Filling holes

admin

When filling 1/4" holes in approx 18 ga. sheetmetal what kind of settings do I use to get the most amount of filler on there with the least burn through? I was thinking of a low voltage / high wire speed combo.  I'm using a Lincoln weldpak 100 with C25 and .24 wire.  Are there any special techniques? I imagined just going in circles around the edge of the hole but then thought I might burn through if I did it that way.Thanks
Reply:Volt setting 2, wire speed 2 or 3...tack, tack, tack...fill, fill, fill. When you fill, use short bursts, a little longer than a tack yet short enough to not overheat.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:What he said.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:If you had a copper backing plate you could just fill the holes with a nice little buttons. Start in the center, run the rim of the hole finish in the center.
Reply:Learning to fill holes was one of the first things I had to learn quickly and it sounds as if others have experience in same.A good guess is better than a bad measurement
Reply:a copper backing works good, when welding aluminum you can use a steel backing, your guess for the settings sounds not too bad. i like to clamp a piece of thick material behind it to spread out the heat a little, i like to use a welding rod with the flux knocked off and melt it in there for fill.Nothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:Good info. Thanks for the tips.
Reply:you can use a piece of aluminum to back it but fo a 1/4 hole it shouldnt be to bad
Reply:Again use a copper backing plate then blast away...It just knocks off with a hammer or that...Metaltrades.co.uk
Reply:The copper backing plate is the way to go. I just got done filling a bunch of holes and used the copper plate . When I was done I just tapped it with a hammer and it fell off..
Reply:So do you start the weld on the copper and work outwards, or do you start it on the edge of the hole and work in?
Reply:Originally Posted by RaindemSo do you start the weld on the copper and work outwards, or do you start it on the edge of the hole and work in?
Reply:copper or brass , braze a small handle on that you can bend to hold it in place and not burn your fingers,3/16 brass rodLife is tuff,so be sharp  lincoln sp 100  cutmaster101  miller bobcat  miller 250 mig  $thousands in snapon
Reply:after doing this enough on my projects, i have found that if you run VERY VERY FAST around the edge of the hole, it will help. stay about 1/16" from the edge. the further you are from the edge, the better, in order to let the heat dissipate from the bead, minimizing the chance for burn-thru. i use Volatage setting "A" and the wire speed at about 2-2.1... just below the point where it "hammers" thru the puddle. run REALLY FAST around the outside of the hole. this step is only to build-up material. don't worry too much about penetration, as you will take care of penetration as this process continues. after you have run a few circles, and about doubled the amount of metal, continue making circles, but start making your way towards the center, in a spiral motion. if you start to burn thru again, take note of what color or how bright the puddle is. when you go to restart the bead, make sure you don't get that hot again. whenever you start to see that same color/brightness, either speed up your travel speed, or let off the trigger for a while. i try to let the bead cool just enough that i can't see it thru the welding mask. keep the wire in the same spot when you stop welding so that you can keep your hood down. as soon as you can no longer see the bead glowing thru the hood, start the arc again and continue until you have to stop again. after i get to the center of the hole, i usually go over it all again, just for good measure to insure that i have everything nice and solid.that's how i do it anyway.Later,Andy
Reply:these are all great remedies, and like the one guy said, everyone has there own preference.I used to just leave my settings where they were, n just start in the middle of my aluminum backing, which was was probably 6 inches long, 4 inches wide,n hold the trigger, and allow a puddle to be started, as i got closer to the top of my hole, i would let off, let it cool for ten seconds, then fill what was left w/lil squirts.