New Welder Needs Advice

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Hi,Just purchased a small Craftsman 100 amp infinity arc welder, came with some 6013 rods. I have never welded before but have watched a few tutorials on how to get started. I am trying to do some general sheet metal repairs on an old hot rod. Her are some problems I am having:1) have no idea what amp to set the welder on, i have no instruction book. 100 (max) seemed to burn right through the sheetmetal so I have been trying to work with 60 or so.2) My main problem is starting (big surprise huh) with my helmet down I cant see crap! I have no idea if the rod is on the joint and I just keep getting it stuck. I can only see my work with the helmet up. Any tricks or advice would be great-I am not expecting great welds at this stage but I cant even get going!Steve
Reply:Welcome to the funhouse..Stick welding sheetmetal on a old HotRod??Your in for a big disapointment..Even seasoned PRO'S will find this difficult at best..Gas mig is what you will want..Just being honest.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Just get some heavier plate and learn to weld before you mess with the hotrod unless you are really good with fiberglass.  What size rod and how thin is the plate in inches or mm?DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Shops normally consider 18 gauge (.050) as standard.Zap is right, for bodywork you can't beat a little 120 volt mig welder (solid wire and shield gas)Last edited by olddad; 02-26-2008 at 10:37 PM.Reason: more infoAnything worth doing is worth doing RIGHT
Reply:The rods are 1/8 I believe as for the sheetmetal it is either 18 or 20 guage.
Reply:I can just barely weld new exhaust pipe with stick.  That is a lot thicker than 18 guage.  Guess I have to measure some.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:1/8th electrodes are way too big for that. Zap is right about the difficulty and the process you need. I've done it with 3/32 6010 at about 40 amps on Ford pickup beds (the ancient migs we had didn't have enough control), but it's not fun. David's advice is the best. Learn on something heavier and then work into the thin stuff. Pulsed mig would probably work really well for that. My experience with pulse is limited so you would need to ask David about it.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:ditto on the difficulty rating...    You need to practice on thicker material before attempting to try and stick weld sheet metal. It can be done but its not easy, I cant do it worth a crap.As for getting your arc started...  Dont worry about it, drop your helmet and scratch away, once that arc starts you'll be able to see where you are and just quickly move your rod back to where you need to begin your weld while holding the arc as long as possible. then tighten up the arc and start the weld. that just takes practice, after you start getting decent with that you can try tap starting and that will keep you closer to your starting point.I like to party!
Reply:Yes, you are starting at the most difficult...I'm not a pro.  After quite a while, I got to be able to weld 1/16" thick steel with stick.  I found that I get the best results with the rod diameter one size thinner than the steel you are welding.   Most welders have a chart for rod VS current.  Use scraps with the type of joint you are going to do, then try it.  Usually, you will have to adjust up / down from there.I found I had the best welds with 7014 with my AC only Miller.If you start with 1/4" thick, maybe 1/8" rod, you can learn the basic feel of the process much easier.  Then move down to 1/8".  Then 1/16".  Rod diameter the size below the metal to be welded.Joints must be clean and fit well.  The fit gets more critical the thinner you get - as far as avoiding burn through..Do you first welds flat on a bench.  Butt joints first, then angles.  Set up the friction knobs on your face shield so that it will stay up, but if you do a quick forward nod, it falls down into place.  You can get the stick lined up and when you're ready, nod & strike.  Working with bright sunlight or a 250W metal halide lamp coming twords you across the joint can help also....Sometimes I put a hood overt he back of the helmet to block the light from behind me from reflecting off the filter.I just got an auto darkening helmet, should have got it sooner.  I got the adjustable darkness one, which has already been usefull - TIGing 1/32" steel with "regular darkness" (like 10 or 11) I couldn't see what was going on very well.DaveUCC305 w/ HW-20Miller Thunderbolt 225Bandsawhttp://home.comcast.net/~davidtief/index.html
Reply:I am new to welding as well. On the bright side, you found the right place for good advice as I've been using the tips provided in these forums and it's helped me immensely.The first thing I did to get started was take a fundamental welding class at the local community college. On the one hand it was a bit expensive, but on the other I got to use a variety of welders, try out lots of processes, burned a bunch of consumables, and welded a lot of steel.Even though I'm on a rather limited budget, I knew that if I were to continue welding an auto-darkening helmet was going to be a necessity. I spent $95 on a low-end non-adjustable one and have been very pleased with it. With all the challenges of welding, not being able to see what I was doing at the start was the easiest to fix.Miller MaxStar 150 STHTIG Advice From Co-Worker - "Just don't burn a hole so big I can't fill it."
Reply:another thing to think about is that if your machine is only a 100amp machine then a 1/8" rod is gonna be largest rod you can run, and you really will be on the low end of a 1/8" rod's capabilities if you are running 100amps.  I would suggest starting with some 3/32" rods, and then maybe some 5/64" or 1/16" on down the road if you want to attempt sheet metal.  Good luck.  ~JacksonI'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Learning how to properly strike an arc can be quite a headache. The one thing that probably makes it the most difficult is that you cannot see what you are doing, so I strongly recommend getting an auto darkening welding helmet.  If the rod keeps getting stuck, it most likely means that the amps need to be turned up. Try turning it up 10 amps at a time until it stops sticking.  If you are having trouble getting the arc to start right on the joint, a trick I learned is to place a small piece of tape on the joint, then you can place the rod on the tape, flip your mask, and simply drag it off the tape..The Welder Shop has great deals and reviews on Hobart, Miller and Lincoln Welders.
Reply:Back before the days of auto dark hoods I would grab the tip of the rod about 2 inches back and keep my palm on the work flip my hood down and drag the tip straight into the work. That helped a lot as arc marks are a big no no in the construction and pipe worlds. As far as autodark hoods go the quality of the optics are your major consideration. I got one from HF just to see how I would like it without spending major bucks. I did for awhile but after about 3 months the lense had darkened down to where shade 9 was really about 12. My business partner uses a Miller Pro-Hobby and really likes it. It's a good hood and I think we gave about 130 bucks for it at I believe GTS Welding Supplies, but I could have that name wrong. It's an adjustable that's mag lens ready and has a really cool paint job, and is very lightweight. I like the ratcheting headgear. Wish my Jackson had one, but their headgear has always been their weak point.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:I found some 1/16" rod in a 6013 at a LWS. It was about twice the cost of 1/8" rod. Even then, it's not the first choice for light sheet metal as found on a car. Then there's the issue of the quality of the metal. It's one thng to attempt thin sheet metal with a small stick welder with new metal. It would be far more difficult if there is any rust or prior thinning of the metal. A small 110 VAC MIG welder with gas shielding would be the ideal tool for hot rod sheet metal.  A skilled operator could also use an Oxygen-Acetylene torch but the MIG would be the ideal choice, IMHO.
Reply:14 ga. with 3/32 6011 isn't too hard----after you learn to weld. 16 ga. is doable. Weld it downhand where the metal is trying to flow down into your puddle, arc force will keep the flux out of the weld. 6013 doesn't work too well like this. Most auto metal is even lighter guage so good luck.Like everyone says, throw the stick rod and equipment in the corner and get a small mig machine. Learn to weld with it on scrap before you start on anything you want to keep.No one has mentioned that very light guage metal is easy to weld downhand with O/A. The drawback is it warps badly due to the heat input but this is the way body shops did it before neat stuff like MIG's and TIG's. At least my uncle did.