My Homemade Stick Welder

[AboveAverageCAD]

can you say blind camera man?

[MrAutocristales]

hola disculpa me podrias porporcionar un diagrama de como estan las lalidas de las lines para soldar y cuales van a alimentacion de corriente te lo agradeseria mucho

[Spaz2147]

How did your hands feel after that. Should be wearing something to stop that infrared light. Be safe

[81mehannik]

you can still make welding from the burnt-out of the motor

[TNGun]

Dude forget all those haters. I think its great you made your own welder, how many of those trolls learned to weld using a machine they built? Keep it up man...

[rikapas]

nice

[metacretesix]

I weld fot a living you fucking zero..Ill spell it how I see fit..

[metacretesix]

@metacretesix well...for..never mind. Im making a complete idiot out of myself...good job kid. you did swell

[metacretesix]

learn how to arch you fucking gremlin

[twenglish1]

@metacretesix I dont wanna hear it, that was the first time i ever used a stick welder, and i didn't even get the rod stuck!

[webmonkeyuk]

@metacretesix haha it's arc not arch you retard!

[webmonkeyuk]

@metacretesix haha it's arc not arch you retard!

[sprogdiklis]

are mots getting hot  fast?

[hitachi088]

@sprogdiklis yeah, people usualy run them in series like 4v+4v=8 or 6+6=12. dont go over 30. your amp will be too low and it will eventually heat up.

[DeliciousMalicious68]

i got a sweet arc burn like a left arm sun tan lol nice a little electric cord and sum sand paper ill have your car doors welded by sun up BWAHAHAHAHAH

[twenglish1]

@DeliciousMalicious68 i am going to assume you built one? how thick material will it weld and with what rods are you using?

[mccunecp]

thats cool I have thought of that buy using a few old transformers form microwaves but my father and law baught me a 80 amp welder so its all cool some people are saying it cost more to make one than to buy one but if you go to a junk yeard and get a few old microwaves or free cycle its can be a lto cheapper. and you can go and say you did it your self great job.

[veoazul]

it is OK, but spaters down in your multimeter, sabe money¡¡¡

a my english language is too bad

[Orlando4163]

What kind of electrode can it to use?

Secondaries are in parallel?

How much volts have each one?

[Thetruthishere11]

@Orlando4163

20 volts. serial i thinkl. search 'instructables arc welder' for diagrams and how to.

[HSPrzepa]

the classic microwave transformer stick welder, how many volts are you running?

[twenglish1]

@HSPrzepa Its running at about 40 volts, seems a little low because it holds a short arc, my store bought stick welder is running at 80 volts, the output that is, the microwave runs on 110/120 volts and the store bought runs on 220/240 volts

[hitachi088]

@twenglish1 normaly people run them @ 6-12Volt, 40volt is way to high. it will heat up very fast and burn.

[TheSliekaStyle]

@hitachi088

What the..? With 6-12V you can't weld.

[hitachi088]

@TheSliekaStyle ohh yeah, stupid people usualy think that the voltage is important, but thats just not true. AMP is the thing that count the voltage could be as low as 5V but that depends on the resistance of the material you will weld. normally 12volt is good. if you dont believe me just ask any electrician, or search the NET for MOT welding.

[TheSliekaStyle]

@hitachi088

Omg dude!! Do you know anything about arc and such thing as sinuse? How will you hold arc with 12V amplitude? i''m electrician, so think twice before talk bullshit again!

[hitachi088]

@TheSliekaStyle so go back to school, cause you are fucking stupid.

[TheSliekaStyle]

@hitachi088

So you can't explain how you are planning to hold arc with 12v sinuse? Do you have basic idea about ac welding? Ok..secondary school question for you..how many times you have 0V per second?

[twenglish1]

@hitachi088 The voltage needs to be high enough to sustain an arc, my homemade stick was around 40 volts and i measured the voltage on my store bought lincoln electric AC-225, its around 80 volts

[faffaflunkie]

You forgot your gloves.

[twenglish1]

@faffaflunkie i also forgot my welding jacket, oh well i didn't get any arc burns

[faffaflunkie]

@twenglish1 Also leather shoes, thick wool socks, a hat (to keep your hair from catching fire) and clear impact resistant goggles or Ray-Ban sunglasses. Of course if you really want to do anything worthwhile you'll need a 220 volt stick welder.

