Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they
are probably pretty horrible: http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

stryped wrote:

Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they
are probably pretty horrible: http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

7018 should be kept dry. A cycle through your oven, on a cleaning
cycle, is not too hot, for driving off the moisture from the flux.

Clean the areas of paint and rust before welding, Get a decent knot
wheel on a angle grinder for cleaning, and don't look too hard at the
welds until there is a coat od Tremclad over them, and they will look
really good! :-0

Nobody ever got better at welding by not doing it! Practice is good!

Cheers
Trevor Jones

On Apr 19, 9:32*pm, Trevor Jones wrote:
stryped wrote:
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they
are probably pretty horrible:http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

* 7018 should be kept dry. A cycle through your oven, on a cleaning
cycle, is not too hot, for driving off the moisture from the flux.

* Clean the areas of paint and rust before welding, Get a decent knot
wheel on a angle grinder for cleaning, and don't look too hard at the
welds until there is a coat od Tremclad over them, and they will look
really good! :-0

* Nobody ever got better at welding by not doing it! Practice is good!

* Cheers
* *Trevor Jones

it is ok to put them in the oven I cook in? At what temp?

On Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:44:01 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:

On Apr 19, 9:32*pm, Trevor Jones wrote:
stryped wrote:
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they
are probably pretty horrible:http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

* 7018 should be kept dry. A cycle through your oven, on a cleaning
cycle, is not too hot, for driving off the moisture from the flux.

* Clean the areas of paint and rust before welding, Get a decent knot
wheel on a angle grinder for cleaning, and don't look too hard at the
welds until there is a coat od Tremclad over them, and they will look
really good! :-0

* Nobody ever got better at welding by not doing it! Practice is good!

* Cheers
* *Trevor Jones

it is ok to put them in the oven I cook in? At what temp?


350F...though it works fine even if its been damp, unless you are
welding high strenth stuff to code and have to worry about hydrogen
imbrittlement.

Ive got probably 2 lbs of 7018 in a rod holder made out of a plate and
a bit of square tubing, like pencils in a cup, sitting on my welding
table at any given moment, outside, only protected by a roof 8' up,
the welding area has open sides, winter and summer.

I dont worry about welding stuff with it, unless its gonna be under
HIGH stress over its lifetime. Ive got about 500lbs of 70xx rod on
hand and use it for nearly everything that Im not Tigging or Migging.
And I often use rod instead of wire just to keep my hand in. Shrug


Gunner


"[L]iberals are afraid to state what they truly believe in, for to do so
would result in even less votes than they currently receive. Their
methodology is to lie about their real agenda in the hopes of regaining
power, at which point they will do whatever they damn well please. The
problem is they have concealed and obfuscated for so long that, as a group,
they themselves are no longer sure of their goals. They are a collection of
wild-eyed splinter groups, all holding a grab-bag of dreams and wishes. Some
want a Socialist, secular-humanist state, others the repeal of the Second
Amendment. Some want same sex/different species marriage, others want voting
rights for trees, fish, coal and bugs. Some want cradle to grave care and
complete subservience to the government nanny state, others want a culture
that walks in lockstep and speaks only with intonations of political
correctness. I view the American liberals in much the same way I view the
competing factions of Islamic
fundamentalists. The latter hate each other to the core, and only join
forces to attack the US or Israel. The former hate themselves to the core,
and only join forces to attack George Bush and conservatives." --Ron Marr

Baking your 7018 at about 300 to 350 in the oven for about an hour
might help noticably.

My rod oven calls out a bit higher temp. 500 - 600 1 hour. here's another
manufactures link.
http://www.rodovens.com/welding_arti...rage_chart.htm

P.S. I used to use the SO's oven. She came home early once when I was drying
out some rod that had a bit of grease on them, I guess. I NEVER TRIED THAT
AGAIN.

Karl

On Apr 20, 3:44*am, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:57:59 -0700 (PDT), stryped

wrote:
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they
are probably pretty horrible:http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

Your flat 7018 weld is pretty damned good. You sorta got carried away
at the ends of the weld, but thats what grinders are for.

