Welding 2"x2" 1/8th square tubing with stick welder need some advice

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So i am building a headache rack for my truck and i am using 2x2 steel tubing 1/8th inch thick. I only have a stick welder (miller maxstar 150) and i have most of the joint welded up. i used 3/32 7018 rods at around 75 amps. Most of the welds came out okay but some did not. Is there an easier rod i can use for this thin of tubing, maybe a 6013? Like i said i only have the stick welder and no mig welder as i know this would be a lot easier with mig but any suggestions would help! i will try and  take some pics soon of some of the welds ThanksMatt
Reply:3/32" 6011, 6013, and 7018 will all work. (in my opinion) They will all run between 60 and 80amps.A grinder is your friend here.  Just a couple welders, big hammers, grinders, and torches.Work will free you.Men in dirty jeans built this country, while men in clean suits have destroyed it. Trump/Carson 2016-2024
Reply:You're right 6013 would be a bit easier, or 6010 or 11. You can always run a hot pass with 7018 after if things are underfilled. The slag on the 6010, 11, 13 is easier to get off and better to restrike, gets great penetration.SqWave 200Millermatic 190Airco 200 ACHypertherm PM45Boice-Crane Band SawVictor O/A
Reply:get some 3/32 6011 but it wont look as nice. are you welding vertical?
Reply:Its mostly all flat welds now but i was thinking a 6013 might be my best bet. at some points the 7018 was burning through but also im still fairly new at welding so it could be my technique
Reply:7018 will look better and slag will be easier to remove. 1/8 isn't very thick so no need for a deep penetration rod like 6011
Reply:You should be fine with 3/32 7108.  Spend a day practicing on scraps (same stuff as the project!) and you'll get the hang of it!
Reply:My guess is part of your problem is fit up. Without picts it's hard to say, but thin but ends are going to give you trouble if your prep and fit up isn't right. Mitered cuts with a knife edge will be the worst. That thin knife edge will burn away almost instantly. Oversized gaps will also cause you trouble. Rounded edges on tubing will also cause a gap to be wider at the edges of the tube compounding a gap problem..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:If you're burning through, perhaps you are long arcing it ?
Reply:Turns your amps down a little. Post pics.
Reply:Okay, I will say that none of these are good and I feel I know why none turned out great. This is the first project I have done outside of a classroom. so I have been doing a lot of in position and booth work so this is my first crack at welding and fabrication outside of the classroom. I feel that my fit up was off as well being this is the first time I have cut angles and used square tubing. Please let me know what else I can do to better hereLast edited by mattcucunj; 03-20-2015 at 10:21 PM.
Reply:Try 7014 and reduce your amps.....Good fitup, as always.Take a stick of 7014 and chuck it up, then lay it on a piece o scrap and watch it burn all by itself to a stub....7014 is fine for thin wall non structural steel applications and a pleasure to work with compared to the best 7018.
Reply:I have done lots of 1/8 and thinner using 3/32 6010 / 6011. Less slag with these rods allows you to see the puddle clearly and the fast freeze allows good control by whipping in and out.
Reply:Okay, I will say that none of these are good and I feel I know why none turned out great. This is the first project I have done outside of a classroom. so I have been doing a lot of in position and booth work so this is my first crack at welding and fabrication outside of the classroom. I feel that my fit up was off as well being this is the first time I have cut angles and used square tubing. Please let me know what else I can do to better here
Reply:Here is a gap I need to fill because of off miter cuts, ive tried 6010 here on the other side and I just burn a big hole in itHere is the whole rack so far
Reply:Your welding skills are not there yet. I see a lot of incomplete fusion, buried slag, porosity and a pile of stray arc strikes. The fit up doesn't look too bad other than the one gap. You should be able to weld this with 3/32 7018 and make it look very nice.i know I could weld that gap closed with your set up. No other rod is going to fix your issues. It's just your inexperience.It appears to me your moving too fast. That could be because your not reading the puddle properly yet and worried about burning through. I'm also guessing that your not able to change your heat setting on the machine to get your puddle to do what you want it to do on the material your working with.Something you could do to help close that gap is take a rod, knock the flux off it and lay it over the gap. Then weld over it. It will give you some extra meat to work with. Once you get the gap closed, make a nice cover pass over top.Last edited by snoeproe; 03-20-2015 at 10:43 PM.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Originally Posted by snoeproeYour welding skills are not there yet. I see a lot of incomplete fusion, buried slag, porosity and a pile of stray arc strikes. The fit up doesn't look too bad other than the one gap. You should be able to weld this with 3/32 7018 and make it look very nice.i know I could weld that gap closed with your set up. No other rod is going to fix your issues. It's just your inexperience.It appears to me your moving too fast. That could be because your not reading the puddle properly yet and worried about burning through. I'm also guessing that your not able to change your heat setting on the machine to get your puddle to do what you want it to do on the material your working with.Something you could do to help close that gap is take a rod, knock the flux off it and lay it over the gap. Then weld over it. It will give you some extra meat to work with. Once you get the gap closed, make a nice cover pass over top.
Reply:bad fittup and 7018 don;t mix. so 6010 it or 6011.use 6013 for sheet metal!!!!!!!
