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arc welding sheet metal the hard way

NOTE: the below is a bit of a ramble, and I really am not asking a question, except maybe a few at the end. read and enjoy.

had the hydraulic speed handle on my cub cadet get loose, saw a bolt missing a nut and decided it was a bolt on fix.

Get it apart and see that the bolts are supposed to go thru a piece of sheet metal, and a chunk of it is cracked off(but still present).

decided to see if I could weld it with my arc welder, using only 1/8" rod. decided to use a backer bar to keep from burning thru, or at least keep the puddle from running away if it did.

worked fairly well. had to grind away excess of course. noticed that i didn't completely get the crack all filled.

looked at the bolts, looked like #8s in #10 holes. decided to replace, couldn't find #10s to I ground it out and used 1/4" bolts instead. not a lot of room for wrneches in the area in the lawnmower so i decided to weld the heads to the sheet metal., used the handle for a backing bar, as the holes were in the right spot :)

not a bad fix, now just have to debug the carbureator problems on it before I can put it to some real work. runs well enough for testing, and the handle does what it should.

well anyway, Ive had my hobart stickmate for a month or so now and am trying to find projects to do. others have commented that I should get

10 pounds of 6013 and weld to get proficient. well i bought 5 pound and have about 3 pounds left. the above story is probably one of the most difficult things I had to do, and only took a stick, so I've got to get some things ready to weld (looking at a mini 3 pt hitch and moldboard plow and a dozer blade for projects :))

ok, on to questions, is there a different technique I should have used? a different sized rod(store was closed at this time)? I have some worn parts on the tractor I'd like to fill in and re-drill, someon got a fool-proof technique for adding metal? seems I am always burning thru or getting poor fusion.

Reply to
Tater
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you can buy 6023 rods as thin as 1/16, they are carried by McMaster and Harbor Freight.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus32140

For thin material go to 3/32 inch diameter electrode. E 6013 is a mild penetration rod that is easy to strike up. Welding very thin material is always difficult. One method that takes some practice is to knock off the flux on a second rod and feed that into the puddle while welding with the regular electrode. The idea is to keep the weld pool small and cold by adding more metal. You can fill in a hole using 6013. Chip off the flux after each pass. If you just try to run back and forth across a hole you will have slag inclusions and an ugly mess. If I have a half inch hole in say quarter inch thick material I would run a bead around the edge of the half inch hole then chip it clean. Let it cool a bit then run another weld on top of the first but a little closer in. After three of four trips around you are into the center and the hole is plugged on one side. Turn up the heat and weld from the other side. If you have a heavy copper bar say two inch wide by 3/8th thick it is ideal to use as a temporary backing bar when you are trying to fill a hole. Randy

ok, on to questions, is there a different technique I should have used? a different sized rod(store was closed at this time)? I have some worn parts on the tractor I'd like to fill in and re-drill, someon got a fool-proof technique for adding metal? seems I am always burning thru or getting poor fusion.

Reply to
R. Zimmerman

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