To go along with some of the other good tips in the comments, here are one-and-a-half more suggestions. It's been mentioned that you can go with smaller electrodes and lower amperage. Here in the USA you can get E6013 in diameters as small as 1/16th inch. That stuff gives smooth performance at 30 amps and below. Also, once you are working with an arc that's small enough and weak enough, manipulate that arc so it spends more time on the base-metal side of the joint. In this case the base metal is the tube section that includes the boxed corner. Spend much less time on the other side of the joint which is the piece that's the open end of the tube. As an example, count a steady "one-two-three-one-two-three-" and keep the arc on the base metal for "one" and "two", and swing across onto the end-tube metal for count "three", and swing right back again. When you swing across to the delicate side of the joint, you are just "carrying the puddle" across, rather than blasting the metal on that side. As the puddle coalesces with the metal on the delicate side of the joint, swing your arc right back to the 'safer' side again. Vary your counting speed and counting pattern as needed to get the right combination of heat on the corner metal compared to the open-end metal. You can include that start-stop method too if you are still exceeding the limits with a weak arc, but even then, your goal is to keep more heat on the base-metal side of the joint. Learning how to fill your holes is part of the game, and with practice, you can get right to work filling a hole without ever stopping, with the right combination of sweeping the edges and even sweeping right across the gap. I liked your nod to what it's like to be a beginner, with using a full-length electrode to being like "turning off a light switch with a broom handle." Practice practice practice!
Eric L great advice Eric. I'm not familiar with the electrodes you mentioned. I will keep it in mind. Perhaps we don't get those welding sticks here. We now have Chinese imports. I will have to go to my shed to see the brands of welding sticks we get. I bought high strength Welder's rod low hydration. They take a bit more to strike. Also we get thinner welding rods. That old welder is pretty good.
Jim Alley thanks Jim. I did buy some low hydration welding stick which read 7016. They seem harder to initially strike although when they do make a beautiful weld. I was always buying standard welding sticks for mild steel. I will make a note what you mention as I feel the high strength welding sticks are better. Thanks for the advice appreciated. I did in the last buy better grade sticks 1.6 and 2mm. The main suppliers was cigweld although the other brand I got was weld boss I think.
Excellent stuff, worked like a charm! I was welding 1.6mm thick round tubes together end to end and I used this technique with 1.6mm rods at 38 - 40A. Great video, thanks very much!
When I first started welding back in 1985, I welded on 22 gauge steel. Thinner than what you are welding. I set the welder at 70 amps using a E7011 we had to weld without stopping, because the welds had to be grinned smooth, and painted. On thin tubing if you can not weld a full weld without stopping use a thick peace metal to absorb the heat. You can clamp it on both sides of the weld and never have a problem. Starting and stopping is not a good weld for withstanding the rating of the weld. I bet if you try welding this 1/8" tubing with two 1/4" steel plates clamped very close to your weld you will be able to weld it the correct way. Good luck.
I butt welded two pieces of 1/8 “ flat stock today. I ground away all the excess weld and went to town trying to break it. I was shocked I couldn’t. Just sharing my success, nobody here cares.
I care Gene Miller :) I recently got myself to the same position. Feels great! Of course I then went on to try weld the tube I intended to weld and blew holes in it repeatedly so, not feeling as confident anymore
These are good tips Chris. A pro welder in Moree gave me a few hints like this a few years ago. Looks like you've worked out that a shallow angle with the rod is the main thing. I'm only a backyard do-it-yourself type welder myself and need all the help I can get.Videos like yours Chris help a lot of us who aren't up with all the techniques. Good stuff Mate!
I would have never thought it possible based on my limited experience with stick welding. Judging by the comments section a lot of folks appreciate your taking the time to do the video.
Great video mate! Just a quick tip - the starting is easier not because the tip is hot but because the metal in the middle is exposed. To avoid ruining your ground clamp (like you did in the video), just break the coating at the very end of the rod to expose the metal... if you break too much you will have a little bit of harsh start, but it does the work! I have the pliers type rod holder and I just crimp the end of the rod with it - works every time! Cheers!
I to am self taught, however I spent 40years x raying and sentencing welds. You will get better and what I see is great work on such thin steel. Slag removal is always difficult on internal corners and your welds look very strong. No doubt you will burn through and your nest skill is being able to fix it ! Can be done as I’ve done lots of stuff this thin but my welder is an inverter model allowing much lower current. For beginners always fire up the rod on scrape right next to your job, it will always start and nothing worse than a difficult start on a real and important thin walled job. You will get better but are doing real well. I’m a self taught oxy welder and on thin material it’s a cinch you tube will give you the basics.
Thanks, this really helped me. I just started welding and for my project I had to weld 2mm steel tubes with 6013 2.5mm electrodes on an old transformer welder. With your technique I managed to make good welds without inclusions. On most forums/guides they tell you to lower the amperage but you will only get ugly welds with low amps.
Can't tell you how many holes I made before I watched this. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. Thanks much for the great info I now am saving alot of time. Luca
Worked very well for me Chris, i have struggled for years with the thin walled tube but now able to produce much better results on my latest project. Thank you for the video !! Glen
some great comments on this post., I have enjoyed reading them. It just goes to show that most home handymen know how difficult some of this stuff can be and appreciate the sharing of tips and knowledge
Hi Chris,.... Stephan from South Africa. I've enjoyed watching your video especially the hummers in your comments and your 140 year old welder.....lol. I`ve also taught my self welding and end up by building from small to large broadcasting towers today and any kind of welding you can think of. Pleas don't stop, as you have the personality and courage to do so. If ever possible try and get your self a small Co2 welder, you will be surprise to se what you will be capable of with the experience you already accumulated. All the best and thumbs up. Keep the hummer.
