Arc Welding Project – Everlast PowerPro 256 (Part 2)

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I did an Arc Welding Project with a 3-in-1 combo Tig welder from Everlast – the PowerPro 256.
The Everlast Combo Welder (Tig-Stick-Plasma Cutter) can tig weld steel, stainless steel, or aluminum.

What is the Arc Force / ARC control knob and what does it do?

The arc force/control lets you adjust whether you have a soft buttery arc or a digging arc.

Arc voltage drops as the arc gets tighter.

When you set the arc force knob high, the machine makes the arc dig more by sensing a drop in voltage when the rod is about to stick… an arc welding machine with arc force control compensates when the rod is about to stick by increasing the arc voltage. You can literally jam the rod in as tight as you like without sticking if you have it hot enough with the arc control set high.

Setting the arc force knob low, gives a soft buttery arc. If you were hardfacing backhoe bucket teeth, a soft arc might come in handy to prevent that hardface rod from diluting too much with the softer base metal.

Who wants to pay an arm and a leg for hardface rod only to have it turn out soft because too much base metal was melted?

Today, for this arc welding project, I set the arc force to dig because the 7018 rods I was using were old and had been sitting out in the air for like 2 years. I knew they would have a tendency to stick if I didnt set the machine for a digging arc.

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