[twenglish1]

@faffaflunkie i don't use my homemade welder, it was just an experiment, i use my store bought Lincoln Electric AC-225 (runs off 220 volts)

[spitzification14]

@faffaflunkie can you tell me what type of welding safety should i wear i were safety glasses auto darkneing helmet, gloves and i usuall wear jeans and a t shirt

[faffaflunkie]

@spitzification14 An old "motorcycle" style leather jacket works the best and use it while welding even in the summer. Wear some kind of hat, heavy socks and leather shoes. I like the leather welding gloves without any padding that Sears used to sell. Raybans work really well as safety glasses worn underneath the welding helmet. Remember when you flip up the helmet the object is still hot and sometimes is throwing off molten metal. I really don't trust plastic safety goggles to stop hot metal.

[spitzification14]

@faffaflunkie so i need to find glass sunglasses that fit over my glasses a leater jacket and leather i saw some guy at school welding in flip flops i got scared by looking at them lol is the metal off angle grinder hot too but the thing with the sunglasses they have no side shields i have a 40 dollar auto darkning helmet and i rarely flip over when welding thanks ill have to look for a lot off stuff

[faffaflunkie]

@spitzification14 You can wear your glasses or Ray-Bans UNDER plastic goggles with side shields (a good practice as the tinted glass in the helmet can shatter). I have bought "motorcycle" style leather jackets for 10 dollars. The old ones obviously will work as well as a new jacket for welding purposes. Hot metal will burn through a shoe pretty good, so please do not wear "flip flops". And the metal thrown off by a grinder is as hot weld material and can easily cause a fire.

[spitzification14]

@faffaflunkie i need to get some leather shoes i wear runners but i weld on the floor with my knees on the floor i really need to make a small welding table in my garage i can work in a more comfortable position i made one before as a grade nine metal project it was huge it cost me nothing to make because i used the mig schools welder and materials i sold it for 200 dollars then i bought a 50 dollar 70 a stick welder and various power tools and i think a 120 volt welder is sufficent for me

[spitzification14]

@faffaflunkie i need to get some leather shoes i wear runners but i weld on the floor with my knees on the floor i really need to make a small welding table in my garage i can work in a more comfortable position i made one before as a grade nine metal project it was huge it cost me nothing to make because i used the mig schools welder and materials i sold it for 200 dollars then i bought a 50 dollar 70 a stick welder and various power tools and i think a 120 volt welder is sufficient for me

[faffaflunkie]

@spitzification14 A 120v welder is kind of a joke. I don't know why they sell them. You will only get frustrated. Get a 220v and set it for at least 70 Amps. If you have trouble with the arc try using "contact rods" (they also seem to be less likely to "burn through" your work). I use the metal stand for a large "Xerox" machine to weld on (it has wheels so I can roll it around the garage and driveway - it's handy, you can also put a small engine or a transmission on it).

[spitzification14]

@faffaflunkie i have 120 volt 50/70 amp stick welder i got for 50 bucks at princess auto its pretty good it burrns 3/32 rods with ease and i barely weld anything more than 1/8 if i weld more than that i bevel the metal and do multiple passes

[faffaflunkie]

@spitzification14 $50 bucks (Canadian) sounds like a deal. But at that price it probably doesn't have a fan. The duty cycle is at most only 20 percent. You should check your owners manual. "Beveling" and making "multiple passes" with that welder will exceed the duty cycle and burn it (the welder) out. As I said the 120v "buzz box" is difficult to use.

[spitzification14]

@faffaflunkie nah it has areally goog 6 inch fan and and a 20 percent duty cycle i never exeeded the duty cycle for what i do and i mostly weld 1/8 and thinner i rarely weld thick stuff if you have 220 in your garage by all means go 240 and its pretty eeasy to learn and if you use 5/64 rods and not use 3/32 like it states in the manual you have a higher duty cycle check out my welder at princess auto its the 70 amp arc welder and it has automatic thermal shut off ive neva had it shut off

[faffaflunkie]

@spitzification14 I saw that unit. It says it only has a 10 percent duty cycle with the 5/64 inch rods (70 amp) and a 20 percent duty cycle at the 55 amp setting. That sounds about right for a unit of that size. It lists at 129.99 (Canadian money I guess) so if you picked it up for $50 you did good.