Just completed my first project using the same square hollow section.. Blew holes on about half my welds and thought I had the wrong amperage setting (on the plus side I did manage to keep it square, strong & stable which surprised me). Wish I had watched your video first, some great tips. Looking forward to doing better on my next project! :)
Hi Chris! Thanks man! Just left the garage 10 minutes ago with a grin on my face. Was trying to weld some 1.5mm thick rectangular tubing but kept blowing holes through the material. Your suggestion worked!
Thanx for taking the time to produce and post this video. I like using patio tubing on jobs and there are only so many things you can use brackets for. I will re-watch this a couple of times and start practising
Good job mate. Im a 50yo boily & those welds will be plenty good for diy projects.if they needed to be load bearing you'd just use something thicker. That shs would bend before your welds would give.if you plan on doing a lot more in the future I'd suggest investing in a cheap little mig welder. Much easier on the light stuff. Good vid Cheers Rod... NSW
Thanks for making this vid. I was having a hard time with welding on thin stuff. Warming the stick up 1st off the side on something heavy was the thing I was missing.
Fair welds and demo only comment would be try continuous runs once started with gentle sweeps side to side to create your fillet. When butting an end to a tube side weld more on to the tubes rolled corner so as not to burn through the cut end, with a continuous flowing run the gap will fill with anode metal melting into the tube end with a nice fillet. It's good that you have practiced and put out this lovely simple approach well done.
I have had similar experiences blowing holes. A lot of trial and error, turning the ampage down, getting the electrode hot and short bursts work for me too. I'm not a professional, I get by and my welds hold up. Thanks for the tips.
Was thinking about looking for a video on stick welding thin tubing. Got a cup of coffee and started up TH-cam. I didn't have to search for anything at all. Your video was the third one from the top! By the way, I'm not an expert welder but I thought your welds were just fine for what you are using them for. More importantly to me is that I have more confidence about welding desk frames with a stick welder after watching your video. I was starting to wonder how well that was going to go. Thanks for the video and the technique
Good job Chris. I just add a few points here if i may?. 1-clean paint at welding zone. 2- 6010, 6011, 6012, 6013 rods are good as they are all position rods but i think only few are good for AC welding not all. 2.5mm for thin material up to 3mm plate. Always tack your job to prevent heat distortion. Consider revers polarity when using a DC machine but again that info is on the rods package. Its handy to try on a test piece of similar material to set your amps as good as you can and pre heat the rod. Keep a tight arc and hold rod at 10-15deg. Some rods freeze slag quick and prefer a staright run then a stitch.
Hi Chris. This info is brilliant. I tried it this weekend and after 3 practice tee joints on 1.6mm wall tube I can do a reasonable weld with no blow-thrus. Also tried 1.6mm rods but found the 2.5mm ones (E6013) much easier to use and strike. The stick welder I borrowed is just a small $80 transformer type with a switch selector for 3.25mm or 2.5mm electrodes. Thanks again mate.
Thanks mate! I'll definitely try your technique next time! I keep burning so many holes in to thin metal, I keep wonder if I bought a stick welder or a plasma cutter!
That is completely wrong. While people can get away without using gloves and an overall, you should wear it. For one, it protects you from the rays. Then the obvious protection from berries which can drop down especially if you are doing odd angles. A thick leather glove will not burn through. Personally I use an old cotton military jumpsuit and some welding gloves. You don't want synthetic protection around any heat as it will melt and stick to skin. I think that is what you were thinking of.
The ultraviolet light will affect his skin in later years. Radiation is not to be messed with and gloves and covering should always be worn. I know this for a fact.
I haven't used a stick welder in over a year. I usually just use my everlast mig welder for everything but I should practice stick welding every now and then. Gloves are cheap and in a pinch a Jean jacket made of cotton can cover bare skin and help prevent against burns. Safety is often undervalued until someone gets hurt.
Good video. Typically all we see is persons welding 1/8" thick stock so they keep the rod burning but we never see stick welding thin stock like this. Your technique is exactly what is supposed to be done so well done. The inclusions of slag are expected because of this required technique however you did the right thing by chipping and cleaning out the welds and then doing a second pass. My only comment would be the lack of gloves. The UV light from welding is dangerous.
A technique I use for very thin metals and/or closing holes is to spot both sides to build up some material, before bridging. I have been able to close holes in exhaust tubing in this way. I have always used a Weldwell PH68 rod which is a general purpose rod with “very rapidly solidifying slag”. The application notes say that it is good for “bridging large gaps”….which is great for amateurs like me.
Chris Jones Right you pair! Stop your arguing and get outside before I get a broom to you both!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 (65 here guys and still looking for tips, 😇 😊😊. Also got 4 brothers so well experienced with the buggers 😂😂😂😂) Thanks Chris
Superb video. I live on an island where they make you rent tanks per month for welding gas. As such, it's not practical. Stick welding is much more economical. This video is exactly what I was looking for. Gates, security bars etc.
Just what i was looking for, I think Mustie 1 was using this technique with a mig on car welding, but i am glad to see it can be done on square thin tubing without turning it into Swiss cheese.keep up the good work.
From one Aussie to another, this was really helpful as I also have a project to do with thin tubing and I wasn't really sure how to approach it. Cheers!
You're doing a much better job with your 150-year-old welding machine than me with my brand new 140A Ozito welder! Great video (and great welding). Cheers.
omg,how did you know that???is it because his shirt is blue,his vise is blue,his metal tubings is blue,his slag remover is blue,his broomstick is blue,even his weldinng rod is blue??😂
Great video, thanks. Actually I found the best bit of advice in this was about cutting the electrode shorter, as I do feel like I'm trying to hit a light switch with a broom handle! No criticism here.... I'm just trying to learn, and this helped!
