I know this isn't an ideal choice, but for someone like me who has a stick welder, and doesn't want to go out and buy a mig for the capability of sheet metal, has anyone done this?

Any success? Any tips/precautions? I understand using a piece of copper on the backside can help you be able to fill a hole, or prevent burn through, anything else?
I'm considering getting the eastwood stitch welder, but I haven't heard of anyone using one, so i'm not sure if it's a wise investment, and if it's possible without it, i'd love to know.

So far i've used fiberglass for some rust holes, but now i'd prefer to weld. I think I saw ONE post before related to this subject, perhaps by deadbird?

Thanks all

 

I don't think u will be able to fill up a hole with a stick welder. You don't need to buy a stitch welder for that. a reg mig welder will work fine. ( brass works to) if u pratice before u try doing it on your car u should be able to do it with anything behind the hole. Any thing bigger than a quter use some metal behind. Homedepot has lincon welders for 325 i think they are good.Than u should use argon and co.For your sheilding gas.Will stay cooler than flux core wire. Had mine for like 4 years for about a year used it every day at work.

 

Ugh....Leave the fiberglass for fixing fiberglass and buy a mig. If you have a hole, fix it by welding a new piece in (what kinda hole you trying to fix?). If it is pin holes, you are going to have to cut it all out anyway because it is rusted on the other side and will return once you get done with filler and paint.

 

by pin hole do you mean hole right through the metal ? or just pitting? I have used Rust-Mort (phosphoric acid) on pitted metal, and primer with luck. The hole I used fiberglass for was right in front of the left wheel well, right behind the plastic panel. About the size of a baseball... It seems pretty strong.

My main question wasn't about "should I buy a mig". I realize I should, and it would be great to have that, but i'm just asking if anyone has successfully welded sheet metal with a stick welder.
Anyone?

 

I know when i was in welding class we did not use stick on any thing thinner than 1/4 inch. U might be able to if u get the lowest heat rod u can buy and reverse to polarity. But u will not be able to fill holes. That might work to do a over lap joint.To hard to control the arc. When filling holes u just zap it with the might till it filled. With stick u can not do that

 

a 110$ cheap mig welder from harborfreight.com would do a better job than an arc welder IMO- i use a hobart welder for my body work i love it- its worth the money trust me.

 

alright, up here in Canada, you can't buy mail order stuff from harbor frieght/whereever without being dinged big time with border charges. Then trying to find a replacement part for something only sold in the states would be a huge pain the rear. Also, any mig i've ever seen in stores here (trust me, I looked before I bought the arc), was over $500. A cheap mig for $500, or a really good stick for $350... the only difference to me is for sheet metal, the mig is better... which so far is only a small part of my welding need....

Any advice about a stick welder? any at all?

 

Its been a long time since i was in class . and have not done any stick welding.But i do remmber talking about reversing the polarity - to + . + to - .But u need the right welding rods for that.And get the smallest (lowest heat setting) that u can find. Get so junk metal and pratice. Before u do it to your car

 

My first mig (a century 110v, gas shielded ar/co2) cost about $500 after figuring tank payment/fittings, wire, and tips. Best investment I made (I was brass welding "brazing"). It had good penitration up to and including 1/8 steel. I used that welder for about 10 years and nver had to buy replacement parts other than tank refills and new tips/wire. I recently upgraded to a big 220v Miller (big investment) so I could weld frames/rollbars/etc, but I still miss my old 110v welder.

Stick welding is good for welding heavy gauge, but I have not had luck welding thin gauge. It burns too hot; the thin gauge metal in our cars warps/burns through bad enough using a mig. Welds are also cleaner with a mig (especially if you are a newbee to arc welding).

 

crazyn8 hit the nail on the head- if you weld thing guage metal it will blow holes through it with an arc welder. do you have sears in canada? or anything like that- i can walk in sears and buy a mig welder for 199.99$, i have a hobart and a craftsman- the craftsman does great for small jobs- i only use the hobart when i have to i keep it covered and whatnot- maybe if you go to a rental place they can rent you one?

 

oh yea, we have sears here.. Just jack up the price a fair bit.
usually I see them around here in the range of $400. I already bought a cheapo arc welder, and would love to use that for now. I was thinking of eventually just buying a bigger arc welder, since i'll have mastered the technique by then. $400 or so for a Lincoln AC225 I think.... but if I can't do sheet metal with it, I may as well just buy a smaller MIG... eventually...

For now however, i'd like to know if anyone has used an arc on sheet metal, if it can be done, etc.

