Many people have always puzzled over how to properly connect the stick welding wire to the welder. The preferred polarity of ground lead connection: negative or positive? Where should the electrode be connected?
In this article, we will try to answer the following question: how to hook up stick welding leads.
Most people get confused when trying to figure out the specifics of connecting a welding machine. However, whatever the case may be, it later turns out that it’s not as complicated as it may seem.
Ways to connect stick welding leads
Welding leads can be connected in three different ways, which have the following names:
- DCEN connection.
- DCEP connection
- AC connection.
Each connection has its advantages and disadvantages. The choice of type of connection depends on what area of stick welding they are used in.
Shielded metal arc welding setup
The most common type is gas metal arc welding, also called arc welding. Electric current (usually direct electrical current) is used to melt the metal workpiece and electrode rod to form a weld puddle. The electrode is coated with a flux that protects the weld formed from the weld pool from contamination by foreign particles.
Stick welding setups
An arc welding machine (stick welding) consists of the necessary equipment:
- Welding wire
- Electrodes holder
- Grounding clamp (work clamp)
- Welding rod (electrode)
- Machine for welding work
What are leads on a welder?
Wrapped in an insulating rubber jacket, welding wires or cables, like other copper wires, are electrical conductors. These cables come in a variety of diameters and lengths. Larger-diameter cables are usually used for high currents because they have a lower current resistance. For low currents, smaller diameter cables can be used. It all depends on the nature of the welding application.
Two types of welding wire are used in stick welding: the electrode wire and work wire (aka the ground wire). The connection to the electrode holder of the welding machine is made with the electrode holder (wire). The ground wire is also used to make the connection to the workpiece.
Determining welding lead sizes
There are various sizes of welding leads. Careful attention should be paid to the size of the welding leads when connecting them to the stick welder. If you choose the wrong cable, you will not be able to power source the proper current or voltage for the welding arc. Therefore, issues such as excessive spatter and lack of penetration can occur. Occasionally, a welder will simply not produce an arc blow if the amperage is too low.
You will find the correct copper and aluminum cables sizes for different stick welding amperage values and cable lengths.
The table provides the current carrying capacity, by the gauge of copper and aluminum wires.
If your product is about one hundred feet away from the stick welder, for example, and you need an amperage rating of two hundred amps, ask your welder salesman for a size 4/0 aluminum cable or a size 1/0 copper cable.
Steps to set up stick welding leads
To properly connect the welding leads, the following simple steps must be followed.
1. Mounting the ground clamp
First, attach the ground clamp in a proper arrangement. Employing a special working wire, our workpiece is connected to the ground lead. The ground clamp can be connected either directly to the workpiece or to the metal welding table on which all the necessary work will be performed.
2. How to hook up stick welding leads to the welding machine?
Then connect the work lead to the negative pole of the welder and the electrode cable to the positive terminal. Depending on the type of welding, opposite connections can also be made. Later in this article, we will talk about connections of this type. A ground clamp connects the workpiece to the earth via the work lead.
To change the welding polarity, use the switch. If the machine does not have this functionality, then you will need to swap the appropriate connections of the cables yourself. It is very important to disconnect the welder before reversing the polarity on the welding machines.
3. Connecting the welder
Finally, connect the machine and turn it on. Adjust it to the appropriate current and voltage settings, depending on the welding conditions. You can start working.
3 types of welding systems: DCEN, DCEP, and AC
Most people wonder if contact welding is negative or positive grounding. Here is the answer to that question: “Either/or”. Welding cables can be connected in three different ways during stick welding.
DCEP welding connection
We use the DCEP for most stick welding applications. It is very important to connect the electrode positive polarity and the electrode holder ground clamp to the negative terminal. This is necessary to connect a “DC electrode positive polarity (reverse polarity)” or a DCEP DC electrode. Electrons eventually flow to the electrode from the workpiece. The DCEP unit is used to perform most types of welding.
DCEN welding connection
The workpiece has a DC positive charge and the electrode holder has a negative charge directly at the DCEN electrode or minus DC (another name for “straight polarity”). Accordingly, electrons flow from the electrode to the workpiece with a positive charge, there is a specific circuit to make the necessary adjustments to connect the DCEN. There is a specific DCEN stick welding scheme.
AC connection
It is very important to have a frequency of sixty hertz directly when welding with alternating current. It is known that every 120th of a second there is a change in direction of the current. The heat is distributed fairly evenly between the workpiece and the electrode itself in an AC welding connection. This is because there is no polarity. It is important to work according to the diagram that illustrates the AC welding setup.
DCEP vs DCEN: what polarity should you stick weld on?
The DCEP is used to connect welding leads in a wide variety of applications. But stick welding is very diverse. It should be remembered that the movement of electrons is always from the minus terminal to the plus terminal of the welder.
Thus, in the case of DCEP, electrons exit the metal surface and move toward the electrode as the work lead is connected to the negative terminal of the machine. These electrons give off a considerable amount of heat as a result of a collision with the plus electrode. Directly on the electrode itself, 2/3 of the welding heat is released, and the remaining third is accumulated directly on the workpiece.
In DCEN it is different, two-thirds of the heat is generated directly on the metal being worked because the electrons move from the electrode to the base metal. It is impossible to randomly select every welding joint. Each compound has specific stick welding applications and limitations.
Similarly, not all electrodes are suitable for both DCEN and DCEP.
With DCEP, the electrode, as mentioned above, produces a high heat value, which provides deep penetration. At the same time, DCEP has a reduced rate of electrode deposition compared to DCEN. Consequently, it is not suitable for welding thin sheets because it can cause them to tear.
At the same time, less heating of the electrode occurs with DCEN, resulting in a lower penetration rate. However, compared to DCEP, the deposition rate of the filler metal is quite high (filler metal deposition rate). We recommend using DCEN if you have to weld thin sheets.
Definition of electrodes for different polarities
Different electrodes work best with different types of current. Some are suitable for direct current, others for alternating current. It depends a lot on the type of electrode coating. The choice of electrodes for different polarities depends on the type of coating, so the following special table may help choose the right electrode.
Arc cleaning action in DCEP
The oxide cleaning action is an important positive property of DCEP just before DCEN.
- During the arc welding process, it is very important to thoroughly clean the metal surface for a quality weld.
- Residues of various contaminants, traces of rust, oxides, and other particles must be removed. Otherwise, these contaminants will mix with the metal, which is spread out, and a weak weld will be obtained.
In DCEP, the flow of electrons travels directly to the positive electrode from the base metal. The oxide layer (non-conductive) in the metal is destroyed by this electron flux and impurity particles are removed from the metal, resulting in a strong weld.
AC Welding vs DC welding
Many high-powered devices operate on DC. Both AC/DC can be used to operate a certain portion of professional TIG and SMAW welding machines. But which is better, AC or DC? If the direct current is used more than 90 percent of the time, what does AC welding require?
DC welding is pretty smooth compared to AC welding. There is this AC waveform: there comes a point where the flowing current is 0 every time the polarity is switched from plus to minus. An irregular arc formed to form because of this rather intermittent current flow.
We also recommend reading another article “What is Stick Welding?”, we think it will also interest you and you will find useful information on this topic.
In some cases, however, alternating current may be preferred to direct current. The main advantage of AC is the ability to eliminate the arc. Do you have curved or wavy welds? Is there too much spatter forming around the weld? If so, the weld may have been damaged by an arc fault. You can get rid of such problems by switching directly to alternating current. However, DC welding has many more positives than AC.
Stick Welding Troubleshooting for Welding Leads
Prevention is always better than troubleshooting. Arc difficulties, insufficient output current, high resistance, and improper use of welding cables can lead to problems such as insufficient AC output current, increased resistance, and difficulty starting the arc. Consequently, it is always best to use the proper cables and use proper welding techniques. However, if some complications arise due to improper cables, this troubleshooting guide will help you deal with them.
- Spread out the cables.
- Check that there are no bends or twists in the cable, as these can cause inductive effects in the wires.
- Lower-quality cables can cause arc-starting problems. Use high-quality work cables.
- Use properly sized welding leads.
In Summary
Most often the electrode lead is connected to the plus pole (i.e. positive terminal) and the ground lead (DCEP connection) is connected to the minus pole (i.e. the negative terminal). This process is performed during electrode welding. It is very important to be careful when connecting the welding leads. Try to exercise extreme caution.
If you decide to swap your flimsy cables for powerful ones, first of all, it is important to understand that a 2.5 mm² cable may not be suitable for replacement at high amperage. First of all, you need to calculate the cross-section. For example, if the machine outputs no more than a hundred amps, then a cable with a cross-section of 6 mm² will be enough.
For normal stick welding, you need cables with a square diameter of 10 mm² or more. For large values of current (180 – 200 amps) it is recommended that the cross-section was 16 mm².
Relations between welding wire dia & welding current
| Wire dia | Welding current |
| 0.6 | 40 – 90 |
| 0.8 | 50 – 120 |
| 0.9 | 60 – 150 |
| 1.0 | 70 – 180 |
| 1.2 | 80 – 350 |
The diameters of the welding cables must be specified by the manufacturer in the catalogs and technical descriptions. If you know the number of cores, you can use this data to determine the diameter cross-section of the welding cable.
Indeed, there can be arc blow problems such as insufficient welding, poor deposition of the filler material, or arc discharge problems if there are wrong cable connections. When the cause is clear, the solution seems pretty obvious. Good luck in your welding endeavors.
FAQ
1. How do you replace welding leads?
The replacement process is as follows: the cable with the holder should be made 1-2 m longer than the one that goes to the ground; strip the ends of the wires; clamp the cable in the holder.
2. How many amps a welding cable can handle?
The welder must familiarize himself with the capabilities of the equipment and choose the best option, that is, the maximum amount of voltage that the machine produces must also be able to withstand the cable. Depending on the cross-section of the cable is different current (in amps), which can withstand the cable: 80-100A – 6-7 mm2; 120A – 10 mm2; 160-189A – 16 mm2; 200/250A – 25 mm2.
3. How long should welding leads be?
In general, the recommended length of the cable is about 40 meters, which is quite sufficient for domestic use. Although some welding equipment manufacturers even claim that the welding cables can be extended up to 50 meters if necessary. 40-50 meters are not always necessary in the home.
4. How do you determine welding lead size?
The cable size for a welding machine can be determined by knowing the current consumption of the machine or the output current of the welding machine. The size, i.e. the cross-section of the welding cables can be selected using the amperage tables for cables with rated voltages up to 660V and 380V.