Hi chris good video I've been welding for years, my only thoughts on the video is you should be wearing welding gauntlets and at least a dust coat made of cotton, the gauntlets let you hold the electrode closer to the hot end instead of the holder without getting burnt, take care, happy welding
First clean the paint off the tubing then use a smaller diameter rod and lower the amperage. You're getting inclusions from pulling away when its still rather cold and letting the slag get in your weld. You wont need to pull out of your shielding if you use the right amps, rod and clean your area to weld to bare metal. 6013s would work well for you with something like this.
I agree. I’ve had 2 projects using 1 1/2” square thin wall tubing just like this video. I’ve found 3/32” 6013 works. DC negative helps a lot with burning through. Keep a short arc and you don’t need to stop and start.
And wear something a bit more fireproof than that fleece pullover... That is made from polyester and is quite flammable... Polyester is nasty when burning on you... It sticks to the skin... Cotton burns at a cooler temperature and doesn't stick... Leather is better, of course, but I've done a lot of welding with just thick cotton shirts because it was just a "quick weld"... I've also got a fair share of holes in those t-shirts because of some hot metal splatter and quite often a matching spot on my stomach where it also got burned... Polyester would have been worse...
Well played, tried many different techniques, some more successful than others, but your approach seems to be more effective than my attempts.I spent most of my time filling in blow holes and from now on this will hopefully not be the case
Great tip...Another great tip is to clean your metal before welding but since you are using a stick welder, they work also when the metal is not so clean. Not ideal but when in a pinch!
Good video, I will give it a try. Couple of pointers, if you hold the electrode holder with both hands and brace your arm you can have more control on the rod
The idea of producing many small tack welds on thin material so that you don't blow through is a good one and we'll known but because it's stick welding try to avoid starting a fresh tack near the end of the previous one (if you haven't cleaned the slag off yet) that will surely cause you inclusions. Consider many tacks with a tack sized space in between, then clean them all up at once and go over the spaces but always begin with a very slight overlap on your freshly cleaned tacks. The blowthrough is caused by to much heat building up because it can't disipate fast enough through the thin material. Like the other guys have said using heat sinks will help a bit.
Thanks for putting this video up. I am making rocket stoves for the island of Tanna in Vanuatu. Had a few issues with blowing holes in the lpg gas bottles, but discovered your method by the suck-and-see technique. Wished I’d found this video before l started doing my builds... would of made for a lot less frustration....
1.6mm is thick tubing where I´m from, mainly used for gates, workbenches and things like that, but you can weld 0.9mm tubing with this tecnic the only 2 things you change depending on the thickness is the electrode and the amps, if you use thiner electrodes and lower the amps a bit, the pass is much faster cause the electrode is thiner so you get less heat on one point by moving faster. I did like the explanation on the flat weld on the side that`s the most common way of making holes on the tube.
1/16th inch wall mate....good job....i'd be afraid to stick weld that myself. I'm a master at burning through all thicknesses of material. As kids we used to use a tiny Lincoln stick welder my friends dad had in their garage to "alter" bicycle frames to various shapes and such. Lots of fun on the thin bike frames.
A couple of things, run the electrode in reverse polarity will make this amazingly easier and you wont need to stop/start on DC stick. Also wear gloves and you can safely hold the electrode halfway down rather than cut it in half. Re starting, rather than destroying your clamp to hot start, try a chunk of concrete and tap/scrape the electrode, it removes slag and flux making starts easy
Was really hoping that you would show stick position for each weld, and your motion too. I did find this helpful though, even without the missing info. Thanks
I'm normally a wood turner and delve into welding at my peril. I am repairing part of a gazebo for a neighbour and it's VERY thin steel. So far I have a couple of holes at one end, but I will be trying your method toot-sweet, as the French say? Ta foor showing it!!
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I just loved the true ( I witnessed it ) time a welding student at the tech school I attended walked up to a small group of us standing around a project being welded up. He looked the welding beads over and made the comment that even a blind man could run a better bead than that. The beads were decent and nobody had really thought different. The instructor who had done the actual welds was among our group. He told the newbi the beads were to specs and what did he think was wrong with them. The newbi student, realizing he had stepped into a cow pie, sputtered a little bit and quickly drifted off to a distant part of the welding lab area. After a week he had apparently drifted off to Norway because I never saw him again. Best to hold you tongue if your going to be critical.....just in case that subject grades your Certification Test !! Ha Ha ...but very true.
They make smaller electrodes to do thinner material but if your stuck with 1/8 inch ones go to 75-90 amps and hold more of a gap in your arc it can stay hot enough to weld and not stick but doesn't burn through... Not advised on anything structural but they do make 1/16 6011 and it can weld in all positions and operate at 40 amps... Thank you for your video it is informative for beginners 😁
The best trick I've picked up with long rods is to wear a proper welding glove on my free hand and then use it to hold the rod about 3-5cm above the weld between my thumb and index finger to steer the rod. You can then steer it properly as if it was a short rod. 👍
I say a job well done. Thanks for taking the time to help others. And remember, those that criticize another’s efforts and accomplishments have mental issues and should be quickly ignored.
