What size welding rod would be best to use?

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I'm working with 1/4" mild steel plates and 2" square tubing which is also 1/4" thick.  I'm currently using a 115 volt arc welder with 3/32"  E6011 electrodes.  It is taking for ever and requires several passes to achieve a nice strong weld pattern.  I do have a 240 volt Miller arc welder that I can use instead of the 115 volt arc welder.  What size electrode would be good to use with the 240 volt arc welder?  Thanks for your support.
Reply:Well it depends. Most small machines will run a 3/32 very well. The better ones will run 1/8. My stepdad bought an old miller cracker box that ran off 220 it would not carry an 1/8 7018 very well. Go to your local weld shop and tell them you wanna try a couple of 1/8 rods tell them you only need 5 or 6 to see if your machine will run it. Most of the time they will give them to you if you make it a point to them you plan on doing business with them in the future. I would say 3/32 will be about as good as it gets may get lucky though. That little machine wont run the 1/8 though. Also plug in the bigger machine and run a 3/32 with that you may be suprised the diff. in the two
Reply:Yes, with the smaller welder, the rod gets stuck all the time.  I guess I'll try the 3/32" rod on the 240 volt welder to see what the difference is like.  I was thinking a bigger rod would cover more area and would be much faster.  Thanks for your support.
Reply:Probably 90% of anything I do with stick is with 1/8", not that I do that much. Both of my 220v machines will run that just fine. I do have some 5/32" if I need to put down a lot of metal, but it's pushing the limits on the one machine. I seldom need to use that big of a rod frequently. Small rods I use on dirty metal, like the dump body, where the metal is a bit harder to clean and has to be done outside. I have a mix of small sizes I have gathered up for that sort of thing. That's mostly the remaining 10%..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:Very good info.  I'm sure my 240 volt welder can handle a 1/8" rod.  I'll pick up some of the 1/8" rods and try them as well.  Thanks for your support.
Reply:someetimes ill use 1/8 6010 for a root at 80- 90 amps, and use 3/32  7018 over top so i dont have to go reset the machine...
Reply:I'm currently fabricating an engine mount, and rack and pinion cross member for a project that I'm working on.  I fabricated a wooden mock-up shown on the work bench to make things easier for me.  Now I'm tranferring all the measurements to the square tubing that I'm using.  The stubs identified by the blue circles,  is where the rack and pinion will bolt to.  The green circles is where the engine mounts will bolt to, and the red circles are the plates that will bolt the car body frames.  The 115 volt welder can be seen in the background.  The lower picture is where the cross member will be installed.  I'm installing a Buick V-6 engine into my 2002 PT Cruiser.  Thanks for your support and info.   Last edited by Operator66; 08-04-2009 at 02:01 PM.
Reply:Man i dont know if you know but its really hard to get penetration on whats that uh looks like pine wood? I recommend a P5 stringer with a good bevel. Lol JK the motor looks sweet whats it going in?Weldandpower 225Heliarc Rig for itTorchesect ect ectLifes Short WELD NAKEDLooking for a SA200
Reply:Originally Posted by jroyster06Man i dont know if you know but its really hard to get penetration on whats that uh looks like pine wood? I recommend a P5 stringer with a good bevel. Lol JK the motor looks sweet whats it going in?
Reply:Originally Posted by Operator66I'm working with 1/4" mild steel plates and 2" square tubing which is also 1/4" thick.  I'm currently using a 115 volt arc welder with 3/32"  E6011 electrodes.  It is taking for ever and requires several passes to achieve a nice strong weld pattern.  I do have a 240 volt Miller arc welder that I can use instead of the 115 volt arc welder.  What size electrode would be good to use with the 240 volt arc welder?  Thanks for your support.
Reply:To answer your question in regards to the strength and quality of my welds.  For this project, everything that I weld is only tacked in place by me.  I then take everything I weld to a local machine shop where a certified welder goes over every weld that was tacked by me, and is welded solid.  I might add he does beautiful work as well.  I can assure you that while driving anywhere at 65 mph, this is one car that won't fall apart and cause an accident.  By the way, I took your advice, and I'm now using the 1/8" rod with my 240 volt welder.  Much better!  I use to weld years ago when I was much younger.  I have been away from it for many years and starting to get back into again.  I have been working on cars for 46 years, and not one feel apart on me yet.  Thank you for you thoughts and concerns.  It is greatly appreciated!Last edited by Operator66; 08-05-2009 at 01:14 AM.