Fixing Welding Holes

Unless I am welding some extremely thick metal, it seems I am always burning at least one hole in the metal. I'm no expert welder, just a farmer who has to do repairs. My welds do hold, although they are not always pretty. But it seems that anything I weld ends up with at least one burn hole. To fix them, I have always stuck a nail, screw or bolt in the hole and welding over it. In fact I save all bent or stripped bolts just for this purpose. Last night I was welding some

1/8 inch metal and had to do the same sort of patch, used a bolt and welded the head right into the piece. I'm just curious what the professional welders do when they burn holes.

Yea, I am sure they dont burn as many as I do, but "shit happens", or should I say Holes Happen. I only have an AC stick welder and while I do my best to set the heat range, holes happen.

All tips appreciated.

Did you say "extremely thick" on purpose? Or was it a typo?

Anyway, I always just weld these holes shut by welding starting around perimeter.

i

WHAT A TRICK! You do not start in the center of the hole? How long did it take for you to find this out?

Nick

I consider 1/8" (10 gauge) to be as thin as it's possible to weld with a stick welder. If you routinely weld this stuff, it's no wonder you get the occasional blowout. Welding over a plug is a fine technique.

I suggest you look into a small MIG welder. I recently bought a Hobart Handler 135 and it welds just great on materials up to 3/16" thick. All I've ever used in it is .030" fluxcore wire. It's super-easy to weld with, just point and pull the trigger.

Anyway, I don't consider myself a pro welder although I'm increasingly headed that way. I don't ever use stick on anything thinner than 3/16" so I very rarely get a blowout. When I do, I just turn down the amps and gently walk from thicker material onto thinner, working my way around until I've welded over the hole.

Grant

It's not that complicated. All you need to know is: Keep cool! Weld for 1/2 second, wait 'till the slag cools down and is glowing red, then weld again 1/2 a second a bit to the side of the previous tag, cool down, weld, cool down, ... You'll get the bit how long you can weld and how long you have to let cool down. If you let it cool down too long, the arc won't start *through* the slag and you waited too long.

Listen to the arc, it changes the sound short before it will burn a hole.

Nick

That will happen a lot with AC, and there's not a lot you can do except reduce current. And then it sticks. Buy a DC machine.

Steve

I used to lay a firebrick under the hole to support the molten metal, and then fill it up with weld metal. It worked okay, but then I got better at welding and I haven't burnt a hole in anything for quite some time.

Best wishes,

Chris

With a firebrick tight against the underside of the metal, I've welded up a hole starting in the middle. Perhaps not smart, but I wasn't very experienced at the time and it worked.

But ultimately, it's much less trouble if you can manage to avoid burning holes in the first place.

Best wishes,

Chris

Are you using 6010 or 6011? A lower penetration rod like 6013 or 7014 burns through less and if you do punch a hole, they make filling it easier. The down side is you need to grind off most of the rust to get a decent weld with them.

A bridge welder taught me how to use 7018 and now I don't like anything else. It requires DC and dry storage and definitely lets you know when its moist or the switches are wrong. There are AC and moisture resistant versions of it that I haven't tried.

Jim Wilkins

Try a less aggressive rod, like 6013 or 7014. Welding 1/8" steel should be no problem at all even with an AC buzzbox stick welder.

1/8" rod, about 120 amps but let the rod tell you when it's happy.

'Can't say what the pros do. What I do is put a piece of heavy copper behind the hole & fill it in. Weld doesn't fuse to copper & copper doesn't melt. The piece that I use with my 90A MIG is 3/16 thick, IIRC.

Bob

Yes, keep your hood down and wait until the weld puddle is just barely visible as a dull red through the lens. (Assuming a standard helmet, have not tried this with an auto dark yet.)

Hmm, I always thought my premonitive cursing was due to having ESP:)

After your encouragement, I tried 7018. I also fell in love with it.

i

That's interesting. Someone told me that DC bit deeper with one polarity and shallower with the other, when compared to AC. I can't remember who it was.

Best wishes,

Chris

A lot of the suggestions to the OP are for different types of processes than he's using ....... such as MIG, and DC SMAW. With AC, the arc behaves much differently. It bites deeper. Remember, people. He's using an AC welder.

Steve

If you are taking the material past the melting point enough to make a hole, you are weakening whatever you are welding on significantly. When a repair is attempted, air gets on both sides of the weld, and the strength is not as high. The heat affected zone is also greater. There's ways to fix it, but you always end up with a weak joint. Unless you scab on some fresh reinforcement.

Steve

Are you using 6010 or 6011? A lower penetration rod like 6013 or 7014 burns through less and if you do punch a hole, they make filling it easier. The down side is you need to grind off most of the rust to get a decent weld with them.

A bridge welder taught me how to use 7018 and now I don't like anything else. It requires DC and dry storage and definitely lets you know when its moist or the switches are wrong. There are AC and moisture resistant versions of it that I haven't tried.

Jim Wilkins

You can't run 6010 on AC.

Steve

Glad you got the hang of it. It IS a very nice rod that gives beautiful strong welds, isn't it? Takes a little time to master, but it's my favorite rod, too. If I had to have just two rods to use, it would be 6010 and 7018.

Steve

Hi

When I burn holes, I try to find a smaller diameter rod. Home Depot used to carry some decent, small diameter rods. Harbor Fraight has some. Sears sells some small rods for stick welding. If you do alot of welding of 1/8th sheet, it might be worth getting the rod of your choice from your welding supplier. Welding suppliers are usually darned good advisors.

Jerry