Welding Rods for beginners

[daugen]

daugen a project like that, a Tig rig would be the way to go.
TIG Welding Torch Set 2A 25' Valve Head Air-Cool 26V-25R w/ Gloves | US Seller

I already have that and a foot pedal but no gas.
wanted to learn on stick. I can always turn the whole thing over when I'm done recovering that area and fix it from the other side.
I can also clamp a piece of metal underneath where this hole now is and attempt to fill it from the top.
I'm just starting...
thanks

 

[k0ua]

I already have that and a foot pedal but no gas.
wanted to learn on stick. I can always turn the whole thing over when I'm done recovering that area and fix it from the other side.
I can also clamp a piece of metal underneath where this hole now is and attempt to fill it from the top.
I'm just starting...
thanks

OH, I didn't know you had a torch and valve..OK then.

 

[daugen]

OH, I didn't know you had a torch and valve..OK then.

combi unit, Everlast 160 something
no, not sure I have a torch, valve yes. Lines yes. Foot pedal yes.

 

[Spanner]

Well, Good on you for trying and for posting pics. Nobody is laughing as we all had to start somewhere and we've all been there with the holes and chasing them all over the work-piece. :thumbsup:

"Shininess" is next to "Weldyness" I was told. Make sure your work is rust-free (and paint-free) along the edges you're joining/filling and make sure your Earth return (Ground) clamp is on a shiny area also. The angle grinder is your friend here and those sandpaper 'flap' discs or Scotch-Brite (pot scrub stuff) discs remove rust/paint but don't gouge the metal as much as 'stone' discs. Gotta be shiny.

Rusted mower decks are hard work. They are often/always rusted from underneath and the metal is of varying thickness as a result. That's why you can be going along nicely and all of a sudden you burn a hole at a thin bit. Then you try and recover that when it's hot and burn some more...etc. Sometimes you just have to cut the area of rusted/thin steel out and make a patch piece to 'let into' the resultant large hole. You can't repair all rust holes all the time.

I had great success while in the UK welding sheetmetal with very thin 1.6mm rods and my Inverter Welder.

Back home here and the 1.6mm aren't available so I have to work with 2.5mm upwards. I sure miss those 1.6mm's.

The Auto-darkening helmets are a godsend for part-time welders. You can see your rod at the starting point. All Pro welders should start with the old 'Nod' type helmet and they learn to hold their rods still as second nature. But they are welding all day. The magnifier lens is great too.

We maybe get the welder out once a month and have to re-learn the 'feel' and the settings etc. So the Auto helmets help a lot.

One other thing I found to help with welding poor quality steel is to use the Stainless Steel rods. They seem more forgiving. Also they leave lovely shiny silver beads which look a million bucks on a customers repair.

A tip I was given was to get a pile of off-cuts from a sheetmetal fabrication shop and just join them together at random angles to practice. Make a modern-art sculpture. If you ask, they will give you the off-cuts and you can return the sculpture to their scrap bin to hide your efforts. When you get good, make useful items from old horseshoes etc.

When you get really good, your slag will self-detach from the bead so always wear safety glasses as it sometimes 'pops' off and can hurt.

Keep at it. :blacksmith:

 

[LD1]

Yep, of all welding methods, filling holes, on thin stuff is the least desirable.

But you at least have chosen the same rod I would have.

Certainly don't try to close that all in one pass or you will just keep making it bigger.

Move fast enough to prevent burning metal away. What's deposited is deposited and it will get smaller with each passing.

Trying to fill a gap like that, the tough part is getting slag trapped in the thin crack. Everything will look welded until you chip slag. Gotta make sure you get all the slag cleaned off before next pass. A needle scaler is a great asset for stick welding

 

[Shield Arc]

without a doubt I would attack it with the TIG too, but given what he has, would you make some recommendations for trying to get those holes closed with stick? I would try to do it with 7014. But you have a lot more experience than I do.. what say you.

Well first off, I wouldn't have even attempted it with stick! Being a structural welder. I've never been good at welding thin material. There was a time in my life, where I thought 3/8-inch steel was sheet metal.
To fix that now, I would use a copper flat bar backing. And a 3/32-inch rod. 7014 or 6013.

 

[daugen]

I thought I was doing pretty well for a newbie, until I wasn't...
ok, I actually feel a little better that welding thin steel like this isn't so simple.
I'm going to put another piece of metal there, underneath, to create a "floor" of sorts, since the top has to remain
level and smooth to get the reinforcing plate over that area.

am looking forward to another shot at this today. Will start off practicing a little more.
Slowly and patiently...

