1.  Gapless HF.  This is a solid state design and reduce maintenance issues with the old point design.
2. Microprocessor control.  The microprocessor can be programmed to do about anything that we require the welder to do, and more finely manages the functions of the welder.  Technically this is what defines the unit as “digital”.
3. 2 amp start.  This is the lowest start amp to date.  This is a by product of the microprocessor control and the gapless HF.   The arc starting has been optimized to start stably and reliably for extreme low amp control for welding and repairing items like molds.
4. Start Amp/End Amp/Up/Down Slope control along with pre and post flow control allows greater flexibility  for 2T/4T use with or without the pedal.
5. Better internal construction, which leads to more reliability and greater life span.
6. Memory.  Memory function retains up to 10 preset parameters.  This will allow the operator to save and easily recall favorite parameters  for a  variety  different welding  applications.
7. Stick welding will feature hot start and arc force control to increase the welding capability.
8. Pulse frequency has been greatly increased from 250 hz to 500 hz.   This will allow greater flexibility on welding thin metals and corners.   It will also increase productivity on machine or cnc applications.

The most basic motion is a straight in line movement of the electrode. This is called running a “stringer” bead. Rods like 7018, 6013, and 7014 lend themselves to simply dragging the flux edge on the metal and simply letting  the metal deposit itself behind the rod.  6010 and 6011 require a little different technique called “whipping” or “step and pause”.  This is because of the flux differences. The movement is still straight forward, but the rod is brought in front of the weld puddle slightly and the arc is lengthened (greater than the diameter of the rod typically) so that no metal is deposited, and the rod is brought back to the puddle.  This allows the “ripples” to form in the weld and keeps over penetration and over melting down as the weld is allowed to slightly cool.

This motion may be made 1-2 times a second.  The last method is for more advanced users, but can be mastered easily.  It’s called weaving.  The weave can be used to bring both sides of the weld joint together by gently moving the puddle so that the sides of the weld wet in.   Although basically, this is a slight zig-zag motion, it can involve all sorts of small motions from C shaped movements to cursive E movements.  The pattern should be no wider than 3 times the diameter of the electrode in most cases.  It’s sort of an art, and as you move to out of position welds, the weave becomes important, especially in vertical up and horizontal welds.  The stringer is a perfectly acceptable weld, though and if weaves are giving you an issue stick with it because a well made stringer will hold.

One last note: Don’t try to weld thick passes.  It’s better to weld multiple passes, filling no MORE than  the thickness of the electrode itself in a single pass.  Hopefully these tips will help you get started on the right path to successful welding. Good Luck!

The tendency is as soon as you think the arc welding is struck you will likely want to rush forward stringing along little globs of metal. But you need to hold the welding rod steady and move forward slowly as the metal flows out WIDER than the electrode. It’ll begin to burn down as the puddle develops and you’ll need to constantly push the welding rod down on the metal. When you first start to weld, you can see the puddle at the front edge of the puddle. The puddle  itself is divided into two parts.  These parts are very difficult at the beginning  to differentiate.

If the rod angle and arc length is held correctly, there will be a part of the puddle that seems to swirl around to the back edge of the puddle while the primary part directly under the arc  is slightly different in color. If you cannot see these or have difficulty seeing the puddle at all, change to a lighter shade on your helmet until you can see the difference. The swirling part of the puddle is actually the molten slag that is rising and separating from the weld puddle.

The slag can both protect and destroy the weld.  When forced to the rear, it acts as a protective barrier.  When forced in front of the puddle due to improper rod angle, it can get trapped underneath, along the sides or in the puddle itself.

Once you have “practiced” until you think you are reasonably comfortable with what you are doing, you can turn the welder on.  Once the welder is on,  make sure that the last thing you do is check to make sure everything you need is in place. Welding rods, chipping hammer, brush and any other item you might need should be within easy reach. Your welding helmet should flip down easily.  This will allow you to be able to continue without having to reset your body position and will save time.

