16 gauge info

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hi all, names john, new here with definitely no welding experience!- i gonna to lay 16 gauge metal over my rusted dump truck bed and spot weld it in, i got a clarke 130en which i have no idea how use- seems i just burns holes in the metal or get the lousiest welds with the wire usually sticking out everywhere!- wrong machine for this job? or should i look into one of those $260 lincoln porta torch set ups? TIA
Reply:Are you plug welding?http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/plug-weld.htm"USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:16 gage metal sounds mighty thin for dump truck bed use. Are you going to use this truck for something other than a dump truck when you are finished with it? If it's just spot welded in, the first time it gets loaded with a track hoe that thin stuff will be pulled loose all over and be wrinkled all around the rusted frame of the bed. This isn't a DIY project for a first timer.
Reply:If you are doing an overlay you should be able to do it with that machine. Settings and wire size would help. Also keep in mind the original material needs to be moderately clean. No tar, blacktop, concrete etc. Heavy rust needs to get ground down to silver steel if possible. A wire wheel usually just smears the old rust and crud around and doesn't remove it. They are ok to do an initial cleaning to remove heavy crap, but you need to go at it with a grinding disk or sanding pad.FC wire in those machines are picky. You have a very narrow window where the settings work well. 16 ga is on the lower end of what is doable and trying to do but joints with no experience will be frustrating. You will do better with lap joints where you have the original material there for support and back up.Post up some picts of your welds  and the materail thicknesses and settings wire size etc, and we can help you a bit. You might also want to add your location to your User CP at the top left so we know where you are located at. You may find someone here who's close by and willing to help out if they know where you are located.Good luck..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:Bistineau I thought the same thing as well at 1st.  I'd have to agree it's on the thin side for a dump in general, but not excessively thin for a small 1 ton dump where weight is a big factor and you probably won't go at it with heavy equipment regularly.My guess is that the OP is probably trying to fix an F350 size dump and not a Mack..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:16g sounds awfully light to me too. i just replated a mason dump with 3/16. thats about the thinnest i would go....Miller ab/p 330Hobart champ 16Miller 140Lincoln Power Mig 255Lincoln SA-250
Reply:thx all- yea- it is a f350 with old floor still intact, its getting thin and does have some hole in it on the seams now- thats the reason i thought 16 gauge- the closer to the thickness of whats in there now, i could go with 14 gauge-- but then the steel be much different thickness, when finisihed (if this makes difference) im going to coat it bed liner coating) ill practice on my mig welder more then
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWBistineau I thought the same thing as well at 1st.  I'd have to agree it's on the thin side for a dump in general, but not excessively thin for a small 1 ton dump where weight is a big factor and you probably won't go at it with heavy equipment regularly.My guess is that the OP is probably trying to fix an F350 size dump and not a Mack.
Reply:im from greensburg- near pitt pa, i actually use my bed now, its really not to bad, im retired and dont really use the turck that much, just doing it in a bed coating would actually be ok, but i thought adding a new steel overlay would be a nice option- ill update my profile