Your 6013 is not bad in places. You were having a hard time keeping
the proper distance going around the shaft and varying the arc length
on both the 6013 and 7018. *The crater on the 7018 was the result of
pulling away sharply. Probably where you ended the weld.

Which most folks, including myself have a hard time doing on round
stuff.

Its obvious you know how to weld, you just need some practice keeping
consistant arc length on pipe. As do I..damnit. *Which is why I
cobbled up a positioner..I cheat.

Like tig welding, finding a comfortable and steady way to rest your
arm and hand, and make a smooth transition around pipe is the hard
part with stick welding, as you not only have to move the rod, but
slowly plunge in as it melts.

With MIG..its "easier" unquote, as you dont have to worry about arc
length and moving in as you melt the wire.

Gunner, dauber, not a welder, nor plays one on TV

"[L]iberals are afraid to state what they truly believe in, for to do so
would result in even less votes than they currently receive. Their
methodology is to lie about their real agenda in the hopes of regaining
power, at which point they will do whatever they damn well please. The
problem is they have concealed and obfuscated for so long that, as a group,
they themselves are no longer sure of their goals. They are a collection of
wild-eyed splinter groups, all holding a grab-bag of dreams and wishes. Some
want a Socialist, secular-humanist state, others the repeal of the Second
Amendment. Some want same sex/different species marriage, others want voting
rights for trees, fish, coal and bugs. Some want cradle to grave care and
complete subservience to the government nanny state, others want a culture
that walks in lockstep and speaks only with intonations of political
correctness. I view the American liberals in much the same way I view the
competing factions of Islamic
fundamentalists. The latter hate each other to the core, and only join
forces to attack the US or Israel. The former hate themselves to the core,
and only join forces to attack George Bush and conservatives." --Ron Marr

Thanks for the input! Is it ok to weld, scrape the slag off or grind
it off, then weld on top of it again in the case a pinhole or
somethign is seen?

Some of that metal I am getting is pre painted. SHould I take the time
to grind down and use 7018 or just use somethign like 6011 or 6013?

If my wife goes somewhere I may stick those in the oven. It may make
them weld better.

Gunner Asch wrote:
On Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:44:01 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:


On Apr 19, 9:32 pm, Trevor Jones wrote:

stryped wrote:

Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they
are probably pretty horrible:http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

7018 should be kept dry. A cycle through your oven, on a cleaning
cycle, is not too hot, for driving off the moisture from the flux.

Clean the areas of paint and rust before welding, Get a decent knot
wheel on a angle grinder for cleaning, and don't look too hard at the
welds until there is a coat od Tremclad over them, and they will look
really good! :-0

Nobody ever got better at welding by not doing it! Practice is good!

Cheers
Trevor Jones

it is ok to put them in the oven I cook in? At what temp?



350F...though it works fine even if its been damp, unless you are
welding high strenth stuff to code and have to worry about hydrogen
imbrittlement.

Ive got probably 2 lbs of 7018 in a rod holder made out of a plate and
a bit of square tubing, like pencils in a cup, sitting on my welding
table at any given moment, outside, only protected by a roof 8' up,
the welding area has open sides, winter and summer.

I dont worry about welding stuff with it, unless its gonna be under
HIGH stress over its lifetime. Ive got about 500lbs of 70xx rod on
hand and use it for nearly everything that Im not Tigging or Migging.
And I often use rod instead of wire just to keep my hand in. Shrug


Gunner

Yeah. Last time I was reading welding code stuff, they were limiting
7018 to about 4 hours exposure to air, without having it in a rod oven.
For average guy kind of use, it does not make a lot of difference, for
someone getting their welds inspected, it does. I found 7018 to be a bit
nicer to use, when the flux was dry-dry. If it got really humid, I found
that the flux would shatter and the rod would burn unevenly.

The flux stuff is sorta like plaster or concrete. The water is bound
into it, and takes temperatures higher than the boiling point of water
to drive off.

You will get better payback from the time spent cleaning the rust and
paint away from your working area, at this stage of the game.

Dunno about the 6013, never used it. I have used a LOT of 6011, and it
works better when NOT kept in a rod oven. The cellulosic flux needs the
little bit of moisture to work its magic, as I understand it.

