This is the way I do it, and personally I don't feel like 1/4" is too big to weld shut, you just have to do it in multiple passes to keep the heat off. The round file thing is an important detail, gotta get the rust and old paint off of that inside edge if you want the weld to be in the right spot. A lot of people ignore that part and end up making more work for themselves. You need a MIG for this. Stick welding has it's place, good for outdoor use and for heavy gauge steel, but personally I don't think I'd even bother trying it on sheetmetal. I know an old guy who puts quarter panels on with a stick welder, but I think he's a combination of set-in-his-ways and nuts. Oh, and in bodywork/welding, a "grinder" is a flap disk, NOT a grinding stone.
lead and solder are basically the same... you should weld the hole up some how prior to lead'n if thats the way ya wanna go skull
you CAN use a stick welder if its all you have to work with. Its not reccomended, but its definatly do-able if you have to. They sell small diamater electrodes for them.... If you know anyone who has a gas/tig/or mig welder you would be better off.... as far as welding the hole up, putting something behind it and welding that, isnt the way to go. If its a large hole, bigger than say a dime. make a small little peice to put in it and weld it in. If its smaller just take a peice of copper plate, put it behind the hole and weld away, it will leave a nice flat surface on the back of the weld and fill the hole nicely.
I've welded up a few rustbuckets with an ac lincoln. lots of bondo and fiberglass to cover the burn throughs. I just had an idea...I bet 1/8" nickel rod would work better on sheetmetal than 7013. you can always lead the holes in with a propane torch. trick is to get the metal very clean. grind it and put some liquid flux on and "tin it" as the flux evaporates. the lead is going to flow out over the exposed steel and bond to it. let it cool then the tricky part is to heat one end of the lead up enough so it is mushy but not watery. Youll use a technique of flicking the flame into and out of the work area. The lead when touched to the car will stick to the lead tinned to the steel then you use a bit of wood soaked in oil or melted wax to push the softened lead where you want it. don't worry about making it pretty just get it on there watch the heat and use the file to make it pretty
I'd use a TIG and weld it up - concentrated heat, and softer metal to work once you have it welded. Gas welding will heat up too big of an area, but would be better than a stick welder, but I already have a TIG so.... I haven't done the brass thing yet, but I would think that if you have access to the inside of the panel you are welding up holes in, then placing the brass on the outside would be the way to go instead of the inside.
Oh, and in bodywork/welding, a "grinder" is a flap disk, NOT a grinding stone.[/QUOTE] I like to grind only the weld (or at least try) can't do that as easy with a flap wheel. I like 3" wheels on my die grinder, use just the edge and only grind the weld. keeps the heat down anddoes not thin the metal. then finish it up with the flat side of a flap wheel or maybe a 3" 80 grit disc. several right ways to do it,, this seems to be the one that works for me.
Do this !!! - you won't look back (maybe even if you're not a young person). Plus now you can cut stuff, heat & bend stuff etc. And your welds on sheetmetal remain workable. This guy has an excellent video teaching basic techniques and swears by gas for all bodywork: www.metalshapingzone.com and like 49ratfink says, take care grinding with a flap disc - you can add a lot more heat and thin the surrounding metal very easy. A rigid (stone?) disc is more controlable taking down the bead only
FWIW, Home Depot has a special right now with instant rebates on Lincoln welders. Depending on what you spend you can