Yeah, yeah, I've seen you guys weldin all the time. Looks like a kid could do it.

Borrowed a nice old stick welder from a guy across the street, plugged er in the dryer outlet and confidently fired up a stick.

If that !@#$% stick gets stuck to the !@#$% plate one more !@#$%^ time, I'm gonna shoot somethin. I've burned more !@#$%%^ holes in 1/4" plate...looks like !@#$#%^ swiss cheese.

And as for sheet metal! I wanted to cap my half door...now, I've got about a !@#$%^ 1/16 door! !@#$%, I just get within 2' of the !@#$% sheet metal and there's a big !@##%$% hole in it.

Other than that, it's a great night. I think I'll stay up and watch the meteor shower (I'm too !@##$$% pissed to sleep anyway).

My cap's off to you welders.

that sucks man. If you ask me its !@##%$%

lol,

turn the heat way down on sheet its tough with an arc. and arc it like your striking a match dont just jab it into the steel. good luck.

What rod are you using

Is it an AC DC welder?

I have lots of luck using my AC buzzbox with a 7018ac rod.

Start with a clean surface.

Strike the rod like a match lifting the tip away as you follow through with the stroke but don't bring it so far away that it brakes the arc.

Trying to learn how to weld with a stick on sheetmetal? :laughing:

It's a Dayton 230 amp welder and I've used 1/8" 6011 on the plate and 3/32" 6013 on the sheet.

I've put the !@#$% thing on the minimum setting and it lights up like the Fourth of July and rips a hole in that !@#$% sheet quicker than you can blink.

Oh yeah, how do you see where to start? I'll get that stick hovering right over the spot where I want to strike, plan to do a four inch bead, slowly reach up and lower the lense...and end up 8" from where I wanted to !@##$% start, with a !@#$% 17" spiral looking like some !@#$#% Indian !@#$% petroglyph.

All I want to do is make a bracket for my York. I was going to mount a second alternator over it for an on board welder, but...I might just take a couple of hundred hose clamps with me instead.

But hey, it's still a beautiful night out!

Well? you could give up some vision and just as you start the arc flip the shield down.

At least look at it like this.. I borrowed a 110V mig once to learn and make a bracket. I actually did get some good beads that looked professional and good "ok" penetration. (mig needed more juice). It wasn't easy though it came with an Arc welding hood, I couldn't see a damn thing while welding, might as well have just had my eyes closed. :D

Make sure you have good lighting when first learning to wled. makes it much easier to see before you strick it. Like said before strick it like a match. Sounds like you are moving too slow with the bead an burning thru the metal.

isn't 6011 a deep penetrating rod? could be the reason he's burning through so easily. I've only ever used 6011 and 7018, and think the 6011 is abreeze to use compared to the 7018

Hell fire, this is getting easier. By the end of the week, I may make an exo-cage for the RV!

Can you borrow a little MIG or flux core welder? They are SOOOOO much easier.
I started learning to weld on borrowed 110V MIG welders, then bought a Hobart Handler 185 - works GREAT.

With a MIG and a bit of practice you can build most anything (though I can't clearance my diffs :( )

Phil

What I did was invest a hundred bucks into schoolin' at the local Voc school. Best money I ever spent! Three hours per night, two nights a week, for a couple of months. I'm not ready to quit my regular job, but now I have some idea what good welds are all about. It's alot easier to practice when you got an expert there to guide the way.:smokin:

That was some funny #%^&$ !Iwas laughing so $^%&^#@ hard. I guess we can all relate to ya!:emb2:

If you're getting good at borrowing stuff, bowrrow a self darkening hood. The things kick a$$. Works kinds like the 'hip' self darkening sun glasses. What you strike an arc, the glass darkens automatically.

I just did SOA perches, etc. but got lucky...borrowed a gas powered Miller welder and it came with a Welder!

bahh...its not that hard:rolleyes: your going too slow and wiht too much heat...

oh yeah get a mig....you should try tig welding aluminum and stainless....now thats fun

get the guy that owns it to put a bead on a piece of scrap metal and watch him very carfully, but make sure you wear some kind of eve protection.......it fawkin hurts like hell for about 12-24hr. if you get "flashed" by it, so wear a sheild. thats how i learned how to weld...... if ou have problems with doin that then get him to guide your hand so you get the feel of it.......

make sure the guy understands what you are refering to when you ask him to guide your hand.

Use 6013 on some 1/4 mild steel to lean to run a bead.
Set it around 125 amps and 25 volts and u will be set.
Keep ur rod a little more vertical than 45 degrees
To start a bead it is easiest to drag the electrode across the metal until the arc start then bring it about 1/8 inch above the metal and really no movement with 6013.
Ill try finding a paper that helps u tell what u didn wrong with the bead.