Invertec V100-S Stick Welder

[peppy]

Good enough to weld kart frames?
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b143/peppy410/0111091815.jpg
(Kenny is helping me out with it also in the kart section. looking for more opinions)

[Kenny_McCormic]

Its good enough to anything on a kart. Be warned if you want to use it for TIG(incredibly clean welds, can weld just about any metal like aluminum) its difficult, imagine gas welding with an electrical arc instead of a flame. That and you need a shielding gas bottle/regulator for the TIG function. Stick to stick welding.

[sayre315]

i have always wanted to learn how to tig weld
i jst never had the money to get a tig welder
looks sweet man, have fun

[jr dragster Tyler]

I know a few people with TIG welder's and want to learn. I'll probably just take TIG at school. That way I can learn all the trick's to the trade.

[fluxcored]

i have always wanted to learn how to tig weld
i jst never had the money to get a tig welder
looks sweet man, have fun

Try your hand at oxyacetelene welding first. TIG requires the same hand/eye coordination/techniques. You'll quickly adapt to TIG if you can do OA.

I like TIG but honestly prefer OA above it. I'm too lazy to do all the cleaning required for TIG and it's a schlep if the bead get's contaminated.

BTW. peppy, darn nice welder.

[peppy]

Ok. just went to Lowes and bought everthing they had. Now I need to know whick one I need to weld with this welder!? The V100-S is a 115V
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b143/peppy410/0112091518.jpg

[Kenny_McCormic]

Go to a welding shop and get some 7014 rod. 6011/13 are difficult to weld with and 7018 needs to be stored in a oven after opening. 7014 welds easy and isnt bothered by moisture.

[peppy]

I think i got the wrong size anyway. The manual says 3/32" max dia. for my model and I got 1/8"

http://content.lincolnelectric.com//pdfs/products/navigator/im/IM585.pdf

[Kenny_McCormic]

Yea, 7014 in 3/32 or 1/16 if you can find em would work best for this small work.

[modelengineer]

6011/13 are difficult to weld with
Really? 6013 is a general purpose rod. I have built my entire buggy with 6013 and they have worked perfectly. The only time I wont be using it is for welding the 4140 HT axle.

I'm using 2.5mm rods which is pretty much between 3/32 and 1/8.

[Kenny_McCormic]

6013 is a good general purpose rod but it requires you to hold proper arc length, something noobs have problems with. 7014 is a drag rod.

[peppy]

Went and got those rods today. twice the price of the others though:out: :ack2: Hopefully I will be welding soon. just have to clean up the rust a bit.

[Kenny_McCormic]

Just wire brush till shiny, have you welded before?

[peppy]

The last time I welded was about 10 years ago and I did pretty good at it. Someone put the stinger in front of me , gave a few pointers and I did pretty good with it. I never got the concept though of what rod to use or how much amperage or anything else like that. So yes I can weld... if someone sets up the machine;) :rolleyes3:

[Kenny_McCormic]

Just start hot and go down if needed.

[fluxcored]

6013 is a good general purpose rod but it requires you to hold proper arc length, something noobs have problems with. 7014 is a drag rod.

Most problems with 6013 occur if the amps set incorrectly. Mostly I just leave my weldor at 120A and weld away changing rod sizes + technique to compensate for different metal thickness.

The penny dropped when an old weldor told me the other day that 6013's slag freeze quickly when the pool's cold - that's when you get bird poop and poor welds.

Around here, Afrox BOC's 6013 is the bomb - it's very much like Kenny's says 7014 works - you just drag as soon as you have an arc. You can even push the rod into the pool without the arc dying on you - great stuff. Other local brands' 6013 are not as good but I suspect there's are made in China.

Have fun!!

[pezgoon]

Go to a welding shop and get some 7014 rod. 6011/13 are difficult to weld with and 7018 needs to be stored in a oven after opening. 7014 welds easy and isnt bothered by moisture.

stored in an oven? are you sure? cause we never learned that in welding, we always have ours out, although we do burn through a box in like a week.

and 6011 is hard, but its nice cause it can burn through anything, you dont have to clean anything (unless you want to avoid poisonous fumes) you can go through paint oil grease rust, and that thing will just keep going lolz

and OA is weaker than tig so thats something you have to watch out for, tig creates such good looking welds if you can do it correctly, and OA can be a very slow and poisonous process (the zinc filler creates poisonous fumes when burning/melting) and tig is hard and easy at the same time, with tig you can constantly control the amps with a foot pedal, but little mistakes show up as big ones with tig whereas stick is more forgiving

[Kenny_McCormic]

7018 is a low hydrogen rod, what is water? Hydrogen and oxygen!

