Welding with Inverter Machine

[date]

Over the Chrsitmas break, I was doing some welding at my daughter's place. I had taken my old CIG arc welder (very basic model) with me, but when I went to use it, no sparks. I looked the insides and there are broken wires everywhere.

GOODY! says I - I can go out and buy a new welder. So Bunnings sold me a 125 Amp Weldcorp inverter machine (Bunnings were the only place I could think of in the town we were visiting). Fabulous machine - I love it.

BUT - it has 2 sockets to connect the leads into - +ve and -ve. Which lead do I connect to the work and which to the electrode?
Maybe it doesn't matter because I have used both with similar results. I have looked through the manual and also the CD they supplied, but there is no reference as to which lead to place where. Any clues?

[80's_delirious]

you will get better answers if you post this in General Tech.

[DamTriton]

Moved...

[AFeral]

We have a cigweld machine at work if it does not have a good earth it will not work. Very sensitive VRD. Try pluging the welder in at a differant place see if it works.
The return lead (earth lead) goes to the negative and the electrode holder goes to the positive when stick welding. The other way when Tig welding.
Check to see if the over heating light is on.
Is the power light coming on ?
Check all the electrode coating is removed from the end of the rod so the rod can get a good conductivity to strike an arc.
Check all leads for damage.

[ramma]

Yep Aferal is on the money, Positive will be your electrode holder and earth clip will be your negative and swap them over if you are tig welding we do a lot of onstite welding and we have started to buy the cheaper chinese welders, they are good for the price and usually have a decent warranty
cheers
Brendan

[ledgend80]

we have got a little kemppi stick at work and i have seen the boily's using it with the electrode in the -ve socket and the earth cable in the +ve

[date]

Thanks for your replies. I did the welding job on site - it was 4 star posts which had broken off at ground level. I used +ve earth because hof the way the machine seemed to be laid out. Not an easy job, but the machine did it brilliantly. When I came home, I did another job with the earth on -ve and it did that job even better, although it was under much better working conditions. Whatever, I am very happy with the performance of the machine, not to say anything about its weight... I bought myself a great Xmas present.

[AFeral]

Reversing the polarity when stick welding will cut down on the amount of heat going into the job, less chance of blowing through on thinner metals. Positive earth makes it easyer to weld vertical up with stainless too.

[Willy Hilux]

Reversing the polarity when stick welding will cut down on the amount of heat going into the job, less chance of blowing through on thinner metals. Positive earth makes it easyer to weld vertical up with stainless too.

I thought it put more heat into the work piece, but I could be wrong. I always weld with + earth as I'm lazy to change over after Tig welding.

Also been told that if ya stick welding out in the bush from car batteries + earth is the way to go.

[Ice]

Reversing the polarity when stick welding will cut down on the amount of heat going into the job, less chance of blowing through on thinner metals. Positive earth makes it easyer to weld vertical up with stainless too.

I thought it put more heat into the work piece, but I could be wrong. I always weld with + earth as I'm lazy to change over after Tig welding.

Also been told that if ya stick welding out in the bush from car batteries + earth is the way to go.

Try your tig the other way around and see what happens

[Willy Hilux]

I'm not that F'N stupid. I know how to Tig weld.

I like playing tricks on my mates at work. Sharpen up a piece of s/s filler wire and put it in the Tig hand piece. Ya can't tell the difference till ya go to weld.

[mattsluxtruck]

How good are these invertors for TIG welding and what other gear do you need to get?
It will be nothing structural just some aluminum airbox and inlet piping for my junk.

[doe]

You cant weld ali with an inverter cause they are dc only you need ac to weld ali.

[AFeral]

You can weld Ali with an inverter. You need an AC DC inverter.