Good preparation is a must. That box tuning has a coating so it will need to be cleaned prior to welding A flap disc on a grinder will deliver a smooth result. Also many hardware stores that sell mild steel tuning have it wax coated or a lacquer applied in production to prevent rust / oxidation
Don’t know if anyone has already said this but if you clean the paint /mill scale from near the joint before you weld it, you don’t get the molten paint drawn into the puddle and get a better weld.apparently.but what do I know.looks ok to me though👍🏻
I used this method with flux core wire; somehow I didn't think about it when welded with 1/16" 6013 electrode, I was rather trying to find best amperage and speed to weld continuously. Yes thin tubing is most difficult to weld well and I started learning on thin stuff. When switched to 1/4" material it was easy. I wonder if using 6011 electrode would eliminate inclusions since this electrode can be used with whip and pause
If its gonna be anything structural then you should chip the slag after every tack. Because doing it that way, even though it's just a couple seconds between tacks, it still has flux already forming and you are just tacking over flux each time so it's not gonna be as strong. But for non weight baring things it's fine, also you could get a size smaller of the tubing and cut a 2" piece an put it inside the tubing you are going to weld, just put a small tack and grind it flush then you have backing all the way around and you can weld it solid normally w/o burning through.
Looks good. I have welded 16 ga, metal with that method. You get a good weld but not the prettiest. If you can back up the material with a brass bar and and use a thin (1/16") rod, you can sometimes get good results. Thank you.
Oh, and another thing. You can get 1.6 mm rod. I now get high strength Welder's rod which is low hydration. I grind the steel on both places I plan to weld and put a v groove on end of steel so weld has more penetration. If too much heat gets on the workpiece the metal may bend. So Welder's generally tac in places before filling. The problem with quality high strength rods is it's harder to start or strike. I found the 1.6 mm rods worked a treat. The rate of my welder cuts out. I think with my welder it's 170amps so when it gets warm it will momentary stop. I have often wondered why this occurs. To me I prefer the stick welder to mig. Darn it I had to type mig three times it kept changing the word to mug. I have a mig welder although don't have gas. Gas runs better.
Haven't read all the comments so maybe someone else has said this. I grew up as a kid on thin steel tubing and AC buzz boxes and can't remember having much trouble with blowouts until much later in life when I changed to a DC inverter. And then blowouts galore! I swapped back and forth and found AC much more forgiving than DC on thin metal. For what that's worth....
appreciate the video. note to self : remember wear gloves all the time, even if only to protect against skin burn. the hardest thing I find is getting my hand and eye back in tune as I don't weld often enough.
I tried 1.6mm electrodes this weekend. I found them difficult to work with, a disappointment. I will definitely try your technique with 2-2.5 mm electrodes instead. I think your slag is difficult to remove because the piece is still hot; it will crack as it cools.
At the start of each fillet weld there was lack of fusion. Which brings the question. Is the blue coating on the tube steel considered a weld through primer? If not the blue coating/paint may be the cause of the lack of fusion. Clean weld area with grinding or sanding disc to remove paint and mill scale also.
‘The first rule of welding is to criticise everyone else’s welding’. Never a truer word was spoken. Thanks for the video mate, really enjoyed it.
Dang, isn't that the truth
To go along with some of the other good tips in the comments, here are one-and-a-half more suggestions. It's been mentioned that you can go with smaller electrodes and lower amperage. Here in the USA you can get E6013 in diameters as small as 1/16th inch. That stuff gives smooth performance at 30 amps and below.
Also, once you are working with an arc that's small enough and weak enough, manipulate that arc so it spends more time on the base-metal side of the joint. In this case the base metal is the tube section that includes the boxed corner. Spend much less time on the other side of the joint which is the piece that's the open end of the tube. As an example, count a steady "one-two-three-one-two-three-" and keep the arc on the base metal for "one" and "two", and swing across onto the end-tube metal for count "three", and swing right back again. When you swing across to the delicate side of the joint, you are just "carrying the puddle" across, rather than blasting the metal on that side. As the puddle coalesces with the metal on the delicate side of the joint, swing your arc right back to the 'safer' side again. Vary your counting speed and counting pattern as needed to get the right combination of heat on the corner metal compared to the open-end metal. You can include that start-stop method too if you are still exceeding the limits with a weak arc, but even then, your goal is to keep more heat on the base-metal side of the joint.
Learning how to fill your holes is part of the game, and with practice, you can get right to work filling a hole without ever stopping, with the right combination of sweeping the edges and even sweeping right across the gap.
I liked your nod to what it's like to be a beginner, with using a full-length electrode to being like "turning off a light switch with a broom handle." Practice practice practice!
Just researching for my first project, some excellent tips and guidance there.
Thanks and very much appreciated.
Eric L great advice Eric. I'm not familiar with the electrodes you mentioned. I will keep it in mind. Perhaps we don't get those welding sticks here. We now have Chinese imports. I will have to go to my shed to see the brands of welding sticks we get.
I bought high strength Welder's rod low hydration. They take a bit more to strike.
Also we get thinner welding rods.
That old welder is pretty good.
Great advice, “stick welders”’read and learn,thank you for passing on your knowledge.
Jim Alley thanks Jim. I did buy some low hydration welding stick which read 7016. They seem harder to initially strike although when they do make a beautiful weld. I was always buying standard welding sticks for mild steel. I will make a note what you mention as I feel the high strength welding sticks are better.
Thanks for the advice appreciated.
I did in the last buy better grade sticks 1.6 and 2mm. The main suppliers was cigweld although the other brand I got was weld boss I think.
Well explained, and the 3 key things you said there is definitely practice, practice and practice!!!
Excellent stuff, worked like a charm! I was welding 1.6mm thick round tubes together end to end and I used this technique with 1.6mm rods at 38 - 40A. Great video, thanks very much!
When I first started welding back in 1985, I welded on 22 gauge steel. Thinner than what you are welding. I set the welder at 70 amps using a E7011 we had to weld without stopping, because the welds had to be grinned smooth, and painted. On thin tubing if you can not weld a full weld without stopping use a thick peace metal to absorb the heat. You can clamp it on both sides of the weld and never have a problem. Starting and stopping is not a good weld for withstanding the rating of the weld. I bet if you try welding this 1/8" tubing with two 1/4" steel plates clamped very close to your weld you will be able to weld it the correct way. Good luck.
mickey sanker What size E6011?