Reply:Looks like too fast and amps too low as well. 7014 would be easier and leave a nice smooth weld. On the gap, I'd cheat and lay a piece of rod with the flux knocked off in there and then use a bunch of tacks with 6010/6011 to seal it up and then cover with a 7014 after it's cooled off. I'd start the 7014 at the wide part of the gap and weld toward the tighter end so there's less chance of burning through from the heat build up. Probably have to weave a bit and may not be able to do a full pass all the way across.
Reply:When you see that one of your fits has gaps to fill, start out making spot tacks where the gap is widest when the metal is still cold. Just a few tacks in the wide spots will do wonders to keep you from burning through later. Get all your gaps tacked up first and skip around if need be so you can keep busy working as tacks cool. When you begin welding pay attention to the fit up. You want less heat in the spots where there gaps, and more heat in tight fitting areas. Begin your welds where you need the least amount of heat and finish your bead where you need the most heat, realizing that the material is getting hotter as you weld.The worst thing I can think of happening is if everything I ever welded instantly became UNWELDED
Reply:Another thing you might want to try is pushing the rod instead of dragging it. Works for me.
Reply:Pushing the puddle will carry less heat and less penetration. However, as your welding, slag will want to roll out in front of the puddle at some point and if your inexperienced can cause issues like snuffing out your arc. You have to be able to recognize what the weld puddle is and what's slag.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:I will try the rob idea in the gap,  again there is not supposed to be a gap there, this is my first time fabricating something and i made a few wrong cuts. but i do appreciate every ones  input and help!
Reply:Here are the pictures of the 7018 1/8th" rod that i broke the flux off and jammed it in the gap. It worked out pretty wellHere is the finished product, still not that great but a lot better than what i was doing. I plugged unto 240 instead of 110 this time and cranked the amps to 95-100 and it was a lot better.
Reply:Here a video of "texas tig welding" so i hear its called. Knocked the flux off a 7018 rod and used as a filler rod with the arc of the 7018 i was using. It worked great on the wholes i blew through the tubing my first go around and this worked out well to fill the wholesMoving too fast.Try 7014.
Reply:Yea i do move a little quick something i have to work on
Reply:Here are some pictures of some of the welds i did the other day on this, this is the welds on that connect the rack to the 3"x3"x1/4" angle iron that will bolt to the sides of the bed of my truck, still not all that great but its an improvement
Reply:your figuring it out. if your welding thinner steel with stick welding just turn the machine down. 95 amps may work depending on the machine. Try to find you some 3/32 rods if your using a small buzz box shop welder. better control over your puddle and you wont burn as hot, but whip faster if you are and using 6010. 7018 is the best for that job though I think. cleaner looking finished product. and using 7018 as a "texas tig rig" that is what I do if the opportunity arises to use that method!  Oh and can I suggest when your putting caps or boxing ends with your welds on that tubing, grind them smooth to make the 90,45 or ends look seamless and flush. but other spots keep the weld "look/profile." cool project!
Reply:Originally Posted by AndrewDavenport89your figuring it out. if your welding thinner steel with stick welding just turn the machine down. 95 amps may work depending on the machine. Try to find you some 3/32 rods if your using a small buzz box shop welder. better control over your puddle and you wont burn as hot, but whip faster if you are and using 6010. 7018 is the best for that job though I think. cleaner looking finished product. and using 7018 as a "texas tig rig" that is what I do if the opportunity arises to use that method!  Oh and can I suggest when your putting caps or boxing ends with your welds on that tubing, grind them smooth to make the 90,45 or ends look seamless and flush. but other spots keep the weld "look/profile." cool project!
Reply:nice, smooth it all out with the grinder for when you paint it it will look nice and clean. OR if you like the actual "welded profile" look, take a poly-pad sander and smooth it a tad and paint it up. Yep its about time I figured out where im going to put me a little shop area so I can finally start doing some cool projects like this!
Reply:Originally Posted by AndrewDavenport89nice, smooth it all out with the grinder for when you paint it it will look nice and clean. OR if you like the actual "welded profile" look, take a poly-pad sander and smooth it a tad and paint it up. Yep its about time I figured out where im going to put me a little shop area so I can finally start doing some cool projects like this!
Reply:As a fellow beginner, I noticed that you don't seen to brace yourself or your welding arm/hand.  It sure helps me to support one arm with the other and it helps to grip the rod with my free hand until it gets shorter and heats up too much to hold with a thick glove.  Much steadier welding for me at least.Jerry30+ yrs Army Infantry & Field Artillery, 25 yrs agoMiller 350LX Tig Runner TA 210, spool gunLincoln 250/250 IdealArcESAB PCM 500i PlasmaKazoo 30"  vert BSKazoo 9x16 horiz BSClausing 12x24 lathe20T Air Press
Reply:It's coming along - I bet after this project you will be very mindful of cutting and fitting The last project railing I just finished I used 1/16" and 1/32" total error tolerances.  Made tig welding a breeze Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:I normally use my my other hand as a brace, In the video i was doing more of tacking and filling in some holes i had, not any stringers. And yes my next project i will be doing many thing different