Ok i found a deal i can not turn up on a brandnew arc welder with rods,sheild and gloves etc..$100,now it's been 4 years since i used an arc welder and that was at school i learned on it and used it 2 times,so any tips you guys have lets here them and how do you find it easier to strike an arc by tapping it or scraping it....Any help tips or pointers would be great to get me started again..thanks

 

I'm not much of a welder but dragging the electrode works best for me. I have one suggestion that made me a much better welder, invest in one of these hoods that auto-darkens. Much nicer than hunting around for the area you want to weld. I find most of the welding I do is really just short welds and with a regular hood you can spend half the time messing around finding where to strike the arc. if you find that you do much welding in the future, look at a midrange (around 3 to $400) wire welder, really handy for most home welding you'll do and you can use the heavier duty stick for thicker metal such as trailers.
Just my 2cents.

 

Hey thanks for the info i'm settling for the 120V stick welder right now cause i'm on a tight budget and i'm getting it with assecories for $100,i figure i can learn and do what i gotta do with it till i can afford a nice mig welder..

 

Is it safe to use the arc welder in my shed which is wood?should i line the floor with tin/sheetmetal?

 

i wouldnt do any welding in a wooden shed. if you do,be sure to have a fire extinguisher and hang out in the shed awhile after your done welding to be sure nothing is smoldering..

 

And...

a 120V welder is fine, but look at the current draw on it. Don;t think you are gonna run that off a normal house or garage circuit. You are going to need to have a heavy duty circuit installed. Something along the lines of 35amps or more. A normal 15 or 20 amp circuit will pop every time you strike a spark.

 

I've got one and it runs fine off a 20 amp service

 

remember to go like only 2 inches per min.

 

if i have to chnge the circuit to that one plug is it a big job?Also i believe my welder only draws 15 - 20 amps...

 

about the welding rods i have 3 different type and my machine only uses 3 types they are 6013,6011 and 7014 it's weird thought 7014 is a 2.0mm and 6013 is a 1.6mm and 6011 is a 2.4mm1.6 mm is smaller then 2.0mm why is the number 7014 higher then 6013 but with the 2.4mm(bigger rod)it's only a 6011 smaller#,i'm confused with this all i know is my machine has a setting for these 3 sizes and i can tell whats bigger by looking at it those numbers don't make sence.....