# Forum Home Renovation Metalwork & Welding  Powerarc - junior 180

## ajm

I've inherited a brisbane made welder made by gayrad. It's called a Powerarc - junior 180. Want read up on it to learn  how to use correctly but the company now seems to make inverters and transformers. Any ideas on how find out more about it or is it a standard type mig(?) Welder? 
Slk

----------


## ajm

Was playing around with this today. It's actually a powerarc 130 - junior made by gayrad pty ltd.  
Surely, there is someone out there who knows a thing or two about machines like this one? 
Slk

----------


## Bros

Not much to them, they are just a stick welder.

----------


## cyclic

https://www.bing.com/search?form=MOZ...a+stick+welder 
TAFE also do courses on all welding although probably no  more before next year. 
As to the machine you will need a welding helmet but the machines are pretty much fool proof ??  
A good auto darkening helmet probably starts around $300 or you can use a flip up type off the net/second hand for next to nothing however you have to ask what your eyes are worth as you only have 2 of them. 
I still use an old fashion flip up cause I do very little welding although I did pay $100 many years ago for an auto one which I took back same day as it was useless. 
You should use a 15 amp power point although I never ever have cause most homes don't have 15 amp power points and best not to use extension lead cause it drops the power to the machine and can burn the plugs and leads (i have) 
You may also trip the power/pop a fuse cause they pull some amps  
And once you start using it if you wake in the middle of the night and your eyes feel like they are full of sand 
it is because you copped a flash to the eyes so be very careful that the helmet is down before striking the arc when using it. 
Also be warned if you are doing a lot of welding, use long sleeves/pants and welders gloves as the arc coming off can give you burns similar to sunburn. 
People using welders long term use welders leather aprons and long leather gloves 
cause a lot of hot sparks come off so don't set yourself/clothes on fire or anything around you for that matter. 
When you run a weld it leaves slag so you will need a chipping hammer to chip off the slag using common sense to protect you eyes with safety glasses or the flip up on your welding helmet if you have  
a flip up (some old helmets are fixed) 
Now I have probably put you off welding have fun learning. :Biggrin:

----------


## phild01

...and grind zinc off from any gal material, the fumes will give you flu like symptoms.

----------


## Jonno80

Yes fumes......the extremely high temperatures involved are a cauldron for producing all kinds of exotic poisons and carcinogens. Either lots of air movement to take the fumes away from you or invest in an integrated welding mask + filtration system.

----------


## Bart1080

Some good tips from Cyclic....probably repeat some below. 
Your welder is an arc welder
Im a hobby welder (weld stuff occasionally) and learnt from some good Utube vids and relative who is a qualified welder .....bottom line is I can get by most things but can be still rough.
Friends have done the intro course at TAFE and found them really good...shortened their learning time a lot for not only how to strike an arc, what a "Strong" weld is and should look like, different amp settings for different material thicknesses, electrode types etc etc.  They are also likely to take you through ARC and MIG  
- long sleeves, long pants and leather boots are mandatory.  Hot molten welding slag/metal will do a lot of damage if it drops on your foot/inside your boot/burns straight through your runners.
- Auto darkening helmet.  Mine and the lifetime welder were just the $100 version and work fine.  The best thing with these is you have 2 hands free all the time which makes its far easier particularly for learners or hackers like me.
- Clear set of safety glasses.  I wear these all the time under the welding helmet so when I flip it up to chip off the hot slag, or pop off the helmet to grind they are there ready to go
- Welders gloves
- Welders chipping hammer
- 4" grinder to clean your welds up.  A normal grinder disc and the "flap" disk types are great
- a couple of those welders triangle magnets can be handy to hold pieces in place before you tack then together
- clams to hold your pieces together
- plenty of good utube vids - search "learning to stick weld" - TimsWelds, weld.com, weld-d are some that come to mind.

----------


## ajm

Thanks guys. At this point, i just need to be able to fix my gates where the horses have pushed on them and broken the welds. I have got a pair of flip up goggles and a bunch of spare lenses. I have also got elbow length sued gloves and a leather lap apron. I'll get an overshirt down the track. 
I've been watching online tutorials and now want to have a practice. The machine I inherited has three cables - 1 power cable, 1 electrode lead with clamp at end, and 1 work lead. 
There is a winding handle on top that adjusts t he amps. 
On Sunday, I plugged it in for the first time and got a slight hum. Nothing else. Waited a few minutes then touched the rod to a piece of practice metal  still nothing. Should I be doing something differently? 
Slk

----------


## phild01

I assume you earthed the metal you were wanting to weld.

