arc welding 1/8'' square steel

[francisg3]

hey,
i'm not all that familiar with welding (i've done it a few times) however i was wondering whether there was a general rule of thumb with what rod and amperage to use when it comes to welding 1/8'' thick square steel (1''x1'') with an arc welder. thanks in advance!

 

[lemegacool]

as a professional welder i would say to you... first the rod size you need is 3/32" the type of rod well do you have a ac or dc welder, assuming you have a ac welder and not familiar with welding i would recommend getting some 7014 or 7013 (ask for "ac" type... they work better on ac) these are easy to strike and make good welds, for the amperage... for 1/8 thick steel beign welded flat let say between 70-85 amps depending on how well your welder is calibrated... at work i have a numeric arc welder and usually when i weld thin steel it's about in that range!

 

[francisg3]

since im new to this, would it be in my advantage to use slightly thicker steel so as not to punch holes in it? thanks again!

 

[fluxcored]

You've been given some good advice there.

If you go thicker you may make cold welds which can break easily.

You'll be better off and learn much more trying to weld the metal you've currently got.

You should practice on some scrap and do'nt be afraid of blowing holes. It happens.

 

[francisg3]

alright thanks for the info!