverter-welder/p/076597143942300

Sold out on line but in store today.

 

[dickm]

They had one left in Ellon today, so I had a look, but couldn't see any real advantage over my current (sic!) setup of 100A Oxford and 140A Mig. Apart, that is, from being able to lift it and move it around without wrecking my back. But decided not to buy it.
Tell me - did I make the wrong decision? And if so, what are the killer advantages of inverter machines?

 

[bourbon]

I got the Aldi one about 6 years ago. Used it twice in all that time. BUT the two jobs I did, I couldn't have done without it

 

[novocaine]

They had one left in Ellon today, so I had a look, but couldn't see any real advantage over my current (sic!) setup of 100A Oxford and 140A Mig. Apart, that is, from being able to lift it and move it around without wrecking my back. But decided not to buy it.
Tell me - did I make the wrong decision? And if so, what are the killer advantages of inverter machines?

weight, duty cycle and ease of start.

stick with the buzzbox, if it dies think about getting a decent inverter, till then it isn't worth it.

oh, and you can scratch start tig with one too if you so desire.