Dip a 6011 rod in water just before use, and it'll cut a nice deep
groove, too.

Cheers
Trevor Jones

stryped wrote:
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they
are probably pretty horrible: http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

There's this device called an angle grinder that makes my welds
invisible.

Seriously, my skills get better by the end of a project, but then start
to wane due to no practice. Grinder skills seem to stay with me longer.

--
Gary Brady
Austin, TX
www.powdercoatoven.4t.com

"stryped" wrote in message
...
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they
are probably pretty horrible:
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

You need a few more years practice before welding on trailers.

Steve

In article ,
"SteveB" wrote:

"stryped" wrote in message
...
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they
are probably pretty horrible:
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

You need a few more years practice before welding on trailers.

Steve

(It'd really be best if Ernie would jump into this thread.)

Have to agree, sorry. Those welds look too uneven, porous, undercut, and
contaminated to trust with the stresses a trailer will experience, not
to mention they look like your amperage was too low.

The angle iron weld is the best of the three, but looks too cold and
penetration might not be adequate.

I'm a long way from an expert, so apply the usual measure of salt, but
it might benefit you to develop a more even travel speed and weave.
Also, it's a lot easier to get a stronger weld if the parent metal is
clean. Then you get weld metal in the joint without generating gases
that cause porosity and poor penetration.

Especially, I look very hard at my joint setups and then the puddle when
using flux-core or MIG. It's really easy to get a pretty bead that
doesn't penetrate both sides of the joint. I've seen it from some of the
biggest, most well-known, and respected wheelchair manufacturers. (and
have charged accordingly when I had to repair some of their
brand-spankin' new equipment.

Stick seems deceptively difficult.

MIG is deceptively easy, especially on fillets.

I don't think you need years more practice, but doing plenty of practice
on scrap before you even try the first weld on a trailer frame can't
help but improve your welds.

You've got too much to lose if your welds let go. So practice lots and
weld once.

On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:13:11 -0600, SteveB wrote:

"stryped" wrote in message
...
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they are
probably pretty horrible:
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

You need a few more years practice before welding on trailers.

Or some welding courses at local trade schools.

In any case, break a bunch of your welds and let us know the
outcome. Some of the welds in the pictures look blobby and
erratic, like they won't take much force to break.

-jiw

On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 06:31:22 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:


Baking your 7018 at about 300 to 350 in the oven for about an hour
might help noticably.

My rod oven calls out a bit higher temp. 500 - 600 1 hour. here's another
manufactures link.
http://www.rodovens.com/welding_arti...rage_chart.htm

P.S. I used to use the SO's oven. She came home early once when I was drying
out some rod that had a bit of grease on them, I guess. I NEVER TRIED THAT
AGAIN.

Karl

Good data, Karl. I was recalling that a rod oven runs at 325 or so,
but that's storage rather than restoration.

On Apr 20, 2:24*pm, James Waldby wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:13:11 -0600, SteveB wrote:
"stryped" wrote in message
...
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they are
probably pretty horrible:
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

You need a few more years practice before welding on trailers.

Or some welding courses at local trade schools.

In any case, break a bunch of your welds and let us know the
outcome. *Some of the welds in the pictures look blobby and
erratic, like they won't take much force to break.

-jiw

I beat the heck out of the angle iron and could not get it to break.

By the way, it is ok to weld, grind down, then weld on top of the
origional weld?

On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:07:33 -0700, stryped wrote:
On Apr 20, 2:24Â*pm, James Waldby wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:13:11 -0600, SteveB wrote:
"stryped" wrote ...
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they are
probably pretty horrible:
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/
[snip]
Or some welding courses at local trade schools.

In any case, break a bunch of your welds and let us know the
outcome. Â*Some of the welds in the pictures look blobby and
erratic, like they won't take much force to break.

I beat the heck out of the angle iron and could not get it to break.

What about the welded pipes?

By the way, it is ok to weld, grind down, then weld on top of the
original weld?

