My very first weld....ever.

[CharlzO]

Wasn't sure exactly where to put this post, so I figured I would put it here and if it needs moving, by all means!

I've never welded anything before in my life. However, I have a nice shiny 160STH to learn with, and what better way than to jump right in and do everything wrong! Yep! Ok, before anyone flames me too hard, I am very well aware of all the shortcomings I am about to divulge. I shall explain after.

First..the picture...



First one was the upper right, progressing down to the left. This is with a 160STH, running on 110v turned to 95A... on 2 1/2" square, 1/8" square tubing, rusty with no cleaning, with some el cheapo Hot Max brand 5/32" 6010 electrodes. See what I meant about doing everything wrong?! So, to explain slightly... the 6010s I bought when I THOUGHT I was going to be getting a PA200. Didn't have a chance to pick up anything better suited before I said the heck with it, lemme see what this is all about.

So tonight, I had to help my mom with something, so I took it with me and hooked it up in my step-dad's woodworking shed (I did the actual welding outside, didn't trust sparks near sawdust). Now, I am always a big advocate of don't practice poorly. In this case, I know that I was pretty much doing exactly that. However, since I have never touched a stick before in my life, I decided that even though it was far from ideal, that it WOULD give me at least an understanding of the basic functions. It would also get me used to burning the electrode down as I go, what kind of rate to expect since it's very hard to accurately judge that in any video I've seen, no matter how well it's shot. I'd never worn a helmet before, so it gave me a chance to see what that was like.

I know I didn't clean the passes off hardly at all other then scraping some slag off at the end. I'm also sure I didn't get a ton of penetration, though I can definitely see the trails on the inside of the tubing as well. Again, my goal was simply to get a feel for the mechanics of the process, nothing more. Obviously the first and 2nd passes were pretty awful, and I know it would've at least been a little easier had I ground the piece clean to start with. But overall, I'm happy that I've gotten a taste and a feel for how it works now that I've seen it in person.

So by all means, critique away if you feel so inclined. I am planning on the next attempts to be with more appropriate electrodes and plates, and ideally with a full 220 behind me, but even if it's just more 110 learning, I'm good with that!

And that little 160 performed perfectly, exceeded my expectations by far! I have a feeling I'll be calling another time or two to see about picking up something for my brother for Christmas perhaps, and to get myself some more goodies shortly thereafter.

[Rambozo]

Actually, for a first attempt with no one to instruct, it doesn't look all that bad. I've seen WAY worse. It is a skill that takes practice to get consistent results.

[CharlzO]

definitely, definitely. I'm going to pick up some 3/32 rods this week, and some good scrap to play with a lot more, sit down and just plug away and get used to it. I knew the stuff last night was one of those "everything against me" things, but I wanted to see what it felt like. Can't wait to get back at it for more practice, for sure.