[spitzification14]

@faffaflunkie it used to go on sale for 50 before now it only goes on sale for 99.99 they used to put it on sale for 50 about 5 months back yep its Canadian money i had a 20 percent coupon when i got it for 50 so i basically stole the thing lol

[faffaflunkie]

@spitzification14 Can't beat that for $40 Canadian. Plus it says it comes with a helmet and some welding rods.

[spitzification14]

@faffaflunkie it came with a bundle of 5/64 rods and a hand shield but my dad bought me auto darkening helmet for another 40 bucks on sale i payed for the wlder and my dad got me the helmet as a gift

[spitzification14]

@faffaflunkie i rarely weld anyting more than 1/8 it has a huge 6 inch if u have 220 in your garage b all means go 220 it does have a 20 percent duty cycle check out princess auto website and se the 70 amp arc welder its pretty good and some times goes on sale for 50 bucks

[spitzification14]

@twenglish1 r supposed to wear a welding jacet weld in just about any thing including covarlalls

[TheTubbyKid]

sorry but ran into another problem, do you just use the negative of the power cable thats connected to the outlet?

[TheTubbyKid]

could you build a welder with only 1 microwave over transformer, i need to know if it would be able to weld metal 1/16 to 1/8 or 1/4, i need a welder to build some mounting brackets for my bike, and i need to know if these welds would be strong enough for a mini bike frame?

[twenglish1]

@TheTubbyKid with the two transformers i used in the video i could weld about 3/16 you will need more transformers and less secondary windings on each transformer to get the higher current and a weldable voltage

[TheTubbyKid]

@twenglish1 can u plans on how to build yours, i was thinking two transformers each with as many wraps of ten gauge wire (i was thinking maybe 10 feet) on the secondary. Also can you tell me how to wire it up.

[twenglish1]

@TheTubbyKid i think i used 20 turns of 12 gauge, make sure you use 10 gauge, the 12 gauge melts often and they need rewound. and when connecting the transformer secondary together you have to make sure they are in the same "phase" meaning they are both pushing current the same way, hook the transformers in series circuit, plug them in and measure the output, if it is about 30 - 50 volts they are phased correctly. if the voltage is below 30 you probably won't be able to hold an arc

[TheTubbyKid]

@twenglish1 Sorry i probably sound stupid, exactly how would you wire up the tranformers, i dont know alot about them, what is the positive what is the negative? thanks for all your help!

[twenglish1]

@TheTubbyKid It's ok, did you already wind your transformer secondary with 10 gauge? if so connect one secondary to a secondary on the other transformer, plug in both transformers and measure the voltage, if the voltage is low, reverse one transformer. does that make sense?

[TheTubbyKid]

@twenglish1 Yes it make sense thanks again, this really helps!

[guitarxgodx11]

TIM TIM TIM TIM TIM I LOVE YOU!!!! for everyone's information if it wasnt for me tim wouldnt have built that welder :D

[twenglish1]

@guitarxgodx11 who are you? just kidding i know who you are

[MacsCanfly]

do i need to use a 50 dollar welders thing or could i use darkend working glasses

[twenglish1]

you could probably use darkened working glasses but i would use a welding mask, and i got mine for $20

[MrForestGreen]

@MacsCanfly

Don't use just polarized glasses, go down to an auto store and tell them you'll be welding, they can recommend replacement lenses made for welding that will run you about 6 bucks.

[Ibringthetruth1]

dansworkshop . com/electricity-and-electronic­s/homebuilt-arc-welder.htm

i emailed this guy about his welder and he said wrap as many times as you can because you need the volts.

He uses 8 mots!

You should probably not rewire yours. Bad idea. find 2 more mots from a microwave repair store. aaawelder . com/ instructables . com/id/Build-a-Microwave-Trans­former-Homemade-Welder/

[Ibringthetruth1]

What gauge and how many winds on that transformer?

[twenglish1]

12 gauge and probably about 20 windings maybe a little less

[Ibringthetruth1]

good project. mine is almost done.

