What rod thickness to use?

admin

Hi. I'm pretty new to stick welding and I am trying to figure out what thickness of rod would be better for what I'm doing. I plan on using 6011 rod to weld together/modify a trailer frame. I would be joining 1/8" thick metal to 3/16" thick metal. Should I use a 3/32" or 1/8" rod for this? I seemed to be making decent beads with each type. I thought I saw a table somewhere that suggested that 3/32" was good up to metal thickness of 1/4". But then, I wasn't having problems going through the metal with the 1/8" rod. Maybe it would ensure better penetration? Is there a rule of thumb for this?
Reply:3/32 at low amps, around 65amps, with fast movement, and a good circular whip, will give you good results."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Thanks!  Is there any rule of thumb to use for determining rod thickness?
Reply:Not necessarily, you try to match the rod with the thickness of the plate, or the job you have to do.  Thinner rod for delicate (that word fires up the gaydar), and heavier rod for thicker materialsThere is a good rule of thumb for starting amps though, to get you in the ballpark.1/8 rod.....divide 1 by 8 and you come up with .125.............forget the decimal point...........125amps is a good starting point for the rod1/32................1 divided by 32 and you come up with .31........ clearly wrong, but the formula is good for anything above 1/8  A little rule of thumb to show you that there is no rule of thumbYou set your amps, and your travel/technique by what you see happening with the puddle.(play with it, and see what you get)"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I usually use the biggest electrode i can and still maintain good puddle control, and avoid burnthrough.The larger the rod the harder it is to control, espicially out of position, but it puts more metal down faster.
Reply:For your application, 3/32 and 1/8 will work equally well.   Use whichever you feel most comfortable with.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:try both and see. welcome to welding.