Learn something new everyday! I've never heard of anyone welding stainless or aluminum with a stick welder. Then again I suspect not many knew you could torchweld aluminum. But my opinion still stands that a stickwelder is not the best choice for those metals or it would be more commonly done. IFAIK most buzzboxes are AC that's what makes them cheap, our gas engine driven stick welder was DC (it was easier to weld with than AC units in my experience).
Please give details, rod, amperage, special requirenments/techniques on welding sheetmetal with a stick welder.

 

Arc would not be the best choice for Aluminum (AFAIK). It was very common to weld Stainless that way for many years though. Thats how I learned to weld stainless when I was young.

Ok...AC is the common one. The Aluminum rods are DC then. I couldn't remember.

I cannot say rod size, amperage, or other details for stainless, since I have not used it in years. Even then it was based on the material type, weld position, and thickness (experience as well).

The shop I worked on for so many years doesn't even use an Arc for welding anymore at all. The DC machine they use on the arc gouger is the only ARC welder left. They went to MIG for almost everything 15+ years ago (aluminum too-spool gun attachments). They have a TIG for certain things that require that type of welding. They did a titanium job a few years ago that had to be done in a presssurized atmosphere of pure (argon?). It looked like an incubator that they have babies in (gloves and all).

I should point out again (if I didn't already) that this was an industrial steel fab shop. We did not deal with thin materials (such as a body panel). I am sure a TIG would work the best for that application.

 

It has been many years since I have welded really thin metal with a stick welder but it can be done get 3/32 6013 and I think the heat is like 70 to 80 amps and drag the rod. My welding instructor said that is how the did HVAC systems before MIG became popular. You will have to play with amps but it works well unless you have gaps. I am saying what I have done with a stick welder is in ideal situations and I can do alot of stuff that you would not think was possible until your out on jobsite trying to fix something. It all depends on your abilites but my main point with enough practice you can do alot with a "buzzbox" and I think too many people dismiss them as crude and for heavy metal only. Once you get to know the rods play around with it you wil suprise yourself what you can do.

 

Back many years ago we welded stainless fertilizer trailer boxes with a stick welder. Stop drill both ends of the crack, then grind clean, weld entire length between stop drill holes, grind flush. If I remember correctly 3/32 rod. Heavy loads over rough ground generated a lot of cracks. Also welded a number of ammonia tanks on site with oxy-acetylene torch.

 

Thanks again for the education, never too old to learn something new! What was the material of the ammonia tanks? I'm old enough to have called TIG "heliarc" and to consider it something mysteriously exotic at the time that was occasionally mentioned but seldom seen.

 

Most of the ammonia tanks were mild steel, referred to as "sheet iron". Fairly easy to weld, getting tank clean/pugred was biggest problem.

 

OK, time to stop talking and start doing. With George's permission I set up a web page for us to use in writing the article. http://www.old-fords.com/welding/index.html

It requires a user name and password - use "fte" as the name, "weld" as the password. Those who wish to be active in writing the article should email me with the user name and password they want to use.

I have done a basic outline and started writing some of the subjects - remember that things can and will be changed as we move along. I need suggestions and feedback.

Also, we need pictures! The more the better. Please email them to me in as high a resolution as possible. I prefer JPEG format, but can handle most other formats, with the exception of the proprietary formats used by some cameras.

My idea is to show some projects to demonstrate what is possible with a home setup, and also more detailed pictures showing the process. It would not hurt to have some pictures of the different welding rigs too.

Please look over the web pages and let me know what you think.

Clint

 

Clint -

That webpage is impressive. Nice start. I think others are better qualified to add content, but I will send you a picture of my rig. No others have mentioned having exactly that Lincoln model and I have done some very handy stuff to it.

 

Pose your son in front of it like he was welding - should convince our beginners that anyone can learn to weld!

 

Wow, my truck got its own page, guess its what I get for gluing it back together. Looks good though, but I do agree more pictures in the other sections would be of big help.

 

i dont think people weld cast much anymore but one trick i learned was to heat
the parts up ( about 400 f) seemed to work for the old farm equip. my dad use to weld for people around home

 

I have never welded cast iron but have had success with brazing it. Just depends on what kind of stress it will be subjected to, but a brazed join is suprisingly strong.

 

I would comment briefly on welding safety from the standpoint of a novice just finishing a welding 101 class at the local tech school.

You're not gonna be welding if you fry your eyes. The following medical info comes from an ophthalmologist. Arc welding is potentially VERY hazardous to your vision. This doesn't mean don't do it, just use the right safety equipment properly. The intense ultraviolet can not only cause considerable discomfort (like having ground glass between your eye and eyelid, according to my instructor) when essentially giving the eye surface a sunburn, but can cause permanent damage to the nerve tissue on the retina in the back of the eye. My instructor admits he has permanent damage to his eyes after 40 some years of welding, but age plays a role too. A friend of mine who suffers from beginning macular degeneration was going to take the same class, and was admonished by their ophthalmologist not to.

Personally, I bought a brand name auto-darkening helmet that supposedly came with an 11 shade (at Home Depot for $99). I don't know if it was functioning properly or not, but I had spots for several hours afterwards - not confidence inspiring. I retruned the helmet that afternoon. I don't care if I have to buy a cheaper welder to afford a better helmet, but methinks a helmet with all the doodads, adjustments, and a max darkness of at least 13 will be money well spent.

It's tempting to save a few bucks and get a cheaper helmet, but my doc and the spots in front of my eyes suggest this is unwise in the long run.

- my 2 clams

 

One consideration with the AD helmets (at least with mine, a 300.00 Miller) is you need to turn them on manually before starting, and anytime the helmet sits long enough to turn itself off. A darker lens doesn't necessarily offer more protection. Here's a good chart of how dark a plate you need: http://content.lincolnelectric.com/p...dinglenses.pdf
The response time is where the cheaper helmets are lacking, To avoid flashing you need a response time of a millisecond or less. For TIG welding you also need a low sensitivity threshold as well. If the helmet you are considering doesn't list the response time or it's greater than a millisecond pass on it, how much is your eyesight worth?

 

i agree with ax on that totally thats why i now have a nice jackson one that has all adjustments. it was 200$ locally but its much cheaper than the miller and the speedglass ones which are in the 300$+ range.

cast iron welds usually crack when cooled too quicky it would be best to preheat and cover the entire weld area with sand or flux to help hold the heat in and prolong cooling times