What to weld rebar with for target frame

[beltfed]

I have some 500 Brinell 12" circle steel plates and I'd like to make a target frame for them. I'm thinking of rebar legs to push into the ground with a horizontal piece to press your foot on. Then rebar on the top. I'll either have pipe on the top rebar and weld a tab on the pipe to bolt to the belts holding the plate or just have the belts go over the rebar and back down to the plate.

What is needed to weld the rebar together? I have zero welding skills and I've looked on my local craigs list and see a few Lincoln 225 for around 200 dollars. I'd have to use the dryer plug to power them but that should be fine. Or I could go cheaper and hit the local Harbor Freight and pickup their Wire Welder, 90 Amp Flux for 109 dollars and then use a 20% coupon. Its 110 volts so it would be easier to power but can it weld rebar for what I need?

Thanks.

[CNC Dan]

get the 225 amp welder.

the HF welders are nearly useless.
they should have DC output, but they are AC. junk junk junk.

[scott123456789]

Here is a target stand I built for long range rifle shooting.
Sch40 pipe in the corners and rolled steel for legs.

As far as welding I used a miller dc invert welder and 6011 rods.

Depending on the condition of your rebar the harbor freight flux welder may not be hot enough to burn through nasty rusty metal.

[Jesse masterson]

If you using rebar it proBley rusty I'd get a cheap, but not too cheap stick machine, the odds are after you get the hang of it you'll have more projects you will want to do , preferably a ac dc machine like a miller Hobart or Lincoln. You can find these used for a couple of hundred, in welding if you go to cheap you won't be happy.

[k0ua]

Get the old Lincoln 225 buzzbox it is AC only, but it will do the job, you should be able to pick up one for 150 or less. As others have said I would use some 6011, especially if the rebar is rusty, which it likely will be. I have one setting in the corner I don't use any more. I would use my Inverter DC welder, but in welding the rebar you are not going to notice the difference in weld quality or care that much. Get a autodarkening helmet if you can swing it, it will make welding a heck of a lot easier. Harbor freight has them, so does northern tool. An autodarkening helmet allows you to actually see how to place your electrode to strike the arc instead of just guessing where the rod is.

James K0UA

[flusher]

Be careful--not all rebar is easily weldable. I discovered that the stuff you get at Home Depot is difficult to weld with my stick welder (Hobart Stickmate LX AC/DC) on DC+, my usual weld setting.

Check the info on this website.

Rebar Info - Welding

You may have to shop around to find the good stuff that you can weld without a problem.

[k0ua]

Be careful--not all rebar is easily weldable. I discovered that the stuff you get at Home Depot is difficult to weld with my stick welder (Hobart Stickmate LX AC/DC) on DC+, my usual weld setting.

Check the info on this website.

Rebar Info - Welding

You may have to shop around to find the good stuff that you can weld without a problem.

I have heard that before, and I have also heard that rebar can be a "trash" metal with different things in it. I acquired a bunch of it when I bought this place, it was left lying on the ground when I took ownership. I have welded a lot of it and had no trouble welding it with stick. Maybe I just got lucky.

James K0UA

[Shield Arc]

You should always use weldable grade rebar.
I've welded tons of rebar, with Lincoln's NS-3M Innershield.

Here are some welding joint designs from a AWS D1-code book.

[gwdixon]

A quick suggestion for your target build. Rebar stuck in the ground will not hold very well, especially if your circular targets are heavy - even if they swing.

A large caliber pistol or just about any rifle will impart enough energy to knock the target over and right out of the ground. I ended up using "shoes" made out 8" long pipe sized so the rebar would just slide through the pipe and be driven into the ground. A 18" piece of angle iron was the shoes' soles. They faced parallel to the firing angle and to the rear.

A high powered rifle will blow a hole through 1/4" plate and the target won't even swing. Been there, done that. It is good welding practice for filling holes.

[Jesse masterson]

Even if you shoot v max varmint bullets made to explode it will still put neat holes in 1/4 plate carbon steel.