"Spot welding" with SMAW

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I have a project where I need to spot weld some sheet metal to a 1/4" thick piece of angle.  The sheet metal is 22 gauge.  If I had a spot welder, this would be an ideal way to join the two pieces - about 4 good little spot welds would be plenty to hold the piece in place.  However, I only have a stick welder so I was trying to figure out if I could use it to join the two pieces.  I should also note that after welding, the area needs to be ground pretty much flush for the piece to function properly.What would be the best procedure for using the stick welder for such an application?  I did a couple quick trials in which I drilled a 1/4 inch hole in the sheet stock and filled it up with a 1/16" E6013 rod like a plug weld.  When I ground it smooth it was still attached but not very well so I was wondering if anyone had any pointers. i.e, what type and diameter rod, preheat, etc.I think that the problem is that the thicker material stays pretty cold even when I'm burning up the thin stuff.   Perhaps if I started by heating up the angle as much as possible before trying to weld, I would get a little penetration into the thicker piece.  I haven't tried that yet.
Reply:Some thoughts:Always start on the heavier section and get the puddle going, then walk to the sheet.Plug welds work ok, just be sure the hole is big enough that you can get the puddle going before hitting the sheet. Then walk it around the edge fairly quickly.Clamp REAL hard adjacent to the edge and run onto the edge of the sheet from the heavier material. Tight clamping helps heat move from the thin into the thick, reducing burnback. ORDrill a hole in a piece of aluminum that is a bit bigger than the plug weld you want to do, clamp it tight over the hole you are plug welding, and go to it. Again, burn into the heavier material first, but this buys a bit of time, as the Al will act as a heat sink and let the edge of the sheet metal fuse in without melting back.
Reply:enlpck,Thanks for the tips and tricks.  Sounds like one or both of these should work.  I have some aluminum that I can use to give this a shot.  I'll let you know how it turns out.Irish