Running Regular 7018 on AC

[Jess]

Hello, today I have to show that you can run 7018 on AC. It takes a certain type of welder to achieve this, but it is possible. The main point is you need to have some big transformer machine, it doesn't work well if you have some Lincoln Tombstone or an inverter. The Forney C-5 Arc welder has no problem running it, so I will stick to running it. I hope this helped some people that wonder if it could be done..

Video about it:

Have a great day

-Jess

[John T]

cool old welder.

I had one of those.

30 years ago.

[Jess]

Good solid welder.. Will probably out live me!

-Jess

[HT2-4956]

If you ever want to experience 7018 running really sweet on AC try it off a Syncrowave.

[Louie1961]

My syncrowave loves 7018, but I have never tried AC. Pretty happy with the results on DCEP

[Sharon Needles]

If you ever want to experience 7018 running really sweet on AC try it off a Syncrowave.

I was getting really bad arc blow welding some base plates to some W beams so I flipped the selector on the Synchro 350 to AC and man what a difference!!

[Jess]

I bet that would run like a dream!!

-Jess

[chewinggum]

Can someone explain why it is equipment specific? Why will not any AC (Tombstone) work. AC is AC isn't it?
CG

[MinnesotaDave]

I've used 7018 on a tombstone ac225, and a few other buzz boxes - it was a little harder to get lit, but welded fine after.

Naturally 7014 was easier.

[Jess]

I was told that it wouldn't work as well (harder to get lit ect). I have no clue though, I haven't tried it on a Tombstone. Just going off what I heard.

[Louie1961]

AC is NOT AC in all cases. Syncrowaves and certain other transformer TIGs produce square wave AC as opposed to sine wave AC that you get from a tombstone. There is also the issue of open circuit voltage. Certain machines like inverters produce a lower OCV that can affect the way stick rods run, which is why a lot of inverters don't run 6010 very well. A Syncrowave is a square wave machine with a pretty high OCV. I would bet that is why it runs 7018 on AC. I love mine it is great for stick welding in general. Throw in the arc force function and it rocks. I stick weld way more than I TIG weld with it.

[HT2-4956]

Louie,

You know another feature on the Syncrowave that can sometimes be used to great advantage when stick welding is the HF start function. If you ever find yourself needing to stick weld down deep into tight restricted places (like where it would be impossible to get a tig torch into) it can be really helpful. Just set the foot pedal so it functions as a contactor only and leave the amperage control on the machine. One nice thing is that while you're reaching down in trying to get set to start welding the rod is cold so you don't have any risk of premature arc strikes. Once you get set and are holding a 1/16 to 1/8 gap off the end of the rod you just hit the pedal and it fires up right where you want it with out any of that randomness that can easily be involved with manually trying to strike an arc up. Plus at the end you just let off the pedal and it's immediatly cut off with out all that long arcing that you can get when trying to manually break an arc off. It leaves a real nice stop for a stick rod.

Even better than a foot pedal for this is one of those two button switches like are made for use on tig torches. You can easily get one of those fastened to the handle of your stick rod stinger and work it with your thumb.

[docwelder]

on occasion when all the other machines were taken in the fab shop i had to run 7018 off the smaller ac tombstone. it had a loud erratic arc but it was better than going home without pay.

[AGW]

Louie's spot on regarding the OCV's. IIRC, for most regular 7018 it takes about 80 ocv's to keep the arc going. Most of the cracker box welders only put out around 78 ocv's. To combat that, Hobart then reformulated the flux and started selling 7018AC rods for the cracker box side of the rod market.

Now, for some of the more experienced welders, I have no doubt they could weld with regular 7018 on a cracker box ac welder, but for the average "Joe Farm" welder, it just ain't gonna happen.

[Louie1961]

You know another feature on the Syncrowave that can sometimes be used to great advantage when stick welding is the HF start function.

I can't remember where I read it, if it was in the syncrowave manual or in the manual for the AHP alphatig I had, or where. But I distinctly recall reading a grave warning in a manual somewhere that said stick welding with the HF on was an electrocution hazard. I will have to see if I can find where it was.

[Iain P]

I've switched my Ideal Arc to AC and run regular 7018s with it before just to say I did. Other than the sound of the arc I really didn't see any difference in how it ran.

[Karl Robbers]

Regular 7016's and 7018's that we get in Australia need a minimum of 70V OCV on AC to run and they do run quite nicely once lit up. In the early '90's, a company by the name of Welding Industries of Australia (WIA), introduced a twin coated low hydrogen 7016 to the market called a 16TC, these would run on the smallest buzz box welders as only 45VAC OCV was required. Cigweld market a similar electrode, Ferrocraft 16 if I recall correctly, as does BOC with their Smootharc 16 electrode. Since inverter welders running DC became cost effective and common, most seem to run them now and the WIA 16TC has become probably the most popular and respected maintenance electrode within industry as it is just so versatile and forgiving, it's easy running characteristics even better when fed DCEP.

[HT2-4956]

I can't remember where I read it, if it was in the syncrowave manual or in the manual for the AHP alphatig I had, or where. But I distinctly recall reading a grave warning in a manual somewhere that said stick welding with the HF on was an electrocution hazard. I will have to see if I can find where it was.

Louie,

I've also read that warning many times over the years. The real risk to using HF to start a stick rod is not so much "electrocution" as it is premature arc strikes and flashing yourself. If you're going to use HF to start (and stop) a stick rod you have to have it on a switch where you can accurately control when it's on or off. Just turning on the HF start function and trying to go about manualy striking an arc is a recipe for "bad welding".

[jmay]

I run regular 7018s on my 35 year old AC225 all the time. Restarts do suck 7018 ac are better for tacking and such.

[John T]

. If you're going to use HF to start (and stop) a stick rod you have to have it on a switch where you can accurately control when it's on or off. ..

Thats the way the arcpig works.

scratch tig OR stick