Hello all
Thanks for support and encouragement over the decades.
Latest weld - first "heavy" thickness in this job.
Is 10mm leg-length ("z10"). On 10mm thickness steel plate.
Is a critical weld.

http://www.weldsmith.co.uk/tech/welding/jobs/241014_cnwl/250215_mc_welds_heavy.html

Links to comment of welding machine, welding setup, etc. http://www.weldsmith.co.uk/tech/welding/jobs/241014_cnwl/250215_mc_320i_weldmc.html
Best estimate - about 270A, 28.5V
I say that because 270A spray gives a 6mm leg-length fillet weld.
(lowest spray at about 240A gives about 5.5mm leg-length fillet weld ??)
As I explain - not sure if what machine reports is accurate.

The shielding gas, Ar-12.5%CO2-2%O2, is and does everything I want it
to. Including "clean" spray transfer welding condition.

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"Jim Wilkins" <muratlanne@gmail.com> writes:

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:m1cyfhwt9s.fsf@void.com...

...
...
to. Including "clean" spray transfer welding condition. --------------------------------------
Nice!
Do you think MIG is better / worse / just different from 7018 for jobs
like that? I weld outdoors.

Indoors, not vertical welding - good MIG wins by a long way.
This weld seen in the pic. on the webpage is exactly "it".
With spray arc you get plenty of fusion, etc.

Outdoors, has to be stick / 7018 typically.
Only weather-proof process.
Is nice, but is slower.

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"Jim Wilkins" <muratlanne@gmail.com> writes:

...

Nice!
Do you think MIG is better / worse / just different from 7018 for jobs
like that? I weld outdoors.

Jim, everyone

Reality for most - first response is from "industrial" situation with
3-phase power, etc.

Second response from anyone working in a shed, in your yard, etc. Hi
everyone {wave} !
NOTHING beats the fusion power per Amp of a 7018 rod.
You can weld any thickness (no upper limit) of steel from a wall-socket electric power supply with 7018. Certainly in the UK with 13A from a
240V supply. You can run a 3.2mm / 1/8th-inch 7018 to max. current from
that domestic wall-socket, especially with an inverter welding set (very efficient - high-90's% of power goes into the welding arc).

So you have to keep running welds until you build up the weld size you
need. But you can get there with what you have.

7018 properties are really good. Is both tough and strong.

So I offer another completely different response.
Which is equally true.

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On 2/18/2025 11:23 AM, Richard Smith wrote:

"Jim Wilkins" <muratlanne@gmail.com> writes:

...

Nice!
Do you think MIG is better / worse / just different from 7018 for jobs
like that? I weld outdoors.

Jim, everyone

Reality for most - first response is from "industrial" situation with
3-phase power, etc.

Second response from anyone working in a shed, in your yard, etc. Hi everyone {wave} !
NOTHING beats the fusion power per Amp of a 7018 rod.
You can weld any thickness (no upper limit) of steel from a wall-socket electric power supply with 7018. Certainly in the UK with 13A from a
240V supply. You can run a 3.2mm / 1/8th-inch 7018 to max. current from
that domestic wall-socket, especially with an inverter welding set (very efficient - high-90's% of power goes into the welding arc).

So you have to keep running welds until you build up the weld size you
need. But you can get there with what you have.

7018 properties are really good. Is both tough and strong.

So I offer another completely different response.
Which is equally true.

Makes me wish there was a thumbs up button. I appreciate you providing alternatives to welders most of us can't afford.

You may under evaluate the garden shed welder a little though. A lot of
us are running a little more than that. Most guys who are half serious
garden shed (more likely carriage house(garage)) welders are running a
200-250 amp machine off a 230V 50 amp dryer outlet, or they have
installed a larger breaker just for their welding machine. My Miller
212 says it really should be on 60 amp circuit, but I have it on a 50,
because it was convenient. Most of my welders can plug into the same
outlet.

Sure there are plenty of little 150/180 amp machines out there for light
gage work (I have one of those as well), but there are plenty of home
shop guys running a little more than that.