[twenglish1]

awesome, good luck with it, i am actually going to up mine to 10 gauge wire to get more current

[Ibringthetruth1]

adding another transformer is probably a better idea. Also could use 220 volts-doubles the amps. from 10 to 20amps..

if you go lower then it will be harder to strike that arc. go ahead and try but if it doesn't work then you'll need another mot.

Man, i got 10 of them. I will be making a spot welder with one of them.

[twenglish1]

i have two transformers, both about the same, i heard that the less secondary windings the lower the voltage but the higher the current, is that true? and if you have thicker secondary wire more current will flow. do you know how i could calculate the output current of the welder? would i use ohms law?

[Ibringthetruth1]

goog 'transformer primary secondary calcultion'

wikipedia 'transformer' is decent although technical. slideshare . net/Sciencetutors/transformer-­calculations-presentation

questions 1st part -true , 2) thicker wire? not sure. to a point i think. there's only so much power you can generate and thicker wire might help a little more from resistance. good question. Spot welders need thick wire or the wire burns up . Not sure if a slight lower gauge makes big difference.

goodluck.

[twenglish1]

a spot welder transformer uses low secondary windings with a really thick wire(meaning low voltage, high current) but the reason you can't stick weld with that is because its not enough voltage to hold an arc. i made a spot welder transformer before(rewound a microwave transformer) i took a piece of extension cord, stripped all 3 wires on both ends and soldered them together, and put 2 turns of it on the transformer, it had really high current but low voltage(it was only about 1 or 2 volts)

[SthealthRaider]

how much amps and wut rods

[twenglish1]

the stick welder was about 50 i am guessing and i used 1/16 inch 6013 rods

[shizzit3]

YAY, good for you, now you can show-off to the whole world!!!!

[musician1232]

what size wire did you use

[shizzit3]

The question is, How big is the string?

[musician1232]

what do u mean

[twenglish1]

it was 12 gauge wire

[Procrastinatathor]

Very nice, I followed the rest on instructable.

Mine's not done yet, but it's going to be the same..

I wouldn't weld so close to the transformer. Can't a big spark hit the isolation or cause some trouble?

Still haven't found any full-face mask in my local stores, only small masks and #10 glass. Better than nothing.

Good luck! Keep up the good work!

[twenglish1]

i probably shouldn't have the transformers so close to what i am welding but at the time i recorded this video the wires were short, but the main problem i had was the transformers over heating and the secondary winding insulation melted and the wires shorted out(this happened a few times) after that i had to rewind the secondary.

[Procrastinatathor]

I'm not an electronic genius really, but it seems from the instructable page that the less turns you have on you winding, the more current there is on that winding. And I guess that since the insulation melted, it shorted the winding, thus reducing the number of useful turns, thus augmenting the amperage. And since the amperage augmented, but not the gauge of the wire, it prolly melted all the rest...

That's what I think :O

[Procrastinatathor]

BTW, I'm having a hell of a time winding the secondary. I'm using some scrap 10 gauge household wire that used to power some part of my kitchen I think. Anyway, it was really hard to wind; I thought I'd wind it tightly at first, like if I was rolling a rope, but finally I endend up just making turns as best as I could. I think I have 9-10 turns, I haven't counted.

[twenglish1]

i know if you have more secondary windings than primary windings the voltage gets stepped up, and if you have less than it gets stepped down, but i am not sure how that affects the current, i think it is the opposite for current like you said so if i take 4 transformers putting out 10 volts each an i hook them up like it says in the welder instructable would i have a higher power welder? or would it be the same as having two 20 volt transformers?

[Procrastinatathor]

Ehhh... I think you'll have a welder FOUR time more powerfull, because you are 1) doubling the number of transformer, and 2) you are doubling the amperage of each transformer (10 volts is half of 20 volts; if the power is the same, then for 10 volts you have double the amperage of 20 volts, and the input power IS the same..).

I'm not sure though, not at all. However I once saw a page (linked on the instructable) on a guy who made a pro welder with 8 transformers.

[twenglish1]

cool, thats exactly what i was thinking. i also saw that page.

[mothflavour2]

nice, but shouldn't you be wearing a leather jacket to protect your arms?

[twenglish1]

i probably should have been but i didn't get burned at all: no arc burn or burns from sparks