2021 POTD Thread Archive

[NegativeK]

Made the clamps for the mini pallet! Machining them in the vise was harrowing since everything was so close to the parallels (which I flubbed and bit one once,) but once I had one slot it was fun to bootstrap the rest.

I've only done vise work and table work before. I've got to say, doing the setup on a bench and then just dropping the pallet in the vise is really, really nice.

 

[Gaffer]

This was more of a failure than a project, but I took my first stab at stick welding. I'm not good at MIG or TIG, but I've always been able to get the job done. My project was to use rebar to make a few trellises for the Bougainvillea. I have a small inverter stick welder and figured it would be easy enough to drive the verticals into the ground and then form and weld the horizontals in place. These will be on my backyard slopes.

I practiced running beads on scrap steel with E7018. It was a humbling experience, and @erikmannie, my hat off to you for your pipe welding. After finally being able to run a short bead, tried tac welding a few short pieces of 3/8" rebar together. It was maddening, but alas I was able to strike an arc and keep it going, at least long enough for a tac.

Several rods and failures later, I researched welding rebar. I should have started there, and learned not all rebar is weldable. Mine is the cheap stuff from the local hardware store, and I'm sure it's not welder friendly - structurally anyway. The best I got was a weak tac that did not require much to break. I'll try again this weekend, but I think I'm going to uses baling wire to hold the pieces together. I'm open to suggestions as far as materials and process. The wood trellises at the store are too flimsy, and I'm not concerned with looks as the foliage will hide it.

 

[Nutfarmer]

The cheap rebar from the box stores should weld ok with 6011 or 7018. The high carbon rebar is the one that can be hard to weld. Baling wire works for so many things. We fixed so many things on the farm with it. Don't think we would have had a fence left without it. Sad one doesn't see it very often any more. It puts duct tape to same around the farm.

 

[erikmannie]

This was more of a failure than a project, but I took my first stab at stick welding. I'm not good at MIG or TIG, but I've always been able to get the job done. My project was to use rebar to make a few trellises for the Bougainvillea. I have a small inverter stick welder and figured it would be easy enough to drive the verticals into the ground and then form and weld the horizontals in place. These will be on my backyard slopes.

I practiced running beads on scrap steel with E7018. It was a humbling experience, and @erikmannie, my hat off to you for your pipe welding. After finally being able to run a short bead, tried tac welding a few short pieces of 3/8" rebar together. It was maddening, but alas I was able to strike an arc and keep it going, at least long enough for a tac.

Several rods and failures later, I researched welding rebar. I should have started there, and learned not all rebar is weldable. Mine is the cheap stuff from the local hardware store, and I'm sure it's not welder friendly - structurally anyway. The best I got was a weak tac that did not require much to break. I'll try again this weekend, but I think I'm going to uses baling wire to hold the pieces together. I'm open to suggestions as far as materials and process. The wood trellises at the store are too flimsy, and I'm not concerned with looks as the foliage will hide it.

Were you running it on reverse polarity? The very first time I tried SMAW was with Harbor Freight 7018 rods, and I mistakenly had my machine on straight polarity. Talk about frustrating!

I wonder if your machine is able to run 6010. If not, it will certainly run 6011. Somebody just trying stick welding should start with 6013, and then I would recommend moving on to 6010 or 6011. Jumping right into 7018 would be a challenge. I run ALL rods on DCEP.

An inexperienced stick welder can get very serviceable results with stitch welding. Just a whole lot of tacks, jumping around the work to minimize warpage. Of course, you’re always cleaning off all the slag before you weld on it more, tack weld or otherwise.

 

[Gaffer]

Were you running it on reverse polarity? The very first time I tried SMAW was with Harbor Freight 7018 rods, and I mistakenly had my machine on straight polarity. Talk about frustrating!

