welding questions

[Jwalker1911]

Kevin what mig are you using? I get to play with the Lincon 256's at school I am trying to talk the wife into one. Well that and a Dynasty 350 and a plasma table and.....It's worse than CAD.

If you have a good welder, an LN25 is a tough mig to beat in my opinion for heavier steel. I use a miller bobcat power source. Wouldnt mind having a smaller Millermatic they're real nice. To the OP, it doesnt matter how thick your steel is,a root is a root is a root. From 1/4" to 3" its all laying a bead. Make sure your bead is penetrating and not ropey. Almost all welders are slightly different in theyre settings you may have to bump slightly up or down to get your desired weld. Take your time and post pics.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

Kevin what mig are you using? I get to play with the Lincon 256's at school I am trying to talk the wife into one. Well that and a Dynasty 350 and a plasma table and.....It's worse than CAD.

I've got an older Miller 250X I bought new. I It has a thermastatic fan for cooling and has a decent duty cycle. It's done all I have asked of it with no problems. The newer model was a 251 but probably has changed again. I also have a Syncrowave 250 and Hypertherm 1100 plasma. On stuff thicker than 1 1/2" I still use a torch.

 

[TreeGuyHR]

Question for the experts:

Is it worth it to have a wood stove welded that has a crack in it (at least one)? I have an old stove (70's era) that has a long and a short crack on the front, originating at the door opening.The steel appears to be between 1/8 and 1/4 thick. It IS steel and not cast iron, isn't it?

There is a metal fab/repair shop in my town that caters to farmers and orchardists that will make or repair about anything. I have even had them weld the leg mounts back on my Webber kettle grill! Just charged me $5 a weld. They also built a custom rack and front bumper/winch mount on my truck.

Thanks

 

[Fronty Owner]

I dont recall seeing an answer to the temperature question. On carbon steel with 7018 rod for pressure vessel, we have a minimum initial temperature of 100F with a max of 500F. For your uses, if the material is cold, I would heat it till it stops sweating for 6 to 12 inches from the weld area and go to burning rod.

 

[Patrick62]

info & experience

You can look up the various rods and their intended purposes on the web.
6010 (and the AC variant 6011) are good high penetration fast freeze rods. They blast thru rust easily.
I agree that a cap with 7018 (low hi rod) would make a excellent weld.

the 7018 can be had in both ac and dc forms, I will caution you to avoid the made in mexico rods... frustration, unless they are better now.

If your welder is capable of higher amperage on AC, I would seriously consider going to a 5/32 rod and crank up the amps.

 

[Mac88]

I thought everyone stored their rods in an old defunct fridge with a 60 watt bulb inside that burned 24/7, to keep them warm and dry.

 

[Jakers]

ive tried everything to keep em dry. ive got 5 or 6 fancy tubes with rubber gaskets to seal out moisture and they still get damp. no substitute for a rod oven. in my case its a small counter top convection oven designed for food but works well for heating rods to 150*

 

[Furu]

ive tried everything to keep em dry. ive got 5 or 6 fancy tubes with rubber gaskets to seal out moisture and they still get damp. no substitute for a rod oven. in my case its a small counter top convection oven designed for food but works well for heating rods to 150*

Rod ovens are the only way to go. I tried other things to keep the 7018 warm and dry and then a friend directed me to a Craigslist ad for three of them for $50. What a deal. 3 great ovens for 50 and I now have spares. Look around they are out there and then jump on it.

 

[origionalrebel]

i just want to thank all you folks for responding with all the good advice. i'm pretty good at dreaming up some useful, some not so useful, junk but i'm always trying to learn. sometimes my reach exceeds my grasp. that's why the origional questions about welding the thick stuff.