Stick Welding (SMAW) Advice Needed

[MT Gianni]

The first thing you might want is a decent size fire extinguisher--- don't ask me how I know.

I'd get a decent welder & good helmet, a DeWalt or Milwaukee sawzall with a hand full of good American made blades,
the Lincoln welding book sold at big box stores, a good angle grinder with some grinding, cut off, and wire wheels--
the ones that look like knotted steel cable made into the hub like wheel spokes.
Don't get the cheapest discs you can find-- they wear out real fast, and will bite you.
Nortons are OK, but the German made ones at a welding supply place are better-- and priced accordingly.

You'll want some heavy leather gloves, a face shield, GOOD safety glasses, and a fairly heavy coat.
Also, don't weld while wearing plastic or cloth shoes-- red hot welding splatter balls go right through them without cooling off.

If you're wearing bibs and the burning smell continues when you move, check your knees for flames.

[MaryB]

Welder in town needed to weld a cracked truck frame then sleeve it. Rush job so he didn't put his leathers on... he was laying on his back under the truck welding above his body. Flannel shirt so semi fire resistant. Ball of slag popped and went down the shirt sleeve, tolled onto his chest and proceeded to brand him with a silver dollar sized burn. He came flying out from under the truck screaming, friend who had just walked into the shop asked why he smelled burning hair... I had grabbed an ice pack from the freezer of the beer fridge and was doing what I could but the burn was instant. It was a Friday night and we were going to work on some personal stuff off the clock(payment was beer!). That got put off a week as he went to the ER to get what he needed to treat a 3rd degree burn. His gloves would have saved him but he was in a rush and just grabbed a pair of leather work gloves that didn't cover the forearm. Left the shirt cuff wide open as a funnel...

[Winger Ed.]

Rush job so he didn't put his leathers on....

You only need to let your guard down for a second for an opportunity to get hurt.

It reminds me of something painted on the wall of a old hanger at Quantico that dated back to WWI.
It read
"Avaition is not inherently dangerous.
However; it is very unforgiving of even the slightest transgression".

[Winger Ed.]

If you're wearing bibs and the burning smell continues when you move, check your knees for flames.

I've always had a rather intimate relationship with fire.

One guy in the shop was actually a better welder than myself, but didn't do much of it.
We teased each other viciously for all the years we were there.
One day, he was welding 'something quick' and got a pretty decent size burn.

At that moment, he wasn't exactly in the mood for humor, especially my version of it.
I came in and asked, "Hey, what stinks? Are you slacking off on personal hygiene again"?

Quick as a cat, he said, "Oh yeah. Next time you get burned, we'll see if it smells like Lilacs and roses".

[Jeff Michel]

A decent AC buzz box and a couple pounds of 6013, a wire brush and a chipping hammer. Half hour of practice laying beads....... Remember steel likes to move when your welding, skip welds are your friend. Good luck and have fun.

[1hole]

Aside from guarding your body, how do you prevent a grinding wheel from breaking?

Hand held grinders are great tools but they do spin fast and that makes them potentially hazardous. How we use them matters!

I have a heavy duty but expensive DeWalt and 5 inexpensive but light duty Harbor Freight grinders; love 'em all. After all, it really IS convenient to have the wheels I will need for a job preloaded and ready to go. At some $10-12 (when on sale) makes H.F. grinders rational to do that.

I make no claim to be an expert in the use of the versatile 4-4 1/2 inch high speed grinders with thin (1/16 inch) cut-off wheels but I have used them quite often for years and without incidence. I attribute that to two things;

(1) I grind my way through each cut with a light hand. Letting the wheel smoothly move itself through the cut instead of trying to push it through by muscle power prevents the wheel developing an odd shaped scalloped edge that can easily jam in the kerf and produce a kick-back.

(2) I never willingly expose a thin cut-off blade/grinding wheel more than 1/8-1/4 inch through a cut of any thickness. Limiting the depth of cut greatly reduces the probability of the wheel binding in the kerf and instantly breaking into dangerous flying fragments.

[justindad]

My HART rotary tool has a cutoff wheel and a grinding wheel. I have a normal air powered RYOBI die grinder (very old), but I think I’ll save the big one for special jobs. Heck, maybe I’ll get a portable belt sander and see if I can’t forget about the die grinder. Sharpening hatchets is the only thing I’ve used a die grinder for over the last decade.
*
Is grinding welds flat needed to prevent early rust formation? For my homemade machines, beauty is not required. I don’t want sharp, cutting weld lines though.

[MT Gianni]

You should know when to make more than one pass, how to cut a groove on what you have and grind enough so that you have gap. You will grind about 25% of the time you spend welding.

[Winger Ed.]

Is grinding welds flat needed to prevent early rust formation?

I've found that rust doesn't really care what shape the steel is that it's growing on.

[john.k]

Never used a grinder -too slow- anything needed removing was arc gouging......gouge down to solid metal,fill up with weld.........when you gouge poor weld ,its full of slag and bubbles ,you simply wash away until solid metal appears.........When we did a big tank with CBI ,they would weld one shift ,gouge out faulty weld two shifts.........job went months overtime from poor welding,nearly sent us broke waiting for site access.

[littlejack]

An old saying we used to have when fixing someones screw up.
"Never enough time to do it right the first time, but always enough time to do it over again".

