Welding a plate on black iron pipe?

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I am looking to weld a plate (mounting flange) to a black iron pipe. Not sure if it matters, but the pipe is from Lowes. I believe it is simply mild steel. Any thoughts on what stick electrode to use? The pipe is a cable pass-through, it won't be carrying any gas or anything pressurized. It will be painted. I am not concerned with porosity, however the flange is to allow fixing the pipe in place so it doesn't rotate when tightening a cap on the end when not in use. So as long as the weld is strong enough for that intermittent torquing of the cap thats all that I really care about.
Reply:What size is the pipe and plate dimensions ?? Depending on plate thickness, and size, you could probably just tack it and not weld fully.Too much heat and you'll warp plate. 3/32 6010, 6011, or 6013. Use whatever you have.Depending on what you need, you may consider getting a threaded floor flange and screw pipe into it.  Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:If water infiltration is not an issue then a couple of good spot welds will do.  Porosity are holes that will allow water in.
Reply:3/32" 7014, or 6013I often use either to mount flanges to pipes, tubes, channels . If you use 1/4" plate you shouldn't have any warpage. I usually run 70 to 75 amps DC depending on machine.



The black iron pipes I've gotten recently weld alright, just have to sand off some of the plastic coating they have on them now.

Done well , it should be plenty strong without much warpage.Good LuckAirco 250 ac/dc Heliwelder Square waveMiller Synchrowave 180 sdMiller Econo Twin HFLincoln 210 MPDayton 225 ac/dcVictor torchesSnap-On YA-212Lotos Cut60D
Reply:1/4" plate could still warp if too big a weld is put on too fast. Pretty much any rod would work. 6010/6011 would have less heat input because of lower amps.
Reply:

Originally Posted by albrightree

3/32" 7014, or 6013I often use either to mount flanges to pipes, tubes, channels . If you use 1/4" plate you shouldn't have any warpage. I usually run 70 to 75 amps DC depending on machine.
Reply:You're over thinking things which will just mess you up.
Reply:Just about any process or electrode you have will work just fine, or be too much depending on your skill. I am with the just tack it and seal with caulk school.
Reply:I went with around 1/16" for the flange. Thats plenty sturdy. I tried 5/64" 7014 at first but screwed myself. It didnt lay down enough metal and the slag prevented the pool from fusing the parts in a lot of places. I ground out a lot of it and started over. After round 2 of fighting the slag I switched to 3/32" 6011. Not that the weld on this part really matters, I just want a full seal around it that I can paint over and not have it rust as easy. In any event, the 6011 gets through and I'm not fighting the slag. It is a bit of a dance with the current. I am down at 50 amps on an inverter machine. Thats still quite a bit for the thinner flange and have blown thru a bit, but I can work with it. For some reason the pictures in the edit screen of this are showing upside down. I don't know if they will post right side up when I submit the post, but we'll see. The last picture is after grinding welds. I didn't get any more pictures - I still have work do do on it and shut things down last night after dark.



For what it is worth, I tried coating the threads with duct tape. Of course, when welding on the pipe the hot pipe burnt the tape off. I have caps for each end of the pipe - the challenge is the cap only covers 1/2 the thread depth on the end of the pipe. Anywho, the cap does a better job - it won't burn like the tape.
Reply:A piece of tube or formed light gauge sheetmetal would protect threads too. Spatter loves all type of threads. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:Bevel pipe and weld from bottom. Cover threads with weld blanket.  Spatter is like water,  patient and opportunistic..  How can you not feel a spatter bead until it reaches your butt crack after entering your shirt collar.?
Reply:I tack in 3 places. Then weld 1/4 turn of pipe then opposite side. The base place stay straight do not over heat your welding or you have new problems. Dave

Originally Posted by FlyFishn

I am looking to weld a plate (mounting flange) to a black iron pipe. Not sure if it matters, but the pipe is from Lowes. I believe it is simply mild steel. Any thoughts on what stick electrode to use? The pipe is a cable pass-through, it won't be carrying any gas or anything pressurized. It will be painted. I am not concerned with porosity, however the flange is to allow fixing the pipe in place so it doesn't rotate when tightening a cap on the end when not in use. So as long as the weld is strong enough for that intermittent torquing of the cap thats all that I really care about.
Reply:Use anti-spatter spray on the threads. Every welder should have some on hand. For a heavier coating use Arcair Protex or Protex Extra.https://www.esabna.com/us/en/product...ti-spatter.cfmLast edited by Welder Dave; 06-11-2021 at 02:58 PM.
Reply:Aluminum foil cap ? Is that to keep spatter off the threads ? are you going to need all the threads after welding ?


Not sure I would characterize the welds as brittle, maybe somewhat less ductile than 7018.Some electrodes don't require a specific Charpy V-notch, but all the Lincoln rods  meet the minimum requirement for E7018/6011Any of them would do the job.

I think using such a thin material for a flange makes the job much more difficult. Flanges tend to be thicker than the tubes, angles, or pipes they are welded to (most of the ones I've been given to weld). first pass 3/32" 6011 @50 amps dc

second pass 5/64" 6013 @64 amps dc

I make these cover plates because when using nuts to hold the nipple in the plate for this light fixture, when it gets hit by a fork truck the nuts break and pipe pulls through cover, and fixture dangles by the wires which often shorts out. So far most of these just bend out of the way, or tears the box off the pallet as the fork truck drives through.good luck on your projectRegardsAirco 250 ac/dc Heliwelder Square waveMiller Synchrowave 180 sdMiller Econo Twin HFLincoln 210 MPDayton 225 ac/dcVictor torchesSnap-On YA-212Lotos Cut60D
Reply:Got things installed today. I think this will do just the trick. I did shear off one of the studs, but thats OK. I have plenty of concrete sealant behind the flange so no worries on any gaps/lack of tightening in that corner.


Reply:Looks good from here. I'm sure the weld will hold well enough to torque the cap on for a water-tight seal. What type of anchor are  you using ?Any particular reason you didn't use the Idealarc ? Using a 1/4" plate  would have made the job much less challenging. You could have run higher amperage, which would have helped with starting the puddle get free from the slag and make a better weld. When running 6013 or 7014, you need to run the rod hot enough to get the puddle started, when going vertical up you can go lower, as gravity pulls the slag down and out of the way. Does your inverter welder have a hot start, that will also help get the puddle clear of the slag on start up.It kind of reminds me of a Fire Hose Connector    https://www.weldingweb.com/images/smilies/laughing.gif   


RegardsAirco 250 ac/dc Heliwelder Square waveMiller Synchrowave 180 sdMiller Econo Twin HFLincoln 210 MPDayton 225 ac/dcVictor torchesSnap-On YA-212Lotos Cut60D
Reply:I used the inverter because it is more convenient - easier to set up and put away. I could have used the Idealarc, I just didn't. Yes inverter has hot start. I haven't figured out the nuances of it entirely. I did have the hot start on 100 with 1.5sec timer, though. That was from trying to work 6010 a couple months ago or so. I am not sure what the anchors are called. I can look them up. They have a split shank and tapered end of the bolt down in the hole that wedges up against the split shank as you put torque on the bolt - the pressure of the bolt against the split shank is what anchors it in the concrete.
Reply:Sounds like a wedge anchor.
Reply:Or sleeve anchor.  What did tighten it with.  I sheared a bolt installing and handrail on Friday.  However, I was wrong for using an 1/2 inch impact on.a .25 concrete bolt that started crooked.
Reply:

Originally Posted by tapwelder

What did tighten it with.
Reply:If there's a next time, consider drive nails. You only need a 1/4" hole for nail and hammer in. Basically non removalable but can be ground off. They're handy for right application  https://www.lowes.com/pd/Cobra-15-Pa...ors/1000549039
Reply:

Originally Posted by BD1

If there's a next time, consider drive nails.
Reply:Not sure if you used a sleeve or wedge anchor.  Both are removable. You gotta make more mistakes to figure it out.  Also, drill deeper than the bolt and extract the dust. Not only does the dust pack hard reducing depth...it eliminate the opportunity set the bolt below grade further increasing the need learn removal technique.Sleeve anchors require the sleeve hit the plate or the washer,  of the sleeve rest on a nut you could have issues with binding and non tightening.  I have a thread on retrieving a bolt in a sleeve anchor using my welder as an to make an electro magnet.Sleeves are easier to remove than wedges. Also, if you rest the sleeve against the washer it is much easier to remove them, since the sleeve will be proud the thickness of the plate.Last edited by tapwelder; 06-16-2021 at 08:31 PM.
Reply:

Originally Posted by BD1

If there's a next time, consider drive nails. You only need a 1/4" hole for nail and hammer in. Basically nonremovable but can be ground off. They're handy for the right application  https://www.lowes.com/pd/Cobra-15-Pa...ors/1000549039
Reply:

Originally Posted by BD1

A piece of tube or formed light gauge sheetmetal would protect threads too. Spatter loves all type of threads. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Yofish

The last sentence of this one single post should be a stickie.