Newbie needing help

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Hello all,I am brand new here and I have not welded in over 30 years, and even when I welded back then, I did not weld a lot - just a few times.  That's just to give you an idea of where I am coming from.A couple years ago, I bought a little 120 amp arc welder just to mess around with, but never even set it up until this week.  So now I have a project that I have to get done.  I know this welder isn't the right tool, but it's what I have, so I have to make do.I have a fence that is made out of "oil field" pipe and it has rusted through in some spots and I have to fix it to keep my horses in.  I have cut the bad spots out and put a sleeve in place to repair the fence.  The bad spots in the fence are too far from the house or the barn, so I have to use a generator to power the welder.  The only rod I can use without tripping the breaker on the generator is a 1/16" E6013.  Some have advised me not to use the generator and to use an extension cord instead, but some of the spots that need welding are more than 1500 feet away from an outlet.  I would love to buy a generator/welder combination machine, but right now, that is not an option.Like I said, I am able to get the 1/16" rod to lay down a bead and it looks OK for my skill level until I chip away the slag and then it's the most gawd-awful useless looking piece of crud you can imagine.  My question is this: Am I wasting my time, is this setup even feasible?  If so, what am I doing wrong to get such horrible results?  I have welded and then used the grinder to start all over about 6 times now.Any advice would be greatly appreciated.Thanks!
Reply:Toss the 6013 rod and use 6011 in the same diameter. Try that. They don't burn the same, you need to start the rod burning, then long-arc a bit to allow the puddle to freeze. Then make another bead, and long-arc a bit again, etc., etc. Just like keeping time to a four-count waltz. You're the conductor. City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:I can do that... can you tell me why the 6011 is better?
Reply:Your fence is old and rusty. Unless you clean the rust off, you need a digging rod to burn through that stuff. Unless you are capable of running DC polarity, then 6011 works ok. 6010 is better still, but you need to run 6010 on DC electrode positive polarity. 6013 is a shallow penetrating, filler rod, and works good on thin material when the metal is relatively clean.It is always better to grind the weld zone before starting, so that the heat is not wasted on paint or rust or dirt or galvanized coatings, etc. The 6011/6010 rods have the best chance of overcoming contamination to deposit solid weld metal.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Thanks.  I did use the grinder to clean off all the paint and rust from the weld area.  I'm afraid that it is my welding ability - if I took a picture of the weld would someone be able to tell if the problem was me or the rod or my setup?  Should I still get the 6011 rods?
Reply:Pictures are a great help. Many of the readers here can help you ascertain the specifics, just from good pictures. I guarantee, that whatever you have done with a welding machine, most of us have done the exact same thing many times before. It is a learn by mistakes kind of skill. I can only offer suggestions from my perspective, someone else will have far more experience than I do in one area or another. It may be that your 6013 will work, given a good technique. I know this, if you run 6013 anywhere but right on top of the puddle, it will wander and not fuse and give slag inclusions. Put that 6013 right on top of the puddle and scrape it. Perpendicular, no angle, that is what I remember. But I have not used it in a very long time.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:OK...here are pics.  The first one is before I started my latest attempt.  It is ground down and cleaned up.The 2nd pic is after my weld attempt.and then the 3rd pic is after I have chipped away the slag.  You can see that the weld only attached to the sleeve, not to the existing fence.  What am I doing wrong?  Will the 6011 fix my problem?Thanks again for helping me out. Attached Images
Reply:you will have a hard time welding that with 1/16" rods of any type.You defiantly want to use 6011,  and preferably a larger rod,  1/8" if your machine will run them,  you might be able to get away with 3/32.What kind of amps can you run before you trip the breaker?  Try a 3/32 6011 at the same amperage you were running the 6013.  manipulate the rod in small circles across the joint.  I dont think you will need to whip 3/32 6011 on material this thick, so just do circles.
Reply:I have 3/32" 6013 and they trip the breaker because I can't get it to start a bead.  It just sticks to the pipe and when it finally does try to start a bead, it kicks the breaker.  That is with the welder on full.  If I dial it back any at all, it will not start a bead and striking it to try and start one gives a noticeably weaker spark.I will get some 6011's in the 1/16" and 3/32" and try them both.In the meantime, if anyone has any other suggestions, criticisms, or anything else, please post them.Thanks!
Reply:Not to be mean but you have 2 choices, Rent a suitable welder/generator or drill holes and bolt it together.Tough as nails and damn near as smart
Reply:Have you considered renting a machine? My local rental place will rent the Honda powered stick machines for $33/ 2hrs or $86 / day. That machine will burn 1/8" rod no problems. You could also rent a larger gen set if needed as well.One issue most new stick welders have is they don't wait for a puddle to form. That might be part of your issue. Also where you direct the arc will effect what you are doing. With rods that small you may have to weave between the two pieces to bridge the joint. For what little stick I do 90% is with 1/8" rod and the rest is 3/32". I don't even have any stick that small on hand. With 1/16" you will have a tiny puddle, so you will have to make it go where you want it to..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:Thanks for the tips.  I have thought about renting a different machine, but I can't rent anything over the holiday, so it would have to wait until next weekend.  I was just hoping there was something I could do now while I had an extra long weekend.
Reply:One thing you might do is add your location to your User CP at the top left so we know where you are located. You might find someone here thats local and willing to help out..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:Thanks, I updated my location.  I am in southern Illinois.  That is part of the problem, it is very rural.
Reply:u might also step up to a 5/64 6013 one size bigger than the 1/16 we sell it here. and then clean it really good and plan to muti pass. that's what i would try if forced to use ur existing equipment. ask around maybe some farmer around u has a ranger 8 or something like that. good luck." All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream." Edgar Allan Poe
Reply:Thanks for all the advice everyone.  I was hoping to get it done this weekend but just didn't have any luck with my set up.  I'm going to check around today and try to rent a welder/generator.
Reply:Darn, the only folks I know in the Mt Vernon area are ELKS...I agree with the advice above OldFatGuy, more power is needed.Good LuckMatt
Reply:OFG  you might grind down a real clean spot and clamp a C clamp to that, on the pipe not the sleeve of course.  Then attach your work clamp to that C clamp.  If you improve the circuit things might look up a bit.  Wish U luck.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools