Arc welder wires interchangeable?

[steve]

I've just bought an arc welder but you have to put on the ground clamp and electrode holder yourself and there's no indication of which is which. I've opened it up and the wires lead to either end of a coil and I can't see any difference. Does it matter?

 

[pvb]

Yes, they\'re interchangeable. (nm)

 

[Guest]

Re: Yes, they\'re interchangeable. (nm)

You just want to see him go up in a flash don!t You! PVB?
EEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[pvb]

You must think I\'m a lune-y!!!

Hi Bluebeard! How are you keeping?

 

[PaulJ]

I canot claim to be an expert on this but I believe the polarity IS important. I have a MIG welder which can also be used for gasless welding. For MIG the torch is connected to the +ve terminal and there is a warning on it which says that for gasless (which I assume is arc?) welding the torch should be connected to the -ve terminal.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Is This Scuttlebutt?

If this was scuttlebutt I might be tempted. Metal is carried by the flow electrons from the welding rod to the material being welded. If I remember my schoolboy science current flows from positive to negative, but electrons flow from negative to positive. Thus I suppose that the handpiece [welding rod end] is -ve and the material to be welded should be +ve. If the leads are reversed I suppose that the welding rod should show a build up of metal rather than a loss??!!!. Any way I just use my welder the way it was set up and it seems to work OK. I do not intend to swap it around in the interests of science and re-inventing the wheel. I'll go and look at the thing later to see how it works. Happy welding.

 

[steve]

Re: Is This Scuttlebutt?

How can you tell which is which?--there are no markings.

 

[philip_stevens]

Steve,
One (or maybe two) question(s), and I may well come back to you.

Did you see any diodes or rectifier plates when you opened up your welder?? Or did it look just like a big tranformer??

regards,
Philip

 

[steve]

I dont know if I'd recognise a diode or rectifier plate , but it did seem to look like a big transformer.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Re: Is This Scuttlebutt?

Odd that there are no markings, I presume that you bought it second hand. Arc welding is DC and the -ve must be the handpiece and welding rod connection, +ve is grounded to the object that you are welding, usually with a cable connected G clamp.

What brand is it? Perhaps you would get an answer if you took it to a local trade shop, agent or such and asked them to sort it out for you. There will be some rectifing electronics inside, but as you have looked and not realized what you are seeing then I presume that you do not have the technical knowledge to sort out things from the configuration of the gear nor do you have welding experience.

Find a local expert. When you get it going, then what? Can you weld, do you know what to do next? Might be a good idea to take a simple hobby course on the thing and do a bit of reading of DIY manuals etc. Otherwise for the amount of welding you are likely to need done, better to hire a local tradesman. Not as much fun though. Have fun and good luck.

 

[sonarbell]

Yes, they can be interchanged for different types of welding
1, Electric arc welding, Tongues to +ve , Earth clamp to -ve.
2, Tig welding Earth to +ve, Torch to -ve.
3, Mig Welding Earth to -ve, Torch to +ve.

 

[Guest]

Dear Friend it maters if the plants out put is AC arc it does not matter if the arc is DC. if DC the electrodes sometimes ask for negative earth and sometimes positive eath and we used to reverse the polarity on DC plants if the arc suffered from what we used to call arc blow this reversal some times helped. But if you conect the AC plant wrong the weld would be very poor I am sure you would soon work out the right way
but be sure not to have the work bench you are on in any way conected to the electrical earth system as the power will find its way back to the plant by your earth wires but they will not be heavy enough to carry the current and you will damage these wires . also never leave a grinder or electrical tool on the welders bench because in the event of the earth lead coming off the current will find a way back as you are welding througt your grinder etc
Best regards KEN