The next step is to practice arc strikes. Try to resist the temptation to try to continue to weld once the arc struck. Just practice getting and holding an arc briefly.  This is an exercise in patience.  It won’t be easy.  It’s probably the hardest part of learning to weld.  There are two methods you can use to get the arc started.   The tapping method is probably the best and most efficient method.  The other is the scratching method, sort of like striking a match with a quick flick of the wrist.  This is the easiest and probably the best for the beginner because it won’t stick as easily.

Try both.  See which one is best for you.  Once you master the scratching method, you probably will eventually want to move on to the tapping method.  Keep practicing this until you can get an arc struck 7 or 8 times out of 10 when you try.

Glean every morsel of information you can. But the best technique won’t help if you aren’t  comfortable when you are welding. Use what works for you as long as you can maintain the angles and welding position that is required for basic welding. Practice with the welder off several runs with attention to basics like holding your welding rod straight from side to side, but leaning it slightly forward at about a 15 degree angle.  You can lean or prop as needed. There’s no shame in that. But you will need to have your face in front of the weld, in the direction of travel.  Your head needs to be stuck in the middle angle between the metal and the electrode.

Start with the flat position. The flat position is the position where the metal is lying flat on the table or work bench in front of you. This is the easiest and most common position. Before you start to weld, make sure you have all your bases covered like extra welding rod close at hand, all your protective gear on and most important your work clamp firmly in contact with the part you are going to weld.  You are almost ready to weld.  Just get comfortable and settle in.

This is not a brazing process as you may think. This is actually taking metal, and fusing it by melting the two pieces together, with the addition of filler material. This helps you see the puddle and gives you time to react to what is going on at the same time. It also gives you two hand skills with feeding the rod and holding the torch and transfers directly into TIG, but it also transfers the skill set right into stick and MIG as well.   For a lot of people Oxy/Acetylene isn’t the answer and it is a little obsolete.

Without a doubt, the next best process to learn on is Stick.  Stick welding is the most versatile process out there.   It’s never going to be obsolete and while other processes have come around since its introduction, it hasn’t disappeared.   Stick allows you to be able to weld a little slower pace, and helps to teach you to see the puddle at the same time.   It helps to coordinate hand and eye as well by requiring you to hold the torch steady and in  the proper position, while constantly moving the torch down while it is burning away.  It’s also relatively inexpensive to get started, and that’s probably the best reason I could give.

It put a lot of things into perspective and clarified issues that I really never understood when I was winging it on my own. It also gave me more confidence to do my job. But again, it’s not for everyone. I’m interested in helping other people to learn to weld, whatever the learning method may be. I fully support both avenues of learning whether its self-taught or formal time under an instructor.  So, I am dedicating several of these blogs this month to helping the “newb” or “noobie” getting started a hopefully give them a leg up on learning how to weld.

We’ve looked at various aspects before, but we keep getting a lot of the  basic questions. So we’ll revisit this again and again as questions come up. Together we’ll look at very basic aspects of welding, going over things that  may seem basic for some, but really for the uninitiated is rather quite difficult.  So if you are a guy who can hold his own in welding the next few days may not be anything new or exciting.  But, who knows?  You may be prompted to remember something you have long forgotten.

A regular monthly maintenance is required if it is being used regularly. At the very least it should be done on a quarterly basis.  This involves opening up the welding unit and blowing it out gently with dry compressed air.  The rear panel and then the metal panel should be removed.  Be sure to check the fan blade for metallic build up.  We have seen fan blades coated with metal and wobbling badly or broken from excessive build up.  This is from sheer neglect.  Blowing out the unit will keep the conductive material from arcing across the boards and from shorting out components. It will also keep the unit running cooler and keep the duty cycle up where it should be.

Be sure the compressed air you are using is dry and the pressure has been reduced so that it will not dislodge any wires or connectors. When done, make sure you have checked all connectors for tightness and checked that all wires are still intact.  This regular maintenance will not only help improve the performance of your plasma cutter, but also give it a longer life.