3/32. Also if the heaver metal plate keeps getting stuck you can use copper plates.
Intresting trick, sure i'll give it a go. Thanks for sharing the knowledge!
thank you for the tip
may i see the clamp look like i just dont understand sorry im new
I butt welded two pieces of 1/8 “ flat stock today. I ground away all the excess weld and went to town trying to break it. I was shocked I couldn’t. Just sharing my success, nobody here cares.
I care Gene Miller :) I recently got myself to the same position. Feels great! Of course I then went on to try weld the tube I intended to weld and blew holes in it repeatedly so, not feeling as confident anymore
Michael Andersen keep at it Michael. Perhaps thinner welding sticks?
Gene Miller well done Gene. The people here who are enthusiasts do care and it's great reading others people's comments.
Do you want a hug, or do you need a cup of cement?
I say a job well done.
🖖😎
These are good tips Chris. A pro welder in Moree gave me a few hints like this a few years ago. Looks like you've worked out that a shallow angle with the rod is the main thing. I'm only a backyard do-it-yourself type welder myself and need all the help I can get.Videos like yours Chris help a lot of us who aren't up with all the techniques. Good stuff Mate!
I would have never thought it possible based on my limited experience with stick welding. Judging by the comments section a lot of folks appreciate your taking the time to do the video.
Respect from a bloke that needs all the advice and help he can get.
Great video mate! Just a quick tip - the starting is easier not because the tip is hot but because the metal in the middle is exposed. To avoid ruining your ground clamp (like you did in the video), just break the coating at the very end of the rod to expose the metal... if you break too much you will have a little bit of harsh start, but it does the work! I have the pliers type rod holder and I just crimp the end of the rod with it - works every time!
Cheers!
Thanks, I found this out by accident, I just tapped the end of the rod with my hammer out of frustration because I couldn't strike an arc at all.
Thanks for the vid. Every other welding video starts with "now grab a piece of half inch plate"
finally an Aussie that doesn't speak in inches and inch fractions!
finally, one more moronic metric troll, who just fixates on trivia
Still can’t figure out fractions eh?
I guess he must have an issue with fractions..... a large fraction of the time....
Imperial is shit, metric all the way
chris fricker ok boomer
I to am self taught, however I spent 40years x raying and sentencing welds. You will get better and what I see is great work on such thin steel. Slag removal is always difficult on internal corners and your welds look very strong. No doubt you will burn through and your nest skill is being able to fix it ! Can be done as I’ve done lots of stuff this thin but my welder is an inverter model allowing much lower current. For beginners always fire up the rod on scrape right next to your job, it will always start and nothing worse than a difficult start on a real and important thin walled job. You will get better but are doing real well. I’m a self taught oxy welder and on thin material it’s a cinch you tube will give you the basics.
You have an incredibly steady hand and those were great welds on thin tube w a stick.
Thanks, this really helped me. I just started welding and for my project I had to weld 2mm steel tubes with 6013 2.5mm electrodes on an old transformer welder. With your technique I managed to make good welds without inclusions. On most forums/guides they tell you to lower the amperage but you will only get ugly welds with low amps.
Can't tell you how many holes I made before I watched this. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. Thanks much for the great info I now am saving alot of time. Luca
Worked very well for me Chris, i have struggled for years with the thin walled tube but now able to produce much better results on my latest project. Thank you for the video !! Glen
some great comments on this post., I have enjoyed reading them. It just goes to show that most home handymen know how difficult some of this stuff can be and appreciate the sharing of tips and knowledge
Hi Chris,.... Stephan from South Africa. I've enjoyed watching your video especially the hummers in your comments and your 140 year old welder.....lol. I`ve also taught my self welding and end up by building from small to large broadcasting towers today and any kind of welding you can think of. Pleas don't stop, as you have the personality and courage to do so. If ever possible try and get your self a small Co2 welder, you will be surprise to se what you will be capable of with the experience you already accumulated. All the best and thumbs up. Keep the hummer.
Just completed my first project using the same square hollow section.. Blew holes on about half my welds and thought I had the wrong amperage setting (on the plus side I did manage to keep it square, strong & stable which surprised me). Wish I had watched your video first, some great tips. Looking forward to doing better on my next project! :)
After blowing holes in the round tubing I'm trying to weld, I came across your video. Thank you, I'll try your technique in the morning.
mate your a legend been looking for somthing like this hopfully i stop burning holes
Yeah, me too!
Hi Chris! Thanks man! Just left the garage 10 minutes ago with a grin on my face. Was trying to weld some 1.5mm thick rectangular tubing but kept blowing holes through the material. Your suggestion worked!
I experienced the same as yours. Truly I'm disappointed of myself trying to build a railings in my house. It's 2018 april
You can always ground the vice. Wicked straight to the point and no waffle. Top vid mate.
You confronted 1.6mm like a champ with a digital welding machine. That ancient machine is a quality unit.
Thanx for taking the time to produce and post this video. I like using patio tubing on jobs and there are only so many things you can use brackets for. I will re-watch this a couple of times and start practising
Super helpful!... looking to weld some square tubing for an upcoming project and an old buzz box is all I got right now:)
Joe
Hey glad I could help!
homesteadonomics
I
Me too.
Good job mate. Im a 50yo boily & those welds will be plenty good for diy projects.if they needed to be load bearing you'd just use something thicker. That shs would bend before your welds would give.if you plan on doing a lot more in the future I'd suggest investing in a cheap little mig welder. Much easier on the light stuff. Good vid
Cheers Rod... NSW
Thanks for making this vid. I was having a hard time with welding on thin stuff. Warming the stick up 1st off the side on something heavy was the thing I was missing.
me too Dick
Fair welds and demo only comment would be try continuous runs once started with gentle sweeps side to side to create your fillet. When butting an end to a tube side weld more on to the tubes rolled corner so as not to burn through the cut end, with a continuous flowing run the gap will fill with anode metal melting into the tube end with a nice fillet.
