I would just like to say

[landowner]

What one did you buy?

Decided on a 120 amp Inverter Welder (Clarke)
10a to 120a
Probably be able to weld newspaper with it I'll never have to whack it all the way up anyway
Tried it with a 1.6 rod and it ran a lovely bead with minimum slag
It'll make me a better welder I think

 

[Brown]

Decided on a 120 amp Inverter Welder (Clarke)
10a to 120a
Probably be able to weld newspaper with it I'll never have to whack it all the way up anyway
Tried it with a 1.6 rod and it ran a lovely bead with minimum slag
It'll make me a better welder I think

I don't know whether they've improved arc welders recently or it's the composition of the rods that has changed, but it's a lot easier than it used to be. I bought a 220A welder generator a few months ago and although I hadn't arc welded for 20 years, with a little practice I was laying some nice looking beads, with hardly any crust, and what there was more or less peeled itself off. Then I did what I'd really bought the machine for, namely to repair the centre pivot of a 'twister' dumper truck. It was a nasty job as the bearing had come loose in its hole and hammered the metal outwards leaving a gap. It was all 12mm and 18mm plate too, so I was expecting to need all 220 amps and more. However, I filled the crevices and made good the mountings with a mere 200 amps. It was all real metal too, as I discovered when I gave it a going over with a pointy hammer. I'm sure you can do more with less amps nowadays. Either that or the dials on older machines were a bit optimistic. So far it's lasted better than the previous repair I did with an oxyacetylene torch. I was thinking I'd get better amalgamation with a gas torch, but the welder seems to have beaten it on this particular job.

 

[landowner]

I don't know whether they've improved arc welders recently or it's the composition of the rods that has changed, but it's a lot easier than it used to be. I bought a 220A welder generator a few months ago and although I hadn't arc welded for 20 years, with a little practice I was laying some nice looking beads, with hardly any crust, and what there was more or less peeled itself off. Then I did what I'd really bought the machine for, namely to repair the centre pivot of a 'twister' dumper truck. It was a nasty job as the bearing had come loose in its hole and hammered the metal outwards leaving a gap. It was all 12mm and 18mm plate too, so I was expecting to need all 220 amps and more. However, I filled the crevices and made good the mountings with a mere 200 amps. It was all real metal too, as I discovered when I gave it a going over with a pointy hammer. I'm sure you can do more with less amps nowadays. Either that or the dials on older machines were a bit optimistic. So far it's lasted better than the previous repair I did with an oxyacetylene torch. I was thinking I'd get better amalgamation with a gas torch, but the welder seems to have beaten it on this particular job.

Think it's a combination of both machine and rods, quality rods do make the finished job better I find

 

[Brown]

I haven't got a picture of what I was doing but this is the sort of problem I was trying to prevent. This is someone else's machine thank goodness.

There's a lot of stress goes through those centre bearings and the surrounding structure, and even the meatiest sheet metal gives up eventually.

 

[landowner]

I haven't got a picture of what I was doing but this is the sort of problem I was trying to prevent. This is someone else's machine thank goodness.
View attachment 303200
There's a lot of stress goes through those centre bearings and the surrounding structure, and even the meatiest sheet metal gives up eventually.

That bearing looks tiny

 

[Brown]

Think it's a combination of both machine and rods, quality rods do make the finished job better I find

Yes, and for occasional users like me, making sure they stay quality rods is the big problem. The coating goes off over time as it absorbs moisture from the air. I read somewhere that you can improve older rods by baking them in the oven. I must try that with some of mine.

 

[myfirstl322]

I haven't got a picture of what I was doing but this is the sort of problem I was trying to prevent. This is someone else's machine thank goodness.
View attachment 303200
There's a lot of stress goes through those centre bearings and the surrounding structure, and even the meatiest sheet metal gives up eventually.

It's no wonder it broke if that's their best example of a cap weld.

One can only imagine the shiite beneath that effort.

 

[landowner]

Yes, and for occasional users like me, making sure they stay quality rods is the big problem. The coating goes off over time as it absorbs moisture from the air. I read somewhere that you can improve older rods by baking them in the oven. I must try that with some of mine.

Keep mine in the kitchen by the radiator

 

[Brown]

That bearing looks tiny

The photo makes everything look smaller. That bit of metal with the crack across it must have been 30 or 35mm thick, the propshaft was about the size of my shin, and so on. But I was surprised now small the bearing was by comparison.

 

[Brown]

It's no wonder it broke if that's their best example of a cap weld.

One can only imagine the shiite beneath that effort.

The factory welds look quite smooth, so I'm guessing that the big slab of 35mm plate was put on as a previous repair, hence the rather turbulent bead.

 

[Brown]

Good buy would be handy over here

Yes, I'm glad I got one when I did, because Hayter's don't seem to make them any more and they appear to be getting quite collectable. Some people are asking silly money for them. Here's someone after £3,000 for one:
https://www.hughiewillett.co.uk/products/hayter-condor-pedestrian-rotary-mower. The paint's a bit better than mine, but it shows what people think they're worth now. Fortunately, mine was in the hundreds rather than thousands.

 

[DanClarke]

Didn't he have few big hits in the 80's?

 

[Def90man]

Im not ginger or flame yellow blonde

But accurate otherwise? Including the LZ tat?

 

[kevstar]

Morning all Bed time init zz zzzz zz zzz zzzz

 

[Hippo]

 

[Hippo]

 

[Hippo]

 

[Dippypud]

Morning all, not raining but humid out, so damp underfoot ...

 

[WhiskyLassie]

Morning Folks

 

[Stone56]

21 m/s wind by us no more leaves laying around