While I won't do anything but proper setup on the welding table to do it
with the 212 in straight MIG welding the application table says it will
run 3/8 mild steel. I won't show my welds because my fragile ego
couldn't take the criticism, but I've welded 1/4 and 3/8 wall box tube
to solid steel round bar. The convenience hitch (moves my gooseneck and
tow trailers around the property) I use on the back off the little
tractor (snaps into the quick hitch) is made with such welds. I
wouldn't have made it outdoors or in vertical or overhead positions, but
it has stood the test of time.

If I have to weld outdoors and in awkward positions I tend to run flux
core gasless wire instead. That's what I keep in the little WeldMark
(Hobart) machine.

My first (arc) welder was a little Lincoln tombstone that I struggled
with. I have since learned it was likely as much the machine as it was
me, but I still tend to shy away from stick, even though I now have
decent 200 amp AC/DC machine (my TIG power supply) that should run it
better than that old AC cracker box.

--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff

--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG antivirus software.
www.avg.com

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I'd be laying-down
(* 270 29.5) ;; 7965.0
8kW
at the arc.
(actually I was using 28.5V (?) in that weld pictured, to avoid
toe-groove on the vertical plate, even though there was onset of some
"misting" (not full spatter))
That's 10kW at the wall with an inverter, or probably 16kW with a
traditional transformer machine.
(/ 16e3 240) ;; 66.66666666666667
Which would be 67Amps at the wall on 240V.

I wanted to speak with people who have a machine they plug in in a shed, probably from an "extension lead" from the house.

Happy times everyone.

Rich Smith

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Jim - You'd more avoid positional welding with solid-wire GMAW. You'd
want to turn the work much more than with "stick" (SMAW) where
vertical-up welds are very doable. Different prep. angles? You'd have
to ask someone more streetwise than me...

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On 2/19/2025 5:13 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Richard Smith"  wrote in message news:m134g9ve4k.fsf@void.com...

Jim - You'd more avoid positional welding with solid-wire GMAW.  You'd
want to turn the work much more than with "stick" (SMAW) where
vertical-up welds are very doable.  Different prep. angles?  You'd have
to ask someone more streetwise than me...

---------------------------------
Almost my only use for my little MIG has been patching rust holes in
fenders, which I usually want to remain vertical. The exception was plug welds in spotweld cutter holes to attach a replacement radiator support.

In night school I practiced vertical up with solid wire MIG on their big Miller. I could do it but no one would hire me to.

Vertical MIG is a skill. I can do it with FCAW (and overhead)
marginally, but not so much with GMAW. I pretty much leave GMAW to
welding table assembly work. Its pretty, and needs little or no
cleanup, but when an assembly starts getting unweildy and I can no
longer put it in the easy position I often switch to FCAW.

You should have learned to weld upside down underwater. They would have
hired you to do that.

No where in the heck did I put my big heavy die grinder?



--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff

--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG antivirus software.
www.avg.com

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On 2/19/2025 3:11 PM, Richard Smith wrote:

I'd be laying-down
(* 270 29.5) ;; 7965.0
8kW
at the arc.
(actually I was using 28.5V (?) in that weld pictured, to avoid
toe-groove on the vertical plate, even though there was onset of some "misting" (not full spatter))
That's 10kW at the wall with an inverter, or probably 16kW with a
traditional transformer machine.
(/ 16e3 240) ;; 66.66666666666667
Which would be 67Amps at the wall on 240V.

I wanted to speak with people who have a machine they plug in in a shed, probably from an "extension lead" from the house.

Happy times everyone.