It's good that you have practiced and put out this lovely simple approach well done.
I have had similar experiences blowing holes. A lot of trial and error, turning the ampage down, getting the electrode hot and short bursts work for me too. I'm not a professional, I get by and my welds hold up. Thanks for the tips.
Was thinking about looking for a video on stick welding thin tubing. Got a cup of coffee and started up TH-cam. I didn't have to search for anything at all. Your video was the third one from the top! By the way, I'm not an expert welder but I thought your welds were just fine for what you are using them for. More importantly to me is that I have more confidence about welding desk frames with a stick welder after watching your video. I was starting to wonder how well that was going to go. Thanks for the video and the technique
Good job Chris. I just add a few points here if i may?.
1-clean paint at welding zone.
2- 6010, 6011, 6012, 6013 rods are good as they are all position rods but i think only few are good for AC welding not all.
2.5mm for thin material up to 3mm plate. Always tack your job to prevent heat distortion.
Consider revers polarity when using a DC machine but again that info is on the rods package.
Its handy to try on a test piece of similar material to set your amps as good as you can and pre heat the rod. Keep a tight arc and hold rod at 10-15deg. Some rods freeze slag quick and prefer a staright run then a stitch.
Hi Chris. This info is brilliant. I tried it this weekend and after 3 practice tee joints on 1.6mm wall tube I can do a reasonable weld with no blow-thrus. Also tried 1.6mm rods but found the 2.5mm ones (E6013) much easier to use and strike. The stick welder I borrowed is just a small $80 transformer type with a switch selector for 3.25mm or 2.5mm electrodes. Thanks again mate.
Just learning to weld at 60, thanks for helping to give me the confidence
Thanks mate! I'll definitely try your technique next time! I keep burning so many holes in to thin metal, I keep wonder if I bought a stick welder or a plasma cutter!
LMAO
No gloves, no overalls. Proper Aussie welder. ;) (disclaimer: not suggesting you should NOT use gloves and overalls for safety - you should.)
That is completely wrong. While people can get away without using gloves and an overall, you should wear it. For one, it protects you from the rays. Then the obvious protection from berries which can drop down especially if you are doing odd angles. A thick leather glove will not burn through. Personally I use an old cotton military jumpsuit and some welding gloves.
You don't want synthetic protection around any heat as it will melt and stick to skin. I think that is what you were thinking of.
The ultraviolet light will affect his skin in later years. Radiation is not to be messed with and gloves and covering should always be worn. I know this for a fact.
Completely agree. Welding gloves are very cheap. Overalls(coveralls) are a little more costly, but money well spent, IMHO.
I haven't used a stick welder in over a year. I usually just use my everlast mig welder for everything but I should practice stick welding every now and then. Gloves are cheap and in a pinch a Jean jacket made of cotton can cover bare skin and help prevent against burns. Safety is often undervalued until someone gets hurt.
no e' l'abito che fa' il monaco
The best stick welding technique found in youtube. I have to agree, honest and practical, do another your good at it
Good video. Typically all we see is persons welding 1/8" thick stock so they keep the rod burning but we never see stick welding thin stock like this. Your technique is exactly what is supposed to be done so well done. The inclusions of slag are expected because of this required technique however you did the right thing by chipping and cleaning out the welds and then doing a second pass. My only comment would be the lack of gloves. The UV light from welding is dangerous.
Thank you from a complete novice - your demo was easy to follow and your presentation style isn't intimidating.
You’ve encouraged me to try stick welding. I’d also like to try welding hollow section to make a workbench. Thanks!
So many things wrong but that's exactly what a typical DIY does and you are not doing structural work. Quite helpful.
Next level. A tradesman welder would never think to cut an electrode in half. It is however exactly what I need to do for work like this. Thanks.
A technique I use for very thin metals and/or closing holes is to spot both sides to build up some material, before bridging. I have been able to close holes in exhaust tubing in this way. I have always used a Weldwell PH68 rod which is a general purpose rod with “very rapidly solidifying slag”. The application notes say that it is good for “bridging large gaps”….which is great for amateurs like me.
I never thought I’d be looking for welding tips on TH-cam and find I’m getting them from my little brother 🤦♂️
Bahahahaha!! Blind leading the blind :)
Chris Jones Right you pair! Stop your arguing and get outside before I get a broom to you both!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
(65 here guys and still looking for tips, 😇 😊😊. Also got 4 brothers so well experienced with the buggers 😂😂😂😂)
Thanks Chris
Superb video. I live on an island where they make you rent tanks per month for welding gas. As such, it's not practical. Stick welding is much more economical. This video is exactly what I was looking for. Gates, security bars etc.
I am definitely going to try this technique! Thanks for sharing!
Just what i was looking for, I think Mustie 1 was using this technique with a mig on car welding, but i am glad to see it can be done on square thin tubing without turning it into Swiss cheese.keep up the good work.
From one Aussie to another, this was really helpful as I also have a project to do with thin tubing and I wasn't really sure how to approach it. Cheers!
You're doing a much better job with your 150-year-old welding machine than me with my brand new 140A Ozito welder!
Great video (and great welding).
Cheers.
Maybe it's me but I believe that his favorite color is blue.
In psychology, color blue makes you more productive. :)
@@buathesin9945 in music you are emo
omg,how did you know that???is it because his shirt is blue,his vise is blue,his metal tubings is blue,his slag remover is blue,his broomstick is blue,even his weldinng rod is blue??😂
Most people favourite color is... blue. Take look on the sky and see obvious answer.