You should avoid any slag inclusion, so may need to run
a knotted wire brush as well, like others have suggested,
before welding another layer, which welded joints in heavy
metal probably will require. An air driven needle scaler
is another way to clean up mild steel before the next
welding pass.
-jiw

On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:07:33 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:

On Apr 20, 2:24*pm, James Waldby wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:13:11 -0600, SteveB wrote:
"stryped" wrote in message
...
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they are
probably pretty horrible:
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

You need a few more years practice before welding on trailers.

Or some welding courses at local trade schools.

In any case, break a bunch of your welds and let us know the
outcome. *Some of the welds in the pictures look blobby and
erratic, like they won't take much force to break.

-jiw

I beat the heck out of the angle iron and could not get it to break.

By the way, it is ok to weld, grind down, then weld on top of the
origional weld?

It is, but that won't fix welds that bridge the gap rather than
achieving face-to-face fusion clear thru the joined members. It is
much better to get a good root pass, then grind away slag and
inclusions and fill in behind the root pass. It is better yet to get
it right the first time in thin metal like you are using.

Practice on scrap similar to your job to get your techique and machine
set so you and it make good welds, then start the job. If you don't
have scrap, make some. I'm not kidding! It'll save time and
materials in the long run, and result in a better job.

I've been welding for over 30 years as an amateur. I still do a trial
run with stick or MIG before going for the money on a given job. Might
be 2 minutes or 30, one try or a dozen, whatever it takes to get it
right.

6013, 7014 and 7018 are all suitable. An accomplished welder could
make a good job of it with any of those. It's far more important to
discover which of those works consistently well for you under what
conditions. The first two digits (60xx or 70xx) infer tensile
strength in KSI but that assumes ideal welds. Both are probably
higher than the metal you're joining when making a trailer. A
good weld with 6013 is considerably stronger than a poor weld with
7018. A realistic stress limit for angle iron etc used in trailer
building is more like 20KSI.

Gae thee forth and weld. Try things, see what works, nevermind "expert
guidance" from an internet newsgroup. You might amaze yourself with
your rate of progress. We don't have to "ride your welds" but you do.

On Apr 21, 12:32*am, Don Foreman
wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:07:33 -0700 (PDT), stryped





wrote:
On Apr 20, 2:24*pm, James Waldby wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:13:11 -0600, SteveB wrote:
"stryped" wrote in message
....
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they are
probably pretty horrible:
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

You need a few more years practice before welding on trailers.

Or some welding courses at local trade schools.

In any case, break a bunch of your welds and let us know the
outcome. *Some of the welds in the pictures look blobby and
erratic, like they won't take much force to break.

-jiw

I beat the heck out of the angle iron and could not get it to break.

By the way, it is ok toweld, grind down, thenweldon top of the
origionalweld?

It is, but that won't fix welds that bridge the gap rather than
achieving face-to-face fusion clear thru the joined members. It is
much better to get a good root pass, then grind away slag and
inclusions and fill in behind the root pass. *It is better yet to get
it right the first time in thin metal like you are using.

Practice on scrap similar to your job to get your techique and machine
set so you and it *make good welds, then start the job. If you don't
have scrap, make some. *I'm not kidding! * *It'll save time and
materials in the long run, and result in a better job.

I've been welding for over 30 years as an amateur. *I still do a trial
run with stick or MIG before going for the money on a given job. Might
be 2 minutes or 30, *one try or a dozen, whatever it takes to get it
right. * *

6013, 7014 and 7018 are all suitable. * An accomplished welder could
make a good job of it with any of those. * It's far more important to
discover which of those works consistently well for you under what
conditions. *The first two digits (60xx or 70xx) *infer tensile
strength in KSI but that assumes ideal welds. *Both are probably
higher than the metal you're joining when making a trailer. * * *A
goodweldwith 6013 is considerably stronger *than a poorweldwith
7018. *A realistic stress limit for angle iron etc used in trailer
building is more like 20KSI. *

Gae thee forth andweld. Try things, see what works, nevermind "expert
guidance" from an internet newsgroup. *You might *amaze yourself with
your rate of progress. *We don't have to "ride your welds" but you do.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks. I am going to take a jack and try to break that weld on the
angle tonight.

The pipe I was really playing with. I know the welds are not great. I
actually had to stop because they caught fire! (There was grease on
the inside of it).

