nimda's blog

Do I need to use 7018 with my new stick welder to get strong welds? I’ve heard this question many times. E7018 is a fine welding rod choice in many situations, when properly stored and managed. It provides a smooth flowing puddle with easy to peel slag. It has a nice consistent arc.

Over time we’ve added more and more TIG machines to the Everlast lineup. We’ve modified our stick welders even to provide a lift start TIG mode over the old scratch start method to be able appeal to a broader range of applications.

Lift start TIG is a much better method for starting a TIG arc because as the tungsten makes contact with the work piece to start the arc with a quick downward motion, the current is reduced so that the tip will not heat up and stick fast to the metal.

Pre-sales calls about TIG welders often come around to the discussion of arc starting styles eventually. Many times I have had customers ask me if we had scratch start TIG mode on our AC/DC welders. I’ll reply,” No, but we have lift start”. They’ll then ask, “It’s the same thing isn’t it?” “No, it isn’t” I reply.

Quite often, perspective TIG welder customers who are new to TIG welding often are trying to figure out what type of TIG they need and are confused by the terms of “Lift Start”, “Scratch Start” and “High Frequency Start”. It’s not uncommon for even a pro to mix-up and confuse the terms of “Lift Start” and “Scratch Start” and even occasionally “High Frequency start”. To cover these differences, we’ll take a look at each over the next few blogs and discuss how they are commonly used.

Staying employed in a field that you like and love is a challenge, regardless of your occupation.  Staying employed in a field that you don’t like and don’t love, is almost impossible.  If you are considering welding as a “career change”, you may already be aware of this.   You may be facing a mid-life crisis of employment, forced early-retirement or just feeling unfulfilled in your stale old, going no-where job.   If so, don’t automatically think welding would be a good fit for a career change without understanding that successful welders are flexible welders.  And one key area of flexibil

Can I MIG weld with a flux core machine? Well this is an often discussed question on many forums where there are multiple brands and types of welders represented.  I get a version of that question quite often as well: Can I flux core weld with my Everlast Power I MIG welder? Let’s be clear, MIG (or GMAW to use the current correct term of the day) has been defined as Metal-Inert-Gas, or rather for GMAW, as Gas Metal Arc Welding. This means that it uses gas to weld. A flux core wire feed welder is a bit different, though they may look similar from the surface.

Finding out that you stepped into the wrong field of work can be disheartening and be a great setback to finding job security and contentment.   This is particularly so in the welding field.  If you’ve heard the latest statistics about great demands for welders and huge paychecks that can be earned, you may be thinking about welding as a new career.  Unfortunately a large number of new  welders suffer burnout because they weren’t aware of what was involved in making the big bucks and keeping themselves fully employed.   The first item that a new welder should consider before making a career

What’s the difference between spray arc (axial spray) and other methods of MIG welding? Can I spray with my 75/25 gas? If you are looking to really amp up your production with your MIG, you may want to consider using spray arc. Of course, that is dependent upon the size of your welder and the capability of it. Spray arc, more properly referred to as Axial spray, is a form of MIG welding that is greatly different in look and feel than traditional short circuit MIG.

Should I get a Digital or Analog welder? That’s one of the most difficult to answer questions that we hear from perspective customers. But it is also a commonly discussed one over on welding forums, such as our Everlast welding forum. It’s rather easy to explain the differences, but often, most people come at the discussion with preconceived notions of both digital and analog products. It’s hard to deal honestly with the difference between a digital TIG welder and an analog TIG welder without first explaining what the actual difference is in the technologies.

Welding related question 8 for this month is a common one that arises on our forums and other places, and it has to deal with not being able to see the molten puddle. Often they wonder if it’s the machine or their helmet.  One of the causes for this of course is inexperience. Learning to train your eyes to focus on what is going on in the puddle behind the bright arc takes practice for some individuals. But most people can learn to rapidly recognize the puddle and differentiate between the arc, the puddle and the trailing slag covering (if any) as it coalesces.