Nar he's got a big red toolbox
Most authentic bloke on TH-cam, it was like watching me weld.
Great video, thanks. Actually I found the best bit of advice in this was about cutting the electrode shorter, as I do feel like I'm trying to hit a light switch with a broom handle! No criticism here.... I'm just trying to learn, and this helped!
Hi chris good video I've been welding for years, my only thoughts on the video is you should be wearing welding gauntlets and at least a dust coat made of cotton, the gauntlets let you hold the electrode closer to the hot end instead of the holder without getting burnt, take care, happy welding
Exactly whats i have been looking for..kinda frustrated with burning a hole on my weld. Cant wait to give this start stop technique a try
First clean the paint off the tubing then use a smaller diameter rod and lower the amperage. You're getting inclusions from pulling away when its still rather cold and letting the slag get in your weld. You wont need to pull out of your shielding if you use the right amps, rod and clean your area to weld to bare metal. 6013s would work well for you with something like this.
I agree. I’ve had 2 projects using 1 1/2” square thin wall tubing just like this video. I’ve found 3/32” 6013 works. DC negative helps a lot with burning through. Keep a short arc and you don’t need to stop and start.
@@albs1957
Did you mean 3/32"?😂
Yea. 3/32”
I have a DC inverter welder what sort of amps should i put it on? If i go to low i can't get an arc to high and blows the metal
@@TraderG1234
It sounds like you need to hold a tighter arc. What are you using on what polarity?
First rule of welding: criticise someone else's welding. Lol.
Wear gloves while welding!!!!
Please. Burn hurts.
I like the comment about the first rule of welding! TH-cam seems unfortunately to be full of criticisers (critics are something different and better).
His welds are fine. Anybody could do basic welding but a lack of thought on PPE is no excuse.
burns arent an issue... "Burn" is though... the intense UV is proven cause of cancer in welders
And wear something a bit more fireproof than that fleece pullover... That is made from polyester and is quite flammable... Polyester is nasty when burning on you... It sticks to the skin... Cotton burns at a cooler temperature and doesn't stick... Leather is better, of course, but I've done a lot of welding with just thick cotton shirts because it was just a "quick weld"... I've also got a fair share of holes in those t-shirts because of some hot metal splatter and quite often a matching spot on my stomach where it also got burned... Polyester would have been worse...
If you grow allovera ? Cactus in your yard and cop a nasty welding burn, apply this stuff it’s sensational
Well played, tried many different techniques, some more successful than others, but your approach seems to be more effective than my attempts.I spent most of my time filling in blow holes and from now on this will hopefully not be the case
Just made my first food cart using thin square tube...I blow lot of holes...
Thanks Chris for this helpful technique....
Thanks for doing this one. I've been trying to gain enough skill to restore my dirt bike trailer. It has the same thin square tube around the front.
Perfect video mate!!!! Loved it!!! We don’t all have brand new welders, loved the Bunnings plug!!!!
Great for the backyarder!!!!
Great tip...Another great tip is to clean your metal before welding but since you are using a stick welder, they work also when the metal is not so clean. Not ideal but when in a pinch!
Good video, I will give it a try. Couple of pointers, if you hold the electrode holder with both hands and brace your arm you can have more control on the rod
This might be the answer I was looking for. I'll try this today and get back to you. I might buy some thinner rods too.
The idea of producing many small tack welds on thin material so that you don't blow through is a good one and we'll known but because it's stick welding try to avoid starting a fresh tack near the end of the previous one (if you haven't cleaned the slag off yet) that will surely cause you inclusions. Consider many tacks with a tack sized space in between, then clean them all up at once and go over the spaces but always begin with a very slight overlap on your freshly cleaned tacks. The blowthrough is caused by to much heat building up because it can't disipate fast enough through the thin material. Like the other guys have said using heat sinks will help a bit.
Thanks for putting this video up. I am making rocket stoves for the island of Tanna in Vanuatu. Had a few issues with blowing holes in the lpg gas bottles, but discovered your method by the suck-and-see technique. Wished I’d found this video before l started doing my builds... would of made for a lot less frustration....
1.6mm is thick tubing where I´m from, mainly used for gates, workbenches and things like that, but you can weld 0.9mm tubing with this tecnic the only 2 things you change depending on the thickness is the electrode and the amps, if you use thiner electrodes and lower the amps a bit, the pass is much faster cause the electrode is thiner so you get less heat on one point by moving faster.
I did like the explanation on the flat weld on the side that`s the most common way of making holes on the tube.
1/16th inch wall mate....good job....i'd be afraid to stick weld that myself. I'm a master at burning through all thicknesses of material. As kids we used to use a tiny Lincoln stick welder my friends dad had in their garage to "alter" bicycle frames to various shapes and such. Lots of fun on the thin bike frames.
A couple of things, run the electrode in reverse polarity will make this amazingly easier and you wont need to stop/start on DC stick. Also wear gloves and you can safely hold the electrode halfway down rather than cut it in half. Re starting, rather than destroying your clamp to hot start, try a chunk of concrete and tap/scrape the electrode, it removes slag and flux making starts easy
that buzz box he is using has no polarity as it's AC only.
@@youtubier2839missed it was an AC buzz box
Was really hoping that you would show stick position for each weld, and your motion too. I did find this helpful though, even without the missing info. Thanks
"If you're trying to pass a test and you're looking at videos, this one probably won't help. But for making a gate frame or work"
thank you
I'm normally a wood turner and delve into welding at my peril. I am repairing part of a gazebo for a neighbour and it's VERY thin steel. So far I have a couple of holes at one end, but I will be trying your method toot-sweet, as the French say? Ta foor showing it!!
