Outer Limits 4x4 Board

well I finally baught myself a welder after always stealing others. I got it for 40 bucks off ebay. It is a goodwell engineering arc welder made in 1964 and is bloody heavy. it ranges from 30to 130 amps, and I have been practicing all day, and works like a charm. Only question I have is there are two places to connect the electrode lead to. 50 volts (general) and 80Volts (special). What exactly is the difference between welding with 50 volts and 80 volts. when using 80 volts it seems easier to keep the arc going, and i could lay a bead of weld using 30 amps, but with 50 volts I could't keep it going

The higher the voltage the less current it needs to maintain an arc.

Google is your friend.

The difference will be a lot clearer when you try to weld some very light gauge steel. The 80V (special side) can't be adjusted low enough to stop burning through.
Jas.

The higher the volts the higher the "Arc Force" so the more forceful and stable the arc is. If that makes sense.

The overall energy created by the welder is a result of volts and amps more energy = hotter weld.More amps to create more energy = a less stable arc, more volts to create the same energy = a more stable arc.

There will be other repercussions of using volts versus amps to create the necessary energy, a wider weld and less penetration is probably one of them but I would need to check them ATM.


Cheers

Struth wrote:The overall energy created by the welder is a result of volts and amps more energy = hotter weld.More amps to create more energy = a less stable arc, more volts to create the same energy = a more stable arc.

Yes. Literally, power = volts x amps, and the standard way to measure power is literally the amount of energy delivered in a second. Higher power means more energy delivered over the same time.

That's the electrical side. Welding, I know jack sh!t.

-Scott- wrote:I know jack sh!t.

there's a sig in the making...

yeah ive tried searching google, but all i seem to find is the electrical side of things, I can stil remember that stuff from electrical at uni last year. But when does it benefit when welding ie trying to weld a thick plate at 130 amps, or somthing really thin on the lowest setting, or maybe when welding in wierd angles. It does seem as though it's easier to hold the arc.

dumbdunce wrote:

-Scott- wrote:I know jack sh!t.

there's a sig in the making...

The perils of posting pissed.

oops wrote:when does it benefit when welding ie trying to weld a thick plate at 130 amps, or somthing really thin on the lowest setting, or maybe when welding in wierd angles. It does seem as though it's easier to hold the arc.

A higher voltage will make it easier to strike and maintain the arc, but also means the arc has more power (for a given current) - I guess that means it penetrates better. If so, it's probably better for thick material, but easier to punch through thin material.

Or not. I know jack sh!t about welding.

thats why high frequency start is good