New tools you've bought recently?

[Ozwynn]

Hercules 20v 1/2” drive impact (the 1400 ft/lb break away torque model), charger, 2x 5ah batteries and I think an 8ah battery and an 80v Atlas Chainsaw with batteries and charger. To replace the earthquake XT impact and hart 40v chainsaw my youngest stole. Still need to replace my floor jacks and jack stands…

Well ok my wife of 1 year bought those things for me after colluding with my brother.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Nice, long cord and leads and a cart, if I didn't have two stick welders and needed/wanted one that would have been tempting...

Time to get some 3/32" and 1/8" 6011 and 6013 rods and get ready to make stuff... I pretty much only use 6011 but a lot of people like 6013...

6013 splatters less and smooths out better I think. But 6011 will weld though a cow pie. I also picked up some 7018AC rod, so I pick whatever seems appropriate for what I’m doing but truthfully I haven’t used mine much since I got my big MIG and my little wire feed. I have a whole bucket of welding rods that I have no idea what they are for, they aren’t in original packaging and I got them with the welder. The guy I bought it from didn’t know anything about it, it was his dad’s and his dad had passed.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I'll probably tape up the bare spots in the leads, make some kind of cover for the back. Maybe clean/paint. If I'm feeling really ambitious it might get a pair of connectors for the leads.

After having one of those welders bite me, I’d think about replacing the leads. It’s only 4ga welding cable and the ends are reusable typically. I’ve been buying cable from a company called Temco on eBay, they usually have a pretty decent price on a bundle of red and black.

 

[scotts90ranger]

6013 splatters less and smooths out better I think. But 6011 will weld though a cow pie. I also picked up some 7018AC rod, so I pick whatever seems appropriate for what I’m doing but truthfully I haven’t used mine much since I got my big MIG and my little wire feed. I have a whole bucket of welding rods that I have no idea what they are for, they aren’t in original packaging and I got them with the welder. The guy I bought it from didn’t know anything about it, it was his dad’s and his dad had passed.

Yeah, I don't use the stick welder much anymore, mostly on the 1/4" plus stuff and then it's on DC so that spatters less anyway but I use 6011 for it's penetration properties or 7018 for strength depending on what I'm doing... I've heard 6013 gives pretty but shallow welds so I've avoided it although I have some... but I agree since I've moved to more MIG or flux core it matters less... I'm occasionally fabricating farm stuff for my brother so it happens there more often since he just has a Century A/C stick welder for the most part and one of my flux core units and recently a cheap inverter stick welder...

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yeah, I don't use the stick welder much anymore, mostly on the 1/4" plus stuff and then it's on DC so that spatters less anyway but I use 6011 for it's penetration properties or 7018 for strength depending on what I'm doing... I've heard 6013 gives pretty but shallow welds so I've avoided it although I have some... but I agree since I've moved to more MIG or flux core it matters less... I'm occasionally fabricating farm stuff for my brother so it happens there more often since he just has a Century A/C stick welder for the most part and one of my flux core units and recently a cheap inverter stick welder...

I thought that when I set it right, 6013 ran smoother and penetrated like 7018. 6011, if you dip it in water and turn up the amps, will hot-knife steel. It’s way messy but works. 6013 and 7018 don’t work so well for that.

My big Lincoln MIG is rated for up to like 5/16-3/8” in one pass and most of what I mess with is 1/4” or less. My little wire feed is rated for quarter but it’s not happy about it, lol. I wanted it more for portable repair and doing exhaust repair anyway so it works.

 

[pacstud]

Not a big deal, but finally got a "fancy for me" 3/8 ratchet. Ended up with the Hart flex head, extendable. Really nice overall and honestly comparable to the icon, at half the price. For what I need it's perfect.

 

[Rick W]

Not a new tool, but I finally broke down and bought some 6 x 48 belts for my antique craftsman band sander. Only place I can find them these days is online.

I think I got my moneys worth out of this one…

 

[RobbieD]

I think I got my moneys worth out of this one…

Rick, Rick, Rick; my friend, you're just not "frugal" enough:

 

[Shran]

I thought that when I set it right, 6013 ran smoother and penetrated like 7018. 6011, if you dip it in water and turn up the amps, will hot-knife steel. It’s way messy but works. 6013 and 7018 don’t work so well for that.

My big Lincoln MIG is rated for up to like 5/16-3/8” in one pass and most of what I mess with is 1/4” or less. My little wire feed is rated for quarter but it’s not happy about it, lol. I wanted it more for portable repair and doing exhaust repair anyway so it works.

6013 is more or less a sheet metal rod, never use it for anything structural. 7018 is usually my go-to. A lot of people hate it because of its tendency to stick right away but it's really 75% technique and 25% buying quality rods... Lincoln Excalibur is the best. Unfortunately I have about 20lbs of Forney & Hobart to burn up. Regardless, if you can get it burning, it's easy to make the prettiest bead of any rod.

I haven't run much 6010 or 6011 ever, aside from buildup plates in high school welding class and a few times where it's all I had on hand, it just didn't stand out as something I would grab first. Think I do have a couple boxes of 6011 on hand though if that day ever comes.

Most of the time I am running on DC, some rods work better on AC though - I just happen to be fortunate enough that all three of my stick welders are DC capable. Supposedly some rods work better on an old transformer welder than a newer inverter one too. Just a matter of finding the right match of stuff for the job I suppose.