I just loved the true ( I witnessed it ) time a welding student at the tech school I attended walked up to a small group of us standing around a project being welded up. He looked the welding beads over and made the comment that even a blind man could run a better bead than that. The beads were decent and nobody had really thought different. The instructor who had done the actual welds was among our group. He told the newbi the beads were to specs and what did he think was wrong with them.
The newbi student, realizing he had stepped into a cow pie, sputtered a little bit and quickly drifted off to a distant part of the welding lab area. After a week he had apparently drifted off to Norway because I never saw him again. Best to hold you tongue if your going to be critical.....just in case that subject grades your Certification Test !! Ha Ha ...but very true.
They make smaller electrodes to do thinner material but if your stuck with 1/8 inch ones go to 75-90 amps and hold more of a gap in your arc it can stay hot enough to weld and not stick but doesn't burn through... Not advised on anything structural but they do make 1/16 6011 and it can weld in all positions and operate at 40 amps... Thank you for your video it is informative for beginners 😁
The best trick I've picked up with long rods is to wear a proper welding glove on my free hand and then use it to hold the rod about 3-5cm above the weld between my thumb and index finger to steer the rod. You can then steer it properly as if it was a short rod. 👍
Thank you Chris for this video. I was able to finish my project because of your direction.
I say a job well done. Thanks for taking the time to help others.
And remember, those that criticize another’s efforts and accomplishments have mental issues and should be quickly ignored.
Good preparation is a must.
That box tuning has a coating so it will need to be cleaned prior to welding
A flap disc on a grinder will deliver a smooth result.
Also many hardware stores that sell mild steel tuning have it wax coated or a lacquer applied in production to prevent rust / oxidation
That is pretty good results for welding thin metal with a stick welder. I usually use my everlast mig welder for thin material to avoid blowing holes.
Don’t know if anyone has already said this but if you clean the paint /mill scale from near the joint before you weld it, you don’t get the molten paint drawn into the puddle and get a better weld.apparently.but what do I know.looks ok to me though👍🏻
good video.Had built a lot of safety gates with similar thickness of tubing and aways ended up blowing holes.Will surely try your technique next time.
I used this method with flux core wire; somehow I didn't think about it when welded with 1/16" 6013 electrode, I was rather trying to find best amperage and speed to weld continuously. Yes thin tubing is most difficult to weld well and I started learning on thin stuff. When switched to 1/4" material it was easy. I wonder if using 6011 electrode would eliminate inclusions since this electrode can be used with whip and pause
If its gonna be anything structural then you should chip the slag after every tack. Because doing it that way, even though it's just a couple seconds between tacks, it still has flux already forming and you are just tacking over flux each time so it's not gonna be as strong. But for non weight baring things it's fine, also you could get a size smaller of the tubing and cut a 2" piece an put it inside the tubing you are going to weld, just put a small tack and grind it flush then you have backing all the way around and you can weld it solid normally w/o burning through.
You can restart on slag but it has to be hot. Half a second should be a good interruption value.
it is possible that grinding the paint and other crap off the weld location might reduce the inclusions you had a problem with.
Looks good. I have welded 16 ga, metal with that method. You get a good weld but not the prettiest. If you can back up the material with a brass bar and and use a thin (1/16") rod, you can sometimes get good results. Thank you.
Welding Guru.... will sacrifice through criticism, for the sake of all welders everywhere. Thank you Mr. Jones.
Thank you ! For me, this is the best tutorial on square tube stick welding.
Those are beautiful welds. If only mine were like those. Oh, well, perhaps in time with more practice. Congratulations.
Oh, and another thing. You can get 1.6 mm rod. I now get high strength Welder's rod which is low hydration. I grind the steel on both places I plan to weld and put a v groove on end of steel so weld has more penetration.
If too much heat gets on the workpiece the metal may bend. So Welder's generally tac in places before filling.
The problem with quality high strength rods is it's harder to start or strike.
I found the 1.6 mm rods worked a treat.
The rate of my welder cuts out. I think with my welder it's 170amps so when it gets warm it will momentary stop. I have often wondered why this occurs. To me I prefer the stick welder to mig. Darn it I had to type mig three times it kept changing the word to mug.
I have a mig welder although don't have gas. Gas runs better.
Haven't read all the comments so maybe someone else has said this.
I grew up as a kid on thin steel tubing and AC buzz boxes and can't remember having much trouble with blowouts until much later in life when I changed to a DC inverter. And then blowouts galore!
I swapped back and forth and found AC much more forgiving than DC on thin metal.
For what that's worth....
I've always had trouble stick welding thin metal. I will try using your advice with my everlast welder.
Thanks Chris for a useful video: it confirmed some points I had worked out by myself. I just wish I had your steady hand. Cheers mate!
appreciate the video. note to self : remember wear gloves all the time, even if only to protect against skin burn.
the hardest thing I find is getting my hand and eye back in tune as I don't weld often enough.
Thanks for the tip, Chris. I've been burning holes on thin tubing. Now there's a solution.
2.5 mm E 6013 rod good for Metal tube work
Loved your video! Honest, direct and real.
I tried 1.6mm electrodes this weekend. I found them difficult to work with, a disappointment. I will definitely try your technique with 2-2.5 mm electrodes instead. I think your slag is difficult to remove because the piece is still hot; it will crack as it cools.
At the start of each fillet weld there was lack of fusion. Which brings the question. Is the blue coating on the tube steel considered a weld through primer? If not the blue coating/paint may be the cause of the lack of fusion. Clean weld area with grinding or sanding disc to remove paint and mill scale also.
Great Video. Thanks for sharing. Please more thin metal stick welding Videos !!
the old welders are the best bro , mine is as old as the hills
You do alright and will only get better. I find internal corners always seem to hold slag in tight. Happy welding