----------


## droog

I hope the goggles are the correct shade for arc welding, a lot of goggles are around shade 5 for oxy welding.  
Is the metal clean? and check you don’t have flux slag on the end of the electrode, it is common to have tap the electrode on a solid surface to ensure the metal electrode is exposed on the end.

----------


## Whitey66

> I hope the goggles are the correct shade for arc welding, a lot of goggles are around shade 5 for oxy welding.  
> Is the metal clean? and check you don’t have flux slag on the end of the electrode, it is common to have tap the electrode on a solid surface to ensure the metal electrode is exposed on the end.

  Good point regarding the goggles. Flip up goggles are generally used for oxy welding and brazing, not metal arc welding. You need a mask to protect your face from UV and IR rays.
I'd also be checking the condition of those welding leads where the are joined to the terminals, they look to be at a 90 degree angle which could indicate broken strands in the cables.
Don't do any welding till you get a proper mask ajm !!!!!

----------


## Bart1080

> On Sunday, I plugged it in for the first time and got a slight hum. Nothing else. Waited a few minutes then touched the rod to a piece of practice metal  still nothing. Should I be doing something differently? 
> Slk

  Did you clamp the clamp to the gate?...as it needs this for the welder to work as it completes the electrical circuit...hence the arc.

----------


## ajm

Will check the lenses in the flip up. Also have a full face job with spare slide glass so will use that instead. Thanks for the tip.  
I was using an old rod but the metal tip was exposed. Might have been slightly corroded.   I'll try with a new rod.  
Same thing with the earth clamp (which was clamped on to the welding surface). It is actually corroded so will clean that up tonight. I am using a scrap piece of SHS to practice so might get a fresh piece. 
As for the leads, they have flat loop ends on them and hang down the front of the box. The red tape was originally over where these were clamped onto the leads. Will replace tonight also. 
I'll update this evening. Cheers.Se

----------


## ajm

It's alive!  
New rod and wire brushed the earth clamp. Thanks all. If I want to just add a spot to hold the mesh onto a farm gate, should the amps be really low? The gates are 25NB Galvanised Pipe with 5mm Mesh Infill.  
Slk

----------


## droog

Depends on the size of the mesh, frame and the rods. 
Get some scrap the same dimension as what you want to weld and practice.
Too low amps and it will look like bird @@@@@ too high and you will burn holes. For what you want to achieve I would say reasonably high as it really is just tacking it in place. 
And don’t use flip up goggles.

----------


## Sebastian1982

take welder to tip. heavy, old tech. but rock solid amperage. 
buy inverter welder - $300 - the only way.  
remove hand piece / clamp before disposal - they dont make them like that anymore.  
as to you welding - 2.5mm 16TC electrodes, 50 amps - the gal wlll get real hot real quick. and avoid breathing in the white cobweb gal dust - or youll get the fever

----------


## phild01

> take welder to tip..

  No... metal recycler for copper value.

----------


## Sebastian1982

Unfortunately not copper inside.  Large steel / iron block slides in and out of 'arc power maker'. Its always on full power, operator retards power by sliding in the steel block.   
Some copper in there but not what your hoping for.

----------


## cyclic

> No... metal recycler for copper value.

  Don't know why one would dump a working welder, but eyespose it's same as getting rid of a working car to buy a battery car.
FWIW not all old welders are copper wound
I had an old Murex from 1965 which was alloy wound.

----------


## phild01

> Don't know why one would dump a working welder, but eyespose it's same as getting rid of a working car to buy a battery car.
> FWIW not all old welders are copper wound
> I had an old Murex from 1965 which was alloy wound.

  I had wondered if aluminium was used for windings, still valuable.
Portability and space would be my only reasons for tossing it.

----------


## ajm

It was a gift. It works. Its on it's own wheeled stand. I'm a backyard user with a new toy. All reasons to NOT get rid of a good welder.  
Have already made a stand feeder for our goats. It's ugly and a little wobbly but they tell me it's the best stand they have ever seen. So, in your face, anyone who says throw it out. 
lk

----------

