Welding Info Needed

[tibadoe]

I am by no means a welder so I could use a little info. Hint Hint "Kennythewelder". Need to do a little welding on a RV frame I have. Mainly 1/8" and 3/16" steel. Need to run 1" beads on both sides. Have a Lincoln Electric 240V / 225A Stick Welder like this one from Lowe's. Been many years since I did some stick welding - what size rods would be best and what amp setting would you recommend?
Thanks for any input.

 

[kennythewelder]

6011 rods, 1/8 size. These rods work good on your machine. 90 to 100 AMPs. You can also get an AC 7018 rod for your machine, but you have to ask for AC 7018 rods. This would be a cap rod,, and give you a lot of strength. I like a 3/32 7018 rod.These will need about the same AMPs as the 1/8 6011 rods. Practice on some scrap metal, and clean everything up good before you start welding. Remember stay in the puddle of melting steel, and advance 1/8 of an inch at a time. This will give you a grate weld. If you have an questions, feel free to ask.

 

[tibadoe]

Thanks for the info Kenny. I will pick up some 6011 rods next time I'm in town.

 

[tbplus10]

Kenney, this brings up a question I've had for quite a few years now. A while back a weld like tibadoe is looking at would have been considered risky due to hydrogen embrittlement, high strength steel frame superheated by welding with high voltage, etc, etc, Whats changed? I no longer hear about hydrogen embrittlement or any of these other issues we faced when welding frames or other high carbon steel items.
Back in the day welding a frame (did many frame repairs against the knowledge of those in the know in my Jeepin/Toyota off-roadin days) was a big no no unless you were prepared to lay in lots of gusset and keep an eye on the repair with the mindset it or the metal around it would fracture again. And being I was rough on my machines they always cracked, I have the stop drill experience to back it up.

 

[kennythewelder]

Kenney, this brings up a question I've had for quite a few years now. A while back a weld like tibadoe is looking at would have been considered risky due to hydrogen embrittlement, high strength steel frame superheated by welding with high voltage, etc, etc, Whats changed? I no longer hear about hydrogen embrittlement or any of these other issues we faced when welding frames or other high carbon steel items.
Back in the day welding a frame (did many frame repairs against the knowledge of those in the know in my Jeepin/Toyota off-roadin days) was a big no no unless you were prepared to lay in lots of gusset and keep an eye on the repair with the mindset it or the metal around it would fracture again. And being I was rough on my machines they always cracked, I have the stop drill experience to back it up.

Through the years, the type of steel used in frame construction, has evolved, like every thing else has. Very hard metal will brake (snap) where a softer steel will bend. If frame steel was very hard, it would brake when you get into a wreck. I am not sure what the grade of steel, frame steel is, but it is a softer steel so it will bend when it is hit in a wreck. Welding like everything else, is always evolving. A 6011 welding rod, properly welded will hold 60 thousand pounds of tensile strength ( pull a part strenght) . A 7018 rod is good for 70 thousand pounds tensile strength. a 7018 weld will hold 3000 pounds for every 1 inch long by 1/4 thick weld. The only down side to 6011 or 6010 rods, it that they are not as pliable as a 7018 rod is. This is all factored in to an ideal weld of course. The main issue with welding anything on any part of a vehicle is if you are in a wreck, or if what you do to change or add any thing to your vehicle that is not within factory specs, and because of this someone get injured, you are liable for injures, and damages. For this reason, many people do not want to do any repairs. As long as you do the proper prep work before welding, and you make a proper weld, then you let the weld cool down on it's own, the weld will be stronger that the metal around it. If the cooling process is done slowly there is no reason it wont hold, but if after welding process, the weld area is cooled to quickly it will crystallize the weld making it brittle. When dealing with thick metal, it has to be pre heated, then wrapped with insulation so it will cool slowly. If the area next to the weld cracks, then that area has cooled down to quickly, or was not heated enough.

 

[toyotafan]

Huh, I guess there's a lot that I need to learn about welding. We had an arc welder when I was a kid, but I never learned how to use it.

 

[kennythewelder]

Huh, I guess there's a lot that I need to learn about welding. We had an arc welder when I was a kid, but I never learned how to use it.

There are collage corses on metallurgy that teach the molecture structure of steels and aluminums. In these corses they also study how heat and cold effect metal. A good welder has an understanding of these concepts. When doing fabrication you have to factor in for heat and distortion created by the cutting, and welding process. There are a lot of people who can burn a rod, but there is a world of diffrence between these people, and a true welder who understands and truly knows what he is doing. It takes time to master all aspects of welding, with Tig being the hardest, and of this, aluminum Tig is the hardest to master. Tig is the slowest form of welding, but it is also the strongest, and the purest of all the welding processes. As for me, I like Tig the best, but I have been a welder Fitter for 30 years.

 

[tbplus10]

I'm an amateur welder, the Navy sent me to a course years ago But the focus of the course was less about how to weld and more about Non Destructive Inspection (NDI) methods, die penetrant of welds, magna fluxing, x-ray examination, visual inspections, etc.
I do a lot of fabricating but because it's my favorite I normally use 2 different mig welders depending on task backed up with oxy accetalin as a pre-heater.
I can tig, but after 5 yrs I'm still learning not to melt things down.

 

[toyotafan]

I think If I needed to have something welded, I'm much better off simply hiring someone to do that for me.