Rich Smith

Well , I'm one of those "shed" people ... but my power feed to the
shop is 2/0 aluminum fed by a 100A breaker . I do sometimes use a ~15
foot 8ga extension cord for the 220V Lincoln WeldPak 175 or the 50A
plasma cutter . I haven't done any vertical up with this machine , last
time I did it was with the 110V Weldpak 100 using .035 flux core . The
work was a bush hog mower deck top of 2 layers of 11 ga steel(IIRC) , it
was adequate to the task . Welds weren't pretty but that was about 3
years ago and if there were any problems I'd have gotten a call - the
job was to replace fatigue cracked top deck plates where the gearbox
mounts . Neither welder is a pro grade machine , the 100 is a basic
hobbyist unit IMO and the 175 is a bit more serious but not quite pro
grade . For stick I have the usual 225A AC Lincoln tombstone and an
Everlast EX250 TIG/stick machine . The TIG machine will do AC and DC up
to 250 amps . I've never used it for stick . I suck at stick welding .
Anything under 1/4"/6mm gets done with the MIG , over that it depends on
the material - I'm a better TIG welder than stick , and I ain't that
good at TIG .
--
Snag
We live in a time where intelligent people
are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

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Snag <Snag_one@msn.com> writes:

On 2/19/2025 3:11 PM, Richard Smith wrote:

I'd be laying-down
(* 270 29.5) ;; 7965.0
8kW
at the arc.
(actually I was using 28.5V (?) in that weld pictured, to avoid
toe-groove on the vertical plate, even though there was onset of some
"misting" (not full spatter))
That's 10kW at the wall with an inverter, or probably 16kW with a
traditional transformer machine.
(/ 16e3 240) ;; 66.66666666666667
Which would be 67Amps at the wall on 240V.
I wanted to speak with people who have a machine they plug in in a
shed,
probably from an "extension lead" from the house.
Happy times everyone.
Rich Smith

Well , I'm one of those "shed" people ... but my power feed to the
shop is 2/0 aluminum fed by a 100A breaker . I do sometimes use a ~15
foot 8ga extension cord for the 220V Lincoln WeldPak 175 or the 50A
plasma cutter . I haven't done any vertical up with this machine ,
last time I did it was with the 110V Weldpak 100 using .035 flux core
. The work was a bush hog mower deck top of 2 layers of 11 ga
steel(IIRC) , it was adequate to the task . Welds weren't pretty but
that was about 3 years ago and if there were any problems I'd have
gotten a call - the job was to replace fatigue cracked top deck
plates where the gearbox mounts . Neither welder is a pro grade
machine , the 100 is a basic hobbyist unit IMO and the 175 is a bit
more serious but not quite pro grade . For stick I have the usual
225A AC Lincoln tombstone and an Everlast EX250 TIG/stick machine
. The TIG machine will do AC and DC up to 250 amps . I've never used
it for stick . I suck at stick welding . Anything under 1/4"/6mm gets
done with the MIG , over that it depends on the material - I'm a
better TIG welder than stick , and I ain't that good at TIG .

I'll come to you if I want a practical "take" on something.
Best wishes,

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"Jim Wilkins" <muratlanne@gmail.com> writes:

"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:m134g9ve4k.fsf@void.com...

Jim - You'd more avoid positional welding with solid-wire GMAW. You'd
want to turn the work much more than with "stick" (SMAW) where
vertical-up welds are very doable. Different prep. angles? You'd have
to ask someone more streetwise than me...

---------------------------------
Almost my only use for my little MIG has been patching rust holes in
fenders, which I usually want to remain vertical. The exception was
plug welds in spotweld cutter holes to attach a replacement radiator
support.

In night school I practiced vertical up with solid wire MIG on their
big Miller. I could do it but no one would hire me to.

Bob gets there first - pretty vertical-up MIG isn't easy.
I got asked to do them even as the agency temp. because although not
pretty they were vertical-up and it was obvious you could trust your life on them.

BTW MIG vertical-up - initial set by getting a good bead-on-plate weld
on 3mm plate / thick sheet "on the flat" - see correct bead formation
and heat patina on the rear face - then you will be very close to the
correct condition for v-up MIG on thick plate.

Straight to v-up on thk plt with unknown MIG machien with no Amps and
Volts revealed is too many variables... 2 steps 3mm plt on-flat then
try v-up and fine-tune is much more controlled and keeps things
"tighter-in" on a planned path.

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