I wonder if your machine is able to run 6010. If not, it will certainly run 6011. Somebody just trying stick welding should start with 6013, and then I would recommend moving on to 6010 or 6011. Jumping right into 7018 would be a challenge. I run ALL rods on DCEP.

An inexperienced stick welder can get very serviceable results with stitch welding. Just a whole lot of tacks, jumping around the work to minimize warpage. Of course, you’re always cleaning off all the slag before you weld on it more, tack weld or otherwise.

Yes to using reverse polarity. This unit is the HF Vulcan Pro Tig 165. The manual says it will run 6010, 6011, 6013, 6014, 7018, and 7024, all in the various electrode diameters. I'll pick up some 6013 and 6010. Do you recommend a particular diameter for a beginner, or is that only relevant to the material being welded?

Thanks,
John

 

[erikmannie]

Yes to using reverse polarity. This unit is the HF Vulcan Pro Tig 165. The manual says it will run 6010, 6011, 6013, 6014, 7018, and 7024, all in the various electrode diameters. I'll pick up some 6013 and 6010. Do you recommend a particular diameter for a beginner, or is that only relevant to the material being welded?

Thanks,
John

Well, not 1/16”! Start with 1/8” because it is plenty stiff (i.e. rigid).

Your machine will also run 7014 and 7010-A1.

Let me know how your machine does running 6010.

6013 is a real confidence builder!

 

[Aaron_W]

Yes to using reverse polarity. This unit is the HF Vulcan Pro Tig 165. The manual says it will run 6010, 6011, 6013, 6014, 7018, and 7024, all in the various electrode diameters. I'll pick up some 6013 and 6010. Do you recommend a particular diameter for a beginner, or is that only relevant to the material being welded?

Thanks,
John

A lot of the inverter machines have trouble with 6010, you might be better off with 6011. 6010 and 6011 are both meant to run well on dirty or rusty materials, and have deeper penetration than 7018. Oddly in class I tended to have an easier time with 7018, but 6011 is generally considered an easier rod to use.

Another potential problem with the 7018 is how it was stored. It is supposed to be kept in an oven at 250-300 degrees F. I know many don't do this and it works fine but 7018 is sensitive to moisture, so if your rods have gotten damp at some point that would effect how well they work.
That is another nice thing about 6010 and 6011, they just require dry* room temp storage. Dry is considered less than 70% RH which should be easy to provide in So Cal.

 

[Gaffer]

A lot of the inverter machines have trouble with 6010, you might be better off with 6011. 6010 and 6011 are both meant to run well on dirty or rusty materials, and have deeper penetration than 7018. Oddly in class I tended to have an easier time with 7018, but 6011 is generally considered an easier rod to use.

Another potential problem with the 7018 is how it was stored. It is supposed to be kept in an oven at 250-300 degrees F. I know many don't do this and it works fine but 7018 is sensitive to moisture, so if your rods have gotten damp at some point that would effect how well they work.
That is another nice thing about 6010 and 6011, they just require dry* room temp storage. Dry is considered less than 70% RH which should be easy to provide in So Cal.

The 7018 was brand new Lincoln rod, but I didn't preheat it. I'll try 6011 instead of 6010. I was going with stick for this project because I didn't want to haul a gas bottle around, and I read that stick welding wasn't as particular as mig and tig for clean metal. Thank you, Aaron.

 

[erikmannie]

...I read that stick welding wasn't as particular as mig and tig for clean metal. ...

Certainly true for 6010 & 6011, but I prep for 7018 the same as I do for MIG. For TIG, even more so (white glove treatment for TIG).

 

[Aaron_W]

The 7018 was brand new Lincoln rod, but I didn't preheat it. I'll try 6011 instead of 6010. I was going with stick for this project because I didn't want to haul a gas bottle around, and I read that stick welding wasn't as particular as mig and tig for clean metal. Thank you, Aaron.

I don't really care for stick welding so I only keep one box of 6011 on hand (never opened). The only reason I could see myself stick welding would be something that was rusty and crusty.