On Apr 21, 12:32*am, Don Foreman
wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:07:33 -0700 (PDT), stryped





wrote:
On Apr 20, 2:24*pm, James Waldby wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:13:11 -0600, SteveB wrote:
"stryped" wrote in message
....
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they are
probably pretty horrible:
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

You need a few more years practice before welding on trailers.

Or some welding courses at local trade schools.

In any case, break a bunch of your welds and let us know the
outcome. *Some of the welds in the pictures look blobby and
erratic, like they won't take much force to break.

-jiw

I beat the heck out of the angle iron and could not get it to break.

By the way, it is ok to weld, grind down, then weld on top of the
origional weld?

It is, but that won't fix welds that bridge the gap rather than
achieving face-to-face fusion clear thru the joined members. It is
much better to get a good root pass, then grind away slag and
inclusions and fill in behind the root pass. *It is better yet to get
it right the first time in thin metal like you are using.

Practice on scrap similar to your job to get your techique and machine
set so you and it *make good welds, then start the job. If you don't
have scrap, make some. *I'm not kidding! * *It'll save time and
materials in the long run, and result in a better job.

I've been welding for over 30 years as an amateur. *I still do a trial
run with stick or MIG before going for the money on a given job. Might
be 2 minutes or 30, *one try or a dozen, whatever it takes to get it
right. * *

6013, 7014 and 7018 are all suitable. * An accomplished welder could
make a good job of it with any of those. * It's far more important to
discover which of those works consistently well for you under what
conditions. *The first two digits (60xx or 70xx) *infer tensile
strength in KSI but that assumes ideal welds. *Both are probably
higher than the metal you're joining when making a trailer. * * *A
good weld with 6013 is considerably stronger *than a poor weld with
7018. *A realistic stress limit for angle iron etc used in trailer
building is more like 20KSI. *

Gae thee forth and weld. Try things, see what works, nevermind "expert
guidance" from an internet newsgroup. *You might *amaze yourself with
your rate of progress. *We don't have to "ride your welds" but you do.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

What about 6011 rods?

On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:25:32 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:

On Apr 21, 12:32*am, Don Foreman
wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:07:33 -0700 (PDT), stryped





wrote:
On Apr 20, 2:24*pm, James Waldby wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:13:11 -0600, SteveB wrote:
"stryped" wrote in message
...
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they are
probably pretty horrible:
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

You need a few more years practice before welding on trailers.

Or some welding courses at local trade schools.

In any case, break a bunch of your welds and let us know the
outcome. *Some of the welds in the pictures look blobby and
erratic, like they won't take much force to break.

-jiw

I beat the heck out of the angle iron and could not get it to break.

By the way, it is ok to weld, grind down, then weld on top of the
origional weld?

It is, but that won't fix welds that bridge the gap rather than
achieving face-to-face fusion clear thru the joined members. It is
much better to get a good root pass, then grind away slag and
inclusions and fill in behind the root pass. *It is better yet to get
it right the first time in thin metal like you are using.

Practice on scrap similar to your job to get your techique and machine
set so you and it *make good welds, then start the job. If you don't
have scrap, make some. *I'm not kidding! * *It'll save time and
materials in the long run, and result in a better job.

I've been welding for over 30 years as an amateur. *I still do a trial
run with stick or MIG before going for the money on a given job. Might
be 2 minutes or 30, *one try or a dozen, whatever it takes to get it
right. * *

6013, 7014 and 7018 are all suitable. * An accomplished welder could
make a good job of it with any of those. * It's far more important to
discover which of those works consistently well for you under what
conditions. *The first two digits (60xx or 70xx) *infer tensile
strength in KSI but that assumes ideal welds. *Both are probably
higher than the metal you're joining when making a trailer. * * *A
good weld with 6013 is considerably stronger *than a poor weld with
7018. *A realistic stress limit for angle iron etc used in trailer
building is more like 20KSI. *

Gae thee forth and weld. Try things, see what works, nevermind "expert
guidance" from an internet newsgroup. *You might *amaze yourself with
your rate of progress. *We don't have to "ride your welds" but you do.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

What about 6011 rods?

I never liked it for working on thin stuff, but some folks do.

