Just curious what brand of welder? I recently got one of the Forney 120 volt / 80 amp DC stick / TIG welders and have yet to trip the 30% duty cycle. I’ve ran it pretty hard, including keyhole vertical welding with 3/32 7018 with no complaints yet.
A Lincoln...It went up to 110 amps while in the 110 volt mode.......Ran 7018 flat very nice at 110 amps,
I dropped it down to 90 to fill a slight gap....Although I didn't do vertical up id thing 85 90 amps would put you in the ballfield
80 amps open root with 7018 sounds about right. 80 amps flat or overhead unless the machine runs very hotter would result in a cold weld with that wire
I have some 1/16 wire for mild steel and some 1/16 for stainless
Years ago I had a stainless job in a commercial kitchen, thin stainless
I had to put the truck on the grass up against a building and throw a rope down from two stories up to drag up over a hundred feet of ground and work cable
That 110Volt machine would have been a hell of a lot easier