 

[PJSprog]

Also watch your fan placement. It might be blowing your shield away.

 

[yomax4]

Easy fix with a 1/16 6013.

 

[CincyFlyer]

I would Tig weld the cracks!

Yeah, I have found that when using TIG, you can "follow" the crack as it magically grows longer than you imagined it to be! You can certainly find the end of it (then no holes required!)

 

[LD1]

Also watch your fan placement. It might be blowing your shield away.

Shouldnt be an issue with stick

 

[Shield Arc]

I thought I was doing pretty well for a newbie, until I wasn't...ok,

daugen that is a very tough task for anybody, with a stick welder. I've been welding for a couple weeks now, and I wouldn't attempt it with a stick welder!

 

[daugen]

got sidetracked with field mowing this morning but got that done, maybe this afternoon when it rains, if it rains, I'll get a chance to go
back to it. Took stock of my rod supply, about 13 pounds of 6011 and 7 pounds of 7014, both split between 1/8 and 3/32
Not that I can't buy something else for this. I have more pics, need advice on joining different size metals, so let me post them later, now
waiting for delivery by semi.

 

[daugen]

It is pretty clear to me I am not using the optimum equipment appropriate for the job at hand, but
then life and tools aren't always optimum are they?...So, if I can do this with stick, I will. If I can't there is
always Plan B. Sincere thanks for all feedback.

 

[k0ua]

It is pretty clear to me I am not using the optimum equipment appropriate for the job at hand, but
then life and tools aren't always optimum are they?...So, if I can do this with stick, I will. If I can't there is
always Plan B. Sincere thanks for all feedback.

It can be done with stick, I have done it. But I didn't do it as my first project. The 1/16 6013 stick are not a bad idea either. I keep some of those around too. They are available at Lowes. Keep at it, even if you don't have complete success, you will learn something.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

With stick, to fill a hole with a fill freeze rod, keep it buried. That helps keep the slag chased out.

 

[daugen]

Mark, thanks, please define an appropriate "fill freeze" rod.

here are some pics of the steel going over this area.
And part of what I'm dealing with involving big gaps
One area needs to be pulled into alignment, then tack welded, then get all the clamps
out and weld it properly.

in for a penny, in for two pounds

I have two of these wing mowers. One is already welded and fixed and just needs refinishing. This one was in such bad shape the dealer said two for one.
So this is the one that would have wound up in the scrap heap somewhere, so as long as it doesn't look like Frankenstein when I'm done with it,
the net of all this is positive. Besides that Honda engine runs fine. The thinness of this deck is clearly evident in the one corner where there are two little holes that look
like metallic moths had a party there.

and a pic of the welder, the accessories I have and the rods in stock.
will work on this some more tomorrow morning.
103 heat index here today, yuk

 

[Shield Arc]

daugen you need to pick up a bottle of argon for your Tig welder. You will be surprised how much you will use it. Especially for small projects. :thumbsup:

 

[Oldpath05]

Mark, thanks, please define an appropriate "fill freeze" rod.

here are some pics of the steel going over this area.
And part of what I'm dealing with involving big gaps
One area needs to be pulled into alignment, then tack welded, then get all the clamps
out and weld it properly.

in for a penny, in for two pounds

I have two of these wing mowers. One is already welded and fixed and just needs refinishing. This one was in such bad shape the dealer said two for one.
So this is the one that would have wound up in the scrap heap somewhere, so as long as it doesn't look like Frankenstein when I'm done with it,
the net of all this is positive. Besides that Honda engine runs fine. The thinness of this deck is clearly evident in the one corner where there are two little holes that look
like metallic moths had a party there.

and a pic of the welder, the accessories I have and the rods in stock.
will work on this some more tomorrow morning.
103 heat index here today, yuk

I know what you mean, was in the high 70's here today, yuk. You have a good selection of rods, my favorites, but me thinks that repair work is better suited for a small mig welder, with .023-030 70s6 wire, that will keep you from overheating.

 

[lennyzx11]

Daugen, I took some college courses in welding. The instructor made us start with 1/4" steel butt welds in all configurations. He said that we had to learn that before we'd ever have a chance to weld on anything smaller with a stick because thinner metal burns through to fast for a beginner.
My two cents.
Lenny