I know all about MIG, used it before, how it works and why it's superior, don't get me wrong, I'd love to have one.... but I don't. So for now, anyone used an ARC on sheet metal with success? I swore I heard deadbird talking about doing it before... Anyone else?

Renting one? geez, I never thought about that, I think there is a rental place that might do that... since i'd only use it on sheet quite rarely I may try that...

 

Stick welders are great. And with just about anything, there is a time and a place for it. I build ships for a living and I use them all the time. You can plug weld holes with them provided the thickness of the base metal is sufficient to absorb the heat.

A few years back, I had a '68 GTO convertible. I tried to patch the rear quarters with a stick welder. It worked, but it will cause some warping in the panels. That is just due to the amount of heat the rod transfers to the base metal. That base metal which is the sheet metal cannot take much heat. You would have to turn the amperage down as low as possible without the stick sticking.....and then tack one area, and then move to a whole new area to avoid placing too much heat in one area. Forget about block tacking.

I agree with the other members, that MIG is the way to go. Beg, borrow or steal one. Flux core.

 

Y don't u just try welding some scrap metal with it. If u can do it with out blowing holes.than u will know

 

[QUOTE]Stick welding is good for welding heavy gauge, but I have not had luck welding thin gauge. It burns too hot; the thin gauge metal in our cars warps/burns through bad enough using a mig. Welds are also cleaner with a mig (especially if you are a newbee to arc welding).QUOTE]
While this is all true.. it's a royal pita 'mastering' arc welding and thin gauge metal.. it's not impossible. It does take great patience and a good bit of practice though.

I know the 1st time I used an arc on thin gauge metal... wow... I think ray charles could have done better....

After getting aquainted with the welder.. it wasn't so tough. The welder supplied was a 220v Lincoln (looks like an antique radio) and we used 6417 3/32" rods (IIRC.. which I probably don't) set at 60-75A.
Good for 18ga metal w/o frying the living s--- out of it though. Heat distribution is easily controlled via wet towels, compressed air, alum/copper stock or, heat puttys.

I used arc pleanty for personal jobs as well on cars but, even so.. I'll agree, a low-buck (at the least) flux would still, easily, do a much better/cleaner job.

 

6417? never heard of those rods...Selection isn't great where I go, the welding shops in town are in the opposite corner of the city to me, and only open 9-5, while I would be at work so....

I have some 6013 now, 3/32, and I think it's too big. especially at 70amps, I can weld 1/8" with that... I was thinking of 1/16", maybe 7014, or 6013... at around 50amps...
but yea, I will practice, not on the car, for sure... I'll pick up a sheet of 18AWG cut it up and bend it around and try to weld it up and find out...
just curious, I can understand how to use most of those heat absorbing methods there but:
- When using a wet towel, would you soak a towel and maybe get a helper to hold it on the backside (if possible)?
- Have you ever used it to fill a hole? or weld a butt joint? or only lap?
- I imagine I could JB weld some "tabs" behind the hole for example, that might extend 1/2" behind the base metal, 1/2" into the hole... then stick the piece of metal I want to weld in onto those tabs so it's flush, and essentially twice as thick....
- How can I use the other metal behind? I figured copper because it transfers heat very well, but how could I hold everything up? I was thinking magnetic welding jigs, but copper is not magnetic....? long strip of copper, with duct tape holding it at top and bottom, then weld in the middle?

Thank you all very much for the feedback, I will definately buy a MIG (or maybe TIG, since i'll be rich and famous by then ) in the future, but for now i'd like to learn all the limitations of stick.

 

(or maybe TIG, since i'll be rich and famous by then ) now u talking still trying to save up for a tig chepest i have seen sround here is 1200.00 I will have one one day

 

Well.. like I said.. IIRC... I could be way off on what they actuallare.. that's just the # that comes to mind for whatever reason. I've slept alot since I've paid attention to what they really are as, it's very rare I use the arc anymore and if I do.. my bub keeps an abundance of unboxed rods by his welder. I have a modestly nice miller-matic that I prefer to use for the most part if I'm not out installing and have to do work in the shop.
Pretty bad though that I've used the same damm rod forever and a day and can't remember what the hell it is lol.

As far as heat goes.. most all heat absorbing treatments only need be used on skin metal.. if you're patching floorboatds... worrying about warping is rather pointless for the most part. You'd have to be cutting out the entire floorpan to to worry about that and even then.. not really.

Outer skin, unbacked, is the only place you need worry about warpage.