On Apr 21, 2:03*pm, Don Foreman wrote:
On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:25:32 -0700 (PDT), stryped





wrote:
On Apr 21, 12:32*am, Don Foreman
wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:07:33 -0700 (PDT), stryped

wrote:
On Apr 20, 2:24*pm, James Waldby wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:13:11 -0600, SteveB wrote:
"stryped" wrote in message
...
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they are
probably pretty horrible:
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

You need a few more years practice before welding on trailers.

Or some welding courses at local trade schools.

In any case, break a bunch of your welds and let us know the
outcome. *Some of the welds in the pictures look blobby and
erratic, like they won't take much force to break.

-jiw

I beat the heck out of the angle iron and could not get it to break.

By the way, it is ok to weld, grind down, then weld on top of the
origional weld?

It is, but that won't fix welds that bridge the gap rather than
achieving face-to-face fusion clear thru the joined members. It is
much better to get a good root pass, then grind away slag and
inclusions and fill in behind the root pass. *It is better yet to get
it right the first time in thin metal like you are using.

Practice on scrap similar to your job to get your techique and machine
set so you and it *make good welds, then start the job. If you don't
have scrap, make some. *I'm not kidding! * *It'll save time and
materials in the long run, and result in a better job.

I've been welding for over 30 years as an amateur. *I still do a trial
run with stick or MIG before going for the money on a given job. Might
be 2 minutes or 30, *one try or a dozen, whatever it takes to get it
right. * *

6013, 7014 and 7018 are all suitable. * An accomplished welder could
make a good job of it with any of those. * It's far more important to
discover which of those works consistently well for you under what
conditions. *The first two digits (60xx or 70xx) *infer tensile
strength in KSI but that assumes ideal welds. *Both are probably
higher than the metal you're joining when making a trailer. * * *A
good weld with 6013 is considerably stronger *than a poor weld with
7018. *A realistic stress limit for angle iron etc used in trailer
building is more like 20KSI. *

Gae thee forth and weld. Try things, see what works, nevermind "expert
guidance" from an internet newsgroup. *You might *amaze yourself with
your rate of progress. *We don't have to "ride your welds" but you do..- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

What about 6011 rods?

I never liked it for working on thin stuff, but some folks do. *- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

What do you consider "thin"? Less than 1/4?

On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:38:37 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:

On Apr 21, 2:03*pm, Don Foreman wrote:
On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:25:32 -0700 (PDT), stryped





wrote:
On Apr 21, 12:32*am, Don Foreman
wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:07:33 -0700 (PDT), stryped

wrote:
On Apr 20, 2:24*pm, James Waldby wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:13:11 -0600, SteveB wrote:
"stryped" wrote in message
...
Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they are
probably pretty horrible:
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

You need a few more years practice before welding on trailers.

Or some welding courses at local trade schools.

In any case, break a bunch of your welds and let us know the
outcome. *Some of the welds in the pictures look blobby and
erratic, like they won't take much force to break.

-jiw

I beat the heck out of the angle iron and could not get it to break.

By the way, it is ok to weld, grind down, then weld on top of the
origional weld?

It is, but that won't fix welds that bridge the gap rather than
achieving face-to-face fusion clear thru the joined members. It is
much better to get a good root pass, then grind away slag and
inclusions and fill in behind the root pass. *It is better yet to get
it right the first time in thin metal like you are using.

Practice on scrap similar to your job to get your techique and machine
set so you and it *make good welds, then start the job. If you don't
have scrap, make some. *I'm not kidding! * *It'll save time and
materials in the long run, and result in a better job.

I've been welding for over 30 years as an amateur. *I still do a trial
run with stick or MIG before going for the money on a given job. Might
be 2 minutes or 30, *one try or a dozen, whatever it takes to get it
right. * *

6013, 7014 and 7018 are all suitable. * An accomplished welder could
make a good job of it with any of those. * It's far more important to
discover which of those works consistently well for you under what
conditions. *The first two digits (60xx or 70xx) *infer tensile
strength in KSI but that assumes ideal welds. *Both are probably
higher than the metal you're joining when making a trailer. * * *A
good weld with 6013 is considerably stronger *than a poor weld with
7018. *A realistic stress limit for angle iron etc used in trailer
building is more like 20KSI. *

Gae thee forth and weld. Try things, see what works, nevermind "expert
guidance" from an internet newsgroup. *You might *amaze yourself with
your rate of progress. *We don't have to "ride your welds" but you do.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

What about 6011 rods?