[MaryB]

Last time I used a buzz box was helping a friend dispose of a car. His landlord gave him 2 days to get rid of it and it was not road worthy in any way. Used the buzz box and rods to just burn it in half. It was the only tool we had on hand... nobody had extra cash to go buy a bunch of sawzall blades. Had the weder and some rods that had gotten wet so decided to get rid of them on the car! Had a nice inferno when the interior went poof LOL let it burn out and kept on melting metal. Frame was rusted thru already along with most of the floor so it was cut the roof, side areas above and below the doors. No engine or trans, gas tank was gone... it was a rusty old shell.

[45_Colt]

One thing to keep in mind regarding stick versus TIG/MAG, is the cost of gas. Needing to keep bottles around, possibly leasing them, then getting them refilled. Adds up quick.

Having done some welding, I can't see requiring MIG let alone TIG for a trailer. Stick that SOB.

45_Colt

[rockrat]

I am like Froogal, have OA, old Lincoln tombstone stick and a 110V wire. Seldom use the OA or the wire(still learning) and have a trailer to build and will use my stick welder. Built my car hauler about 50 years ago and didn't know what a Wire welder was.
My 4" grinder is a Makita I bought about 42 years ago, still works well
Don't use a cutting torch in dry grass, with no water with you. Lost my little brother years ago because of this.

[farmbif]

you dont want to grind your welds flat if you dont have to like to make some type of assembly fit together. your just removing strength from the joint unless you know for sure you have excellent penetration in the weld joint and your filler metal is stronger than what your welding together. Look at some high pressure weld joints, hydraulic cylinders, high pressure pipe welds, pressure tanks, ect. the weld joints are not ground flat. as a beginning welder learn how to lay a bead with the sticks your using and just remove the slag. if you worried about rust get some rust oleum and give it a coat of paint.

[Three44s]

Never used a grinder -too slow- anything needed removing was arc gouging......gouge down to solid metal,fill up with weld.........when you gouge poor weld ,its full of slag and bubbles ,you simply wash away until solid metal appears.........When we did a big tank with CBI ,they would weld one shift ,gouge out faulty weld two shifts.........job went months overtime from poor welding,nearly sent us broke waiting for site access.

I assume you are referring to a carbon arc torch for the gouging.

To not use a grinder to clean surfaces cut by a carbon arc is to invite bad welds going back. The residual carbon from the cutting rods cause a lot of welding porosity.

Carbon arc is a great tool but it has certain quirks about it. It’s a great fire starter as well.

Three44s

[DougGuy]

Having done some welding, I can't see requiring MIG let alone TIG for a trailer. Stick that SOB.

45_Colt

I don't know how much welding you have done or how many trailers you have built but mig is 4x faster than any stick, it is MUCH easier to weld vertical than stick, knowing the advantages of mig over stick makes stick a poor choice for something that a mig makes a snap out of.

[megasupermagnum]

There is one factor I haven't seen mentioned, and that is welding outside. If you own a decent sized shop, then absolutely it's hard to beat a MIG. It really is just like a metal glue gun. The problem is the G in MIG is gas. In even the most gentle of winds that gas can blow away and you get very ugly pop corn welds. If you don't own a shop, then I can only assume you will be building the trailer in a driveway or similar. You can put up curtains, and wait for good weather days. You can even buy flux core wire, but I don't really like that stuff as much as solid wire and argon gas.

Stick welding by comparison is simpler. DC stick welders are great, but you don't see them too often. At that point most people today just go TIG. AC stick welders are still around for cheap as you know, and they are a little trickier to use. The good thing though is when you get a decent looking weld, you can be assured that thing is strong as can be. There's really no such thing as making a pretty and weak weld with an AC stick welder like beginners often do with MIG's. Being as welding rods are flux coated, they are the ideal choice for welding outdoors. Another reason you still see buzz boxes on farms is they are more tolerant of rust with the right rods.

I'm not a welder, never worked as a welder, I just know how to stick, MIG, and TIG weld good enough to do general fabricating. For building a small trailer I think you will be just fine with a basic AC stick welder. The speed of the machine is no concern, and really stick welding is not that terribly slow. The only real trick is you can't see your puddle that well, so you kind of have to just figure out the right look though the slag. If you mess up and have to grind it out and weld a second time, oh well. It's a riding tractor trailer, it isn't like you are taking it to the moon. Definitely go with the 240v welder though. 120v welders just aren't good for much.

Some general quick tips I can give. Your floor or driveway will not be flat, and the ends of your cut metal is not square. When welding two pieces together use a single flat block (such as a small 8" section of the same square tube you are using) to support them. That way you know those two pieces are on the same level plane on that corner. Then trust your square for angles.

As for the power outlet, probably no need for a cover. A lot of times they will have their own disconnect, and even if not, just flip the breaker. Have it mounted high. I don't know of any NEC code for garage outlet height. There very well could be local regulations. You should be fine mounting them 5 foot from the floor. Definitely don't mount them low where dirt and water get into them. I would go for 50A outlet which is pretty standard today. Welders are a little goofy with their own section of code. You get away with smaller wire than you would think. Lots of people go as small as 30A outlets, but I see little reason to. The cost difference isn't that great, and then you are covered for most welders you would ever encounter with a 50A.

[country gent]

One pointer thats a big help starting out is to watch a good welder lay some beads. nit from a distance but under a helmet, you watch the arc puddle and movement of the rod. Then when your practicing try to duplicate this. Looking over his shoulder will give you a close view of this and teach you what to look for. Also listen to the arc its sound will tell you a lot

[Winger Ed.]

One of the guys that taught me said to listen for the sound of frying bacon and keep it going for the entire bead.