Thread: Welding 1.6 mm steel - can the average mug do it?

when I used 1.6mm rods on a few projects I too found it burned holes quite easily .....so .....I turned down the amps too 95 .....and moved a bit quicker with the rod ...as Grahame says ...to much heat will melt instead of weld ....nowdays I have one of those cheapy welders that are preset .....high or low ....and using a larger rod wont work as well as using the right one correctly ......make small runs to build up the required weld size/strength...instead of trying to "do it all in one go".....use a tack hammer to remove the carbon from the weld once it has cooled , then weld over it and build it up again , repeating the process ...

patience helps too , good luck

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

I would not wait for welds to cool,rather the opposite and move straight to the next opposite weld and apply before any distortion occurs.

Thanks Grahame. I misunderstood that nuance. I shall remember it for the next gate frame that I make. I have three more to make.

Many thanks for the helpful advice.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

hi Charleville
Its not a real big deal.
Run them hot and in a semi vertical down position. The steep angle is to use the arc force to push back up at the slag cover and keep it from over rolling the arc and causing slag traps.

It takes a bit of practice but is achievable. It can end up being a fairly neat bead.
If you would like to post a few more details on the dimensions we should be able to come up with a weld procedure to obtain the best results.

Grahame

You can't actually do alot of "welding in the "semi vertical down" if the job can't be placed in that position.....

Anyway, what in the hell is a "semi vertical down" position? Is this a new "welding terminology" that no one in the industry uses?

The correct way to weld thin material with stick electrodes, is to use a kind of hot, "stitch and fill" technique.

Think of doing a waltz.... In with your electrode, make the arc - hot and in close, a SLOW 1, 2 (welding time) - pull off 3 - 4 and let cool,

Again 1 - 2........3, 4....


It's mostly in the timing, and position...

You can sort of vary the 1 - 2, 3 - 4, into 1 - 2 - 3, 4 - 5 or 1 - 2, 3 - 4 - 5, to bias the heat input and cooling off times in either direction.

It's all in the technique, and once you have your torch angle, for the relative position, then the rest is all in the timing...

Too much heat, you burn through and too much cooling, you get a cold-ish slaggy run.

When you get the timing sorted out - the rest is easy.


Another option is to get a TIG torch and run that from your (I assume) AC transformer cored welder....

Cheers

Daggles

I've been away and have just read the posts. Better late than never.

If you lay down a decent tack about every 10mm, knock the slag off and then weld as per normal, you will find that the weld will come out very neat, and if you have got it right no blow outs. It sounds like a lot of mucking around but it is much neater and quicker than grinding endlessly.

Originally Posted by sawdustmike

I
If you lay down a decent tack about every 10mm, knock the slag off and then weld as per normal, you will find that the weld will come out very neat, and if you have got it right no blow outs. It sounds like a lot of mucking around but it is much neater and quicker than grinding endlessly.

Thanks for that advice. Really appreciated. I shall give that a go on my next project which is soon to happen.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

hi Charleville
Its not a real big deal.
Run them hot and in a semi vertical down position. The steep angle is to use the arc force to push back up at the slag cover and keep it from over rolling the arc and causing slag traps.

It takes a bit of practice but is achievable. It can end up being a fairly neat bead.
If you would like to post a few more details on the dimensions we should be able to come up with a weld procedure to obtain the best results.

Grahame

Interesting . Are you starting the weld from the top and welding down hill or starting from the bottom and welding up hill?

Originally Posted by Darren Khnobbs

You can't actually do alot of "welding in the "semi vertical down" if the job can't be placed in that position.....

Anyway, what in the hell is a "semi vertical down" position? Is this a new "welding terminology" that no one in the industry uses?

The correct way to weld thin material with stick electrodes, is to use a kind of hot, "stitch and fill" technique.

Think of doing a waltz.... In with your electrode, make the arc - hot and in close, a SLOW 1, 2 (welding time) - pull off 3 - 4 and let cool,

Again 1 - 2........3, 4....


It's mostly in the timing, and position...

You can sort of vary the 1 - 2, 3 - 4, into 1 - 2 - 3, 4 - 5 or 1 - 2, 3 - 4 - 5, to bias the heat input and cooling off times in either direction.

It's all in the technique, and once you have your torch angle, for the relative position, then the rest is all in the timing...

Too much heat, you burn through and too much cooling, you get a cold-ish slaggy run.

When you get the timing sorted out - the rest is easy.


Another option is to get a TIG torch and run that from your (I assume) AC transformer cored welder....

Cheers

Daggles

Thats pretty well how I've always welded thin stuff,for the last 40 years anyway . Still I always like to learn new things wouldn't mind finding out a bit more about the "semi vertical down '.

Sometimes I have 3 or 4 runs going at a time , alternating between them . less heat builds up in any one spot and can get more done in the same time . The "3-4 or 3-4-5-" or what ever that you wait for the weld to cool can be spent doing a "1-2 "on another spot

hooroo mat

Has anyone tried using flux cored mig wire in a standard arc welder?
seems like a cheap way of getting thin sticks!

curious

I have welded the car exhaust systems using the old arc welder its a bastard to do.
I think it about 1.6mm i tack first then graduly increase the lenght of the weld..