OUT OF POSITION WELDING IN STRAIGHT POLARITY.

By KYLEMOUNGER Date 11-18-2009 21:27

I AM SOMEWHAT NEWISH TO WELDING. I HAVE BEEN AROUND IT FOREVER BUT JUST STARTED GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT IT THIS LAST YR. SO I BOUGHT THE CHEAP AC ONLY LINCOLN BUZZBOX. NOW HERE IS THE PROBLEM. I CAN THROW DOWN BEAUTIFUL PASSES WITH A MILLER AC/DC I HAVE AT MY WORK BUT WHEN I COME HOME AND PRACTICE....UPHILL AND OVERHEAD LOOK LIKE JUNK. IS IT BECAUSE AC SUCKS FOR THOSE POSITIONS AND IS EASIER IN DC.

By cajun welder (**)

Date 11-18-2009 23:43 Edited 11-18-2009 23:48

What rods are you using? What amps? 6011 works better on AC than 6010, 7018AC works better than 7018. Have you tried playing with your amps? Maybe you could post a picture of your welds for us to look at. I never used a buzzbox but if you can switch the polarity it would help.

By jsdwelder (***)

Date 11-30-2009 21:01

He can't change the polarity when there isn't one (AC only). When running AC current you generally need avout 10-15% more amperage for a given electrode as compared to DC. As cajun welder stated it does depend on your choice of electrode and some will perform better than others on AC

By weldstudent (**)

Date 01-08-2010 18:04

hi, if the welder you have is AC only then your not welding in electrode negative (straight) and your not welding in electrode positive (reverse) either. you are bouncing back and forth between the two. hence AC. there are electrodes designed for AC welding. Good luck.