Welding O/T

[brian hood]

I am not an experienced welder. I have a small arc unit and cant seem to get it to flow. When I hook up the ground unit/ clamp to the panel I hold the rod (in the clip) to the clean panel. All it will do is make a small arc and stick. What am I doing wrong?

[norrism1]

Try a thinner diameter stick. May not have enough juice to work on the diameter rod you have now.

[MBF]

If you're not welding sheet metal (I've never been able to do that with a stick) the rod material shouldn't be any thicker than the material you're trying to weld. Make sure the area you're trying to weld is clean (no rust or paint). The same for where you're hooking the grounding clamp. You may want to try some new rods in the factory sealed box. The flux wicks in moisture which makes it hard to start and maintain an arc. A 6011 general purpose rod is probably the easiest to start an arc with, but the type you need depend on what you're trying to weld. You may want to practice on some scap. Like Roger Welsh says: "When you're learning to weld you'll also need to learn how to grind. You'll be a good grinder before you're a good welder". Mike

[dezeldoc]

Don't just hold it to the metal. you will find it much eaiser to weld if you "scratch" it across the metal. get it close then when you touch it to the metal, at the same time drag it across it a little, and when you get an arc, pull it away a little and fine tune the distance from the metal to keep the arc going, watch the puddle and kind of go in a back and forth motion to get a bead. it will take some getting used to. If you want an eaiser way sell the arc welder and get a mig welder much eaiser and has a lot more uses.

[MBF]

Amen to what Dezeldoc says. If you don't weld on a regular basis you can lose your touch very quickly-know that from first hand experience. Striking an arc with a stick is like striking a match-keeping an arc going is another story. A good stick weld should look like a stack of dimes that fell over-at least that's what our instructor told us! The mig is the way to go-very rarely use the stick anymore. Mike

[buds truck]

I agree, sell the stick and get a nice mig. You can get a good one in 110 volt that will do a good job for you without paying an arm and a leg.