Best welding rods for a fillet around pipe?

Hi Chris.

You pretty much covered the turf with hat you have. The 6013 gives a nice bead, relatively low penetration, was designed for these lighter materials and AC welders. Properly done, the slag just curls off without any aid from the operator. Crappy welding job results in lots of slag inclusions. The 6011 is the other usual choice, less slag, more dig, more penetration, not as nice a looking bead. This job really calls for a 3/32" (2.4mm) rod.

Skip the sta> Hi folks,

A 7014 is an easy rod to use and the penetration is low with slag characteristics like a 6013 except it comes off easier. I like 7018 right out of the box. You would be a candidate for a wire welder.

Scott in Texas

I'd use 6013 with one eighth rod for this. That's what it was made for. I call it the farmers rod. Slag removal is more a function of how well you do the weld. A good weld, it might just pop off, but it's not that hard to get off, unless you have a lot of holes in the well.

Hi folks,

If I rotabroach or holesaw a 1 3/4" hole in a piece of 1/8" steel plate and put a close-fitting pipe (with a similar wall thickness) into the hole, what would be the best rods to use for welding a fillet around the pipe?

I'm a hobby welder...not a pro, but not terrible. I stick welded this recently:

I only have an AC welder (oil cooled) and want to pick the best rods. I have E6013 in most sizes but dislike them for fillets because of the amount of slag they drop. I have E6011 in 3.2 mm but that seems a bit big, and it's the only size I can easily get in England. I have a few

309 stainless electrodes, and can possibly get E7018. Any suggestions?

All the best,

Chris

Na, farmer's rod is 7011 in 5/32 and larger sizes. Welds dirty rusted metal in place on a broken piece of equipment. Very deep penetration. I've even brought my welder out in the field to glue it back together so it can be hauled home.

Karl

Are the welds in question the two on the silver pipes? Are these butted together? What wall thickness? Like exhaust pipe?

You have received several suggestions here. It is all going to have to do with the type of joint and the wall thickness.

Here's what I would do:

Get two couplers, the type that the pipes slide inside of. Clean the pipe, and slide them in. Make two good tacks on each pipe, one directly opposite the other. Use a MIG, and make a series of spot welds. Use the color of the puddle as a guide. Make your first, and stop. Keep your hood down. As the metal cools just a little cooler than yellow, make the next spot, right in the middle of the first, and wire pointed to small side of crater, keeping the heat on thickest part of first mound. Continue to tack all around pipe. You will come up with a weld that will look like it was Tigged. It will be strong, as it was run hot, and is joining two thicknesses of material rather than one butted.

You can weld this with rod, but it is very easy to blow a hole in it, and then you're back to repairing it. If you don't get in a hurry with this MIG process, or make any puddle too big, you will have very little chance of blowing a hole. 1/16" rod is available, and with a steady hand and fast movement, it could be done. It's just that the finished weld may be thin, and prone to cracking.

If you can, detach the piece so it can be welded in a comfortable position, like vertical with the sleeve on the outside and down, making a tray to lay the tacks on. Or just horizontal, and rolling it so the puddle is always on top, that gives support to the puddle. Set your machine a little hot, and keep your puddles small and consistent. You don't want to run with the weld, or make it long. Just a series of hot tacks.

HTH

Steve

Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare.

Thanks for the thoughts. The picture isn't the job in question. It's the predecessor to the job in question, which hits the grassbox. Bummer!

I just checked my stocks. I have E6013 in 2.0 mm and 3.2 mm and E6011 in

3.2 mm and 4.0 mm. I'm tempted to get some E7018 in 2.5 mm just to try it, but maybe I'd be best getting E6013 in 2.5 mm? Or should I just use the 2.0 mm?

I just fixed a problem with my Hougen drill tonight, so looks like it'll be a rotabroach instead of a holesaw.

Chris

PS: I don't have a MIG welder.

I seem to be acquiring a few of those recently and holding them in a

3/4" collet in the BP, they work rather well for cutting holes, mitering tubing/pipe, scalloping RHS, removing the weld seam in welded pipe, etc etc. Been getting them off toolstop.uk.com on ebay and the price seems good.

Do your welds in short staggered welds so you don't blow through. Let them cool between welds.

Good luck.

Steve

Use the 2 mm 6013. Do some test welds on the same 1/8 plate as your project. Find the range where the rod works ok. Low end will be hard to keep lit and NO penetration (bead just sits on top of the plate), high end will start heating the rod and the weld goes bad very quickly. For

2mm I'd guess the range to be about 40 to 80. My Lincoln manual lists 50 to 80 in that size. For blow though problems, pick something about 1/3 of the way through the range you find. I'd probably try about 55 amps. You want it as low as possible so that you have time to wash the puddle to both surfaces without blow through. But too low will not form a good puddle, nothing good there.

Pity he doesn't list 43 mm, the size I need.

Chris

You mean like spots, or a short arc? Last time I did something like this, I welded about 45 degrees at a time.

Chris

Thanks, Roy. By the way, I still owe you those microscope pictures. I took a second set recently. Haven't forgotten!

Chris

Chris,

Just send them an email and ask for the size you want as they list the common sizes in their eBay listing. I've gotten both 43mm and 49mm from them after asking, and a couple of stock sizes, IIRC they get them shipped directly from the maker if not a stock item. IIRC 49mm was for

1.5" pipe mitring and the 43mm was for cleaning out the 1.5" pipe centre.

Cheers,

Dave

It depends a lot on the thickness. I like the series of spots, just because of the way it looks, plus, you can aim the nozzle to where it will make it thick. Doing it 45 degrees or so at a time is good, it is just easier to have a meltdown or blow it through.

Steve