Featured Technical How many people stick weld frames?

How many people stick weld frames? Very soon I’m swapping crossmembers in my A frame to a So cal/ Roadster supply ‘32 rivet in crossmember. I have a stick and a Mig and I like stick welding better so I’m 50/50 on what I want to use. Seems is though back in the day there were 2 options. Stick and gas welding. Who uses what?

 

I'm from then, I was a construction welder, buzz box stick... thats all there was in my garage... I made a couple tig welders bout 30yrs ago,... so that all I use now...

 

I learned on an old Lincoln tombstone when I was 15 or so. Bottom was rusted out, leads were sketchy, but if you turned it on and let it warm up for a minute, it would weld great. I don’t weld very much any more so I usually grab a stick of metal from the home center and run a few beads before I weld whatever I’m doing. Make sure I still got it so to speak.

 

Stick

 

I learned to weld on the fly so to speak, bought a machine from Sears and some 6013 rod in 1971 and practiced. I learned about 7018 low hydrogen rod and switched to that and fabricated brackets, a trans cross member and boxed my ‘32 frame with 7018 in the 1970’s. Plenty of miles around the Midwest and nothing fell off and no welds show a crack so I guess I did OK. If you haven’t used 7018 I suggest you try it.
If I was buying a machine now I would buy a tig, but I doubt I’d get the value out of it at my age.

 

7018 is good, as long as it is stored correctly.
"Low hyrdrogen" means it wants to be stored DRY,
or it will absorb moisture from the atmosphere.
Good for all position.

I absolutely LOVE 7024 for flat work.
Produces beautiful welds.

Get some Anti Spatter spray, will save time and effort with clean up.
Low tech, low dollar alternative = liquid soap.

 

Stick welding is the perfect name for it in my case. Try to strike an arc...and the rod sticks. Thank God for MIG.

 

changing the strike to drag will help....

 

My cheap alternative to a commercial rod storage box was an old tool box with a light bulb in it. Kept them warm and dry.

 

I’ve never found 7024 locally but I’ve been interested in trying it. I normally use 6013 or 7018. I buy 7018 fresh every time I need it. I don’t keep it around.. my new welder is nifty as it has arc force. Bumps the open voltage a little to strike the arc.

 

Stick weld on any critical weld, I have a friend that was a welder for years and have him do the welding on my frames. I will use the mig at home for light work but think the stick weld has better penetration.

 

Use 6013 all positional rutile rods and err on the slightly higher end of amperage setting but watch for undercut on edges of the weld. Stay away from low hydrogen rods. They need to baked before use and are prone to porosity if not looked after correctly. Also always use anti-spatter spray. That's what I do anyway and remember, stick used to be the only way for home builders at one time so its traditional.

 

I gave up stick welding back in the early 70's when I was introduced to Mig welding. HRP

 

7024 lays down some pretty beads.

 

My 155A mig strains at 3/16" so I use the tombstone for heavier work

 

Stick will introduce a lot more heat, which translates to potential for warping on a chassis. You can do it and many have, but MIG is a bit more forgiving.

Since I got my Miller Multimatic 2 years ago I haven't touched my Lincoln Tombstone or stick welded at all.

 

There's nothing wrong with stick welding the frame, as long as you're good at it.

We've all seen stick welds that look like chicken doo-doo. My suggestion is, if it isn't working right, don't keep going. Stop, figure out the problem, lay a practice bead on a different piece of metal, then get back to your frame.

 

A neat little trick that I learned years ago is that you can use a flux core wire with the gas in your MIG and it will weld like a 7018.

 

started out with the old Tombstone stick, sold it and bought a Mig welder, added Tag later on . If I am looking for nice welds on thinner metal I always Tig. I mig just about everything else now. Haven't stick welded in years

 

running the same polarity as mig or reverse? I actually think I’ve heard this before but for sure never tried

 

The last frame I stick welded was the Model A frame under my 1930 pickup.

BTW, my best looking welds always seemed to be the ones that were out of sight, if it showed it generally looked like bubblegum,, ,, I'm joking but they were not as nice as the unseen ones. HRP

 

I still stick weld , got a mig welder this year, need to get a bottle yet and change the cord to use my outlet .

 

I built my T Bucket frame and suspension parts with an AC stick welder and 6013 rod. 17,000 miles so far with zero problems.

 

I learned how to weld with stick while working at the shipyard.
One 'trick' to using 7018/8018 rods is to ground them before you start to weld with them. They will get hot in a hurry so don't ground them long. The heat they produce will dry out any moisture.
Cutting the rod in two with a grinder and CUTTING wheel makes the rod easier to control also.
MIG with gas coverage is THE ONLY way to fly now. (unless you LIKE the sparkle and burn of stick welding)
When ye can weld overhead without a shirt on....then you can claim to be a welder......!
6sally6

 

I think which process you use is less important than how well you can weld with it on the material thickness that you need to weld. If you can lay down a correct weld with the stick, go for it.

 

Back in the 80's I owned a small arc welder. I was given the opportunity to try a Mig and absolutely loved it. I promptly gave away (for free ... poor sap thought he was getting a deal and I thought he paid too much ) my arc welder and bought a Hobart Betamig 200 (still have it and still love it). I have no interest in ever arc welding again.

Been a lot of years since I last read an NHRA rule book but, as far as I can recall, arc welding was not an acceptable method of welding a drag car frame/cage.

 

Ten million farmers can't be wrong.

 

If you are proficient with your stick welder of course you could use it, welding is welding. You won't find any after market chassis builder such as Morrison, Alstons, Roadster Shop etc. that uses a stick machine. A MIG machine is so much easier to use for things like "tacking". How thick is your frames base material ?

 

I learned to stick weld in High School, went to a Welding School for a month, to do it for a living. When I got hired, they were using wire welders for steel and aluminum, along with Tig. I bought a Miller Thunderbolt 225 stick machine in '69, and in '72, I bought Miller Econo-Twin HF, so I could Tig or Stick weld. In 76, I bought a Lincoln 300/300, for Tig and Stick, and still use it today. DC-Reverse is the ultimate in Stick welding, and I used it on this Belly Tank, as it was a restoration from 1952, and taught a young friend as well.

 

They bought all of those "Forney's" from the traveling salesmen, in the 50's !