I never liked it for working on thin stuff, but some folks do. *- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

What do you consider "thin"? Less than 1/4?


"Thin" is a variable with the size of the rod being the deciding
factor.

Ive got some 6013, which we all know is for Thin Stuff..only proble is
that this rod is about 3/8". Takes about 200- 300 amps to run a decent
bead.

Ive also got some 1/16 6011. Takes about 35 amps to run a decent bead
at most.

Think 3/8 plate is thick for the 1/16th rod and a smidge too thin for
the 3/8 rod?

You would be right...G Ive blown holes in 1/2" plate farting around
with the big rod, and did it in a heart beat.

Im not sure what the ratio of rod diameter to material thickness in
single pass welding..or how to define "thin"....

I did weld a razor blade to the top of a piece of railroad track with
1/8th 6011 once as an exercise, but thats like a "bar bet" trick.

Perhaps someone has a good formula?

Gunner


"[L]iberals are afraid to state what they truly believe in, for to do so
would result in even less votes than they currently receive. Their
methodology is to lie about their real agenda in the hopes of regaining
power, at which point they will do whatever they damn well please. The
problem is they have concealed and obfuscated for so long that, as a group,
they themselves are no longer sure of their goals. They are a collection of
wild-eyed splinter groups, all holding a grab-bag of dreams and wishes. Some
want a Socialist, secular-humanist state, others the repeal of the Second
Amendment. Some want same sex/different species marriage, others want voting
rights for trees, fish, coal and bugs. Some want cradle to grave care and
complete subservience to the government nanny state, others want a culture
that walks in lockstep and speaks only with intonations of political
correctness. I view the American liberals in much the same way I view the
competing factions of Islamic
fundamentalists. The latter hate each other to the core, and only join
forces to attack the US or Israel. The former hate themselves to the core,
and only join forces to attack George Bush and conservatives." --Ron Marr

On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:38:37 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:


What about 6011 rods?

I never liked it for working on thin stuff, but some folks do. *- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

What do you consider "thin"? Less than 1/4?

I'd say 1/8" and less, though I used 6013, 7014 and 7018 on everything
up thru 1/4". I always had clean metal free of rust, paint and crud,
wasn't repairing road or agri machinery.

I use past tense because I've not done any stick welding since I got a
Millermatic 210. I think it's easier to make good welds with stick,
but I don't like all the smoke, slag and spatter. MIG works great if
(and only if) everything is set just right. If/when I need to do
anything thicker than 3/8", I'll use stick.

Too low a temp. Baking out wet 7018 calls for 650F to 750F for 1 hour
http://content.lincolnelectric.com/p...ature/c210.pdf
page 46

Don Foreman wrote:
On Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:57:59 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:

Here are some welds I just did in my garage. I have not welded in
almost a year and I was trying to basically lay a bead. I know they
are probably pretty horrible: http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/stryped_2007/

I had a hard time with 7018. I have had all my rods in a closet in the
house for several years. Think they have accumulated moisture? One of
the pictures is with 6013. It was a lot easier I think.

Just wondered what you thought.

Baking your 7018 at about 300 to 350 in the oven for about an hour
might help noticably.

When I haven't welded for several months, I also do a few practice
welds on scrap before staring a job that matters. I don't think one
ever forgets how to weld once one has learned, because once one has
learned then he knows what to do if things aren't runnin' quite right.
If I haven't welded for a while, I often don't get things right first
go but it only takes a few minutes to "get it back".

I'll be doing some o' that tomorrow, in fact. I have practice bits
ready to go to the scrap bin after first attempts. I figure 10
minutes will have me cookin' again. I'll be MIG-welding conduit (EMT)
to make something. I sure discovered that 3/4" conduit isn't as
cheap as it used to be (holy buckets!) but I suppose nothing is.