How many of you built your cage with a Stick Welder?

I see lots of threads on Really nice and big $$$ mig machines and it seems every Camo, Tom, and Harry have one to weld cages together with... :D

>> Any reason why not so many are using the ole' buzz box?

I have a TJ that rolled a couple times VERY hard. Bent the tub and cage up quite a bit. No, I didn't build the first cage (Factory w/ Poison Spyder Front 1/2) the welds held fine, but the cage itself is moved about 8 inches from its original design.

Just curious and looking for everyone's $.02 before I set off on a doomed path.

Thanks... Crawlin_

stick welding will work just as good as other processes, as long as you got the skills

i agree, you'll get more spatter but other than that it'll work

spatter? just use 7018 and a little anti spatter spray if that's too much for ya...

I thought the ole' Stick could put it together too, but wanted some other feedback.

I'm using 6013 rod and so long as I keep the arc short, I think the spatter is acceptable, for my ugly bent up junk.

Thanks everyone

ya know spatter can be chipped and lightly grinded off :eek:

ya know spatter can be chipped and lightly grinded off :eek:

no i didn't thanks for the tip

6013 works nearly as well as 7018 and in my opinion probably better suited to the thinner materials cages are made of . whatever works , spatter is a really easy thing to deal with , plenty of anti spatter products out there and abrasives that will remove it withour damage to the material

i wouldn't use 6013...IMO 7014 or 7018 are much better for anything that could save your life...

I second the 7014.....like butter, but stronger.

6013 vs. 7014... That's 60k tensile vs 70k tensile, right? I forget what he 13/ 14 notes. I've really only played with 6013.

Also... Welderdude: what do you mean when you say... "like butter, but stronger" Does it burn faster? puddle quicker? or ??

6013 aint worth a shit unless youre welding on sheetmetal downhand.

i built an entire exocaged 4linked toyota truggy using 6011 and 7014 with my dads old craftsman buzzbox

7014 is a good rod for lighter stuff. it's a drag rod, makes a nice, smooth, strong bead. you also don't have to keep it in an oven like 7018.

7018 is a little more finicky, requires being stored in an oven or it'll go bad, but it penetrates well and makes a good bead

6013...i'd only use it for sheetmetal and non critical stuff like repairing junk around the house

I will have to admit that when faced with the challenge of say welding yer caca back together in the woods with a couple of car batteries and jumper cables, the 60 series works ok. :p
By butter I just meant the way it lays down, flowa and "feels"to weld.

6010/6011 is a good rod to have in the backwoods because it'll cut through dirt, grease and grime really well, it's good for bridging gaps, and you can control it really well. it also much better than 6013 in the respect that it's a really deep penetrating rod while 6013 only gets light penetration

i built my whole rig with a stick. i know a mig is easier but it's all i have.

http://www.austink5.net/gallery/albums/album28/DSC01918.jpg

you kick ass high5! this rig was built by booger weldz with an old buzz box

he had a real problem keeping it upright, but never had a weld failure

Welding is welding -- if the heat and penetration - base metal and rods match.

I stick lots of things that are too much for my crappy little MIG. Get better welds too...

Try the US Forge "Steel" rods - they are awesome - supposed to be just like 7018 - but they weld much better - have a higher tensile strengh - and almost self-chip. Their "rustbuster" rods work great for old steel and their "problem solver" rods weld almost anything to anything, including lincloln-locked diffs.