[fluxcored]

and OA is weaker than tig so thats something you have to watch out for, tig creates such good looking welds if you can do it correctly, and OA can be a very slow and poisonous process (the zinc filler creates poisonous fumes when burning/melting) and tig is hard and easy at the same time, with tig you can constantly control the amps with a foot pedal, but little mistakes show up as big ones with tig whereas stick is more forgiving

Do'nt agree - you obviously are not well versed in OA so please do not put the most versatile process down.

Poisonous fumes are the result of either base metal or filler not the OA process. All processes produce fumes which are hazardous.

TIG's even worse coz some of it's tungstens are a long term health risk when it's dust is breathed in during grinding or when it burns. Thus TIG is actually the most poisonous compared to all the other processes.

Slow = better fusion, penetration = good welds = good looking welds

Constantly bumping the pedal to control heat is the worst thing thet you can do with TIG. The pedal should only be used when you start and when you finsih the bead. Bumping is a sign of inappropriate welder settings or incorrect size filler rod being used for the particular metal thickness. The puddlel should ideally be controlled by rate of movement and rate at which filler is being fed.

Have you ever tried joining aluminium with cast iron with TIG - I did that with OA.

With OA, I weld, I braze, I solder, I cut, I unwarp, I flame clean, I bend, loosen rusted bolts, I light a fag - no other process can do all of that.

TIG is not the coolest thing everybody makes it out to be. It's got it's uses but it's no better and no worse than any of the other processes.

Please view my comments as an attempt purely to get the correct information out there. By no means do I intend this as judgement of your skills and abilities.

Regards

[pezgoon]

Actually your wrong about the tungsten's, yes the dust is poisonous, but only when using thoriated tungsten's, tungsten is not poisonous, but thorium is radioactive. thus, if you stick your head into the sparks whilst your grinding it, yes you have a chance that over a period of cosntantly grinding them for 40 years, you might get some cancer. but then again, if you can do it correctly, you shouldnt be grinding. and no, the foot pedal is meant to control the amps, while using tig which is not bump start you are supposed to have a constant speed and you change the heat with the foot pedal. with bump start tig, you control the temp by going faster or slower. OA also requires the gas tanks which for some can be hard to store, obtain, refill, transport etc. because im sure all of you who have OA tanks store them the correct way, can someone tell me how far apart they are supposed to be chained up? i cant seem to recall.

and welding with OA is generally slow because of the heat up time required by the metals, also, compare the heat effected zones of OA to tig, tell me which is bigger.

Also, using gas welding generally results in weakened steel because of it being reheated it looses its hardness, or if you quench it will increase its hardness and result in much more brittle steel. Yes all processes do heat up the steel, but compare the heat effected zones to each other.

and Im sure you'll bring up the need to get argon for tig, although there are some similar problems with it, atleast it isnt flammable and you dont have to worry about your house blowing up.

Also, just wondering, are you a welder or self taught?

[fluxcored]

Dude, peace out - we can go along this way all day and never see eye to eye. I absolutely understand that you love TIG and no doubt you're very good at it and I really do'nt know it all, but....

Thy hype and fuss over TIG welding and beautiful welds is just that...hype.

The greatest TIG weldors I know that does it day in and out do'nt even bother with a pedal. I guess dangling from a harness trying to shield your gas while the wind is blowing and doing a weld at the same time does not make the use of a pedal conducive - not me by the way, I'm not that good.

Point being do'nt put OA down and make out that TIG is that great - do'nt get me wrong I'm not against TIG. What do you think aircrafts were welded with before TIG was introduced. Still up to this day hobbyist aircraft are produced using OA rigs. Many coachbuilders and classic car restorers are moving back to OA. HAZ or no HAZ, it's the skill of the weldor and his understanding of the process and his metalshaping abilities that makes the difference and that is really irrespective of the process being used.

Each process has got it's pros and cons and each has got a particular application where it shines. If you have to weld parts for NASA of course TIG will be the preferred choice. If you're a maintenance crew in the field stick and OA will be your friend and with reluctance you'll drag a MIG or TIG rig around. Ask any pipe weldor if he'd rather use TIG instead of stick.

Surprisingly these posts contribute absolutely nothing to the knowledge pool of this forum since the best process for welding a kart for these guys is.......wait a minute......stick.

BTW., lately I discovered the joys of using a drill and a rivnut to join 2 pieces of metal.

And me citing my qualifications and skills or asking for yours means squat over the net coz both of us can say that we're the best thing since Engloid.

[BradenM]

Well said! :thumbsup:

[thgrahamjr]

because im sure all of you who have OA tanks store them the correct way, can someone tell me how far apart they are supposed to be chained up? i cant seem to recall.

Osha states that O&A bottles must be stored 20 ft apart when not in use unless they are seperated by a 1/2" fire wall. And as for you to bickering, no two people weld the same. There are basic rules to mig, tig, stick, brazing etc. but everyone welds how they feel comfortable, every person who wants to learn to weld has to practice and find his or her nich.