Thread: Arc welding 1.6mm steel

With a good quality inverter unit, the right rod and skill & experience, it's entirely possible, but you do need a fair bit of the last two things.

I used to weld heaps of 1.6mm tube with my old buzz box using quality 2.5mm rods so it is obviously doable but I will also say that it is not so forgiving if settings and technique are a little off the mark.
I used to try and obtain 2mm for most projects which was a bit easier to deal with. I would agree with Rusty that a decent little inverter should make it easier and quite up to the task but still may need a little practice and tips as you go.

You should also consider what sort of joints you need to do and in what position. For instance overhead fillet welds are going to far more challenging than flat butt welds. If you're talking about round tube, that is going to make it even trickier due to shifting arm/body angles. I agree with the other guys, a nice little inverter with good 2.5mm rods (I'd use 6012's) can do the job quite nicely with a bit of practice. I used to weld a fair bit of 1.2mm gal tube with my inverter. With a bit of practice it wasn't too hard to get consistent results, but right at the limit of what is practical with stick. 1.6mm is a bit better, but you really need to practice to get acceptable welds. If the welds are short (say 25mm) then that makes things a bit easier too.
Cheers
- Mick

Wot Mick said
plus

Is it a round tube - if so -sleeve it. If is a hollow section square or rectangular box- it is still sleevable-just harder to do.

If making a frame of 1.6mm box tube - again -weld a little bit -then go somewhere else and weld -come back when original weld has cooled.

Main points

Short arc length

Short runs

Minimise heat input.

Hang around in the one spot and you can burn a hole.
The welding also depends on quality of your buzz box-not all are crap.If buzz box is a crappy cheapie, an inverter is a quantum leap in improvement from a buzz box welder - along with a auto helmet.

Practice first- lots and lots.

Grahame

I would say until you’re up to speed, stitch welding is the way to go. Wherever possible try and butt the end of the tube onto a walled section, that way you can weave back and forth onto the walled section, thereby cutting down the heat at the end of the tube, and that goes a long way to avoiding blowing holes. AC or DC it doesn't really matter, either is capable of doing a good neat weld.

Forty five odd years ago when I worked for Blackboy Products and later Casa Structures in Perth, a good proportion of the work was welding thin walled tube. Imperial measurement were the norm then, and the walls were 1/16” (around 1.59mmm). We used AC welders then, , DC, Tig and Mig just weren’t available. The welders had five settings with pre selected amps and as is always the case with pre selected amps, they’re always either too high or too low. Nevertheless we all were quite skilled and very rarely blew holes, if we did, we simply backed up, filled and continued on. Many of the welds were unground and therefore on display so they also had to be neat Welding tube of this thickness (well), takes practice and as I’ve only been hobby welding for the last 35 years or so, I have lost most of that skill. I use both AC and DC welders, although I do prefer AC, it's what I learnt on.

It shouldn't be a problem as long as you get your settings right - I've done plenty of 1.2mm tube with my old (non inverter) stick welder, just use a 2mm rod ie Austarc 12P | General Purpose | Arc Welding Electrodes | Filler Metals | WIA in 2mm (12P20) and make sure the rod isn't old and full of moisture...