I have a Arc 180 from Harbor Freight that I picked up for free. I downloaded the instruction manual from the site and have run a few sticks on it and it works fine. Only problem is that it was dropped (my guess is a couple times from looking at the case) and the actual variable gauge you use to determine amperage is all jacked up and doesn't really work.

So, my question is, without harming myself in the process, is there a way to use a multimeter to determine the actual dialed amperage?

Thanks - Craig

Pooh Bear

I'd just do some practice welds with it. Once you get a good weld on say, 1/4 inch stock, mark that as 125 amps and work from there. That will be approximate. Do the same for 1/8 inch steel. That will be about 90-100 amps. If the heat is too light, it won't penetrate and it will be hard to hold an arc. If it's too hot, it will undercut and burn your work.

My mig welder has three rocker switches and a wire feed speed control. No amps indicated, I just set them where I get good welds and remember those settings.

Another point with a stick welder, you need more amps with bigger rod, so keep that in mind. If you use a 1/8 rod on 1/4 inch stock, and it welds good, you will need to increase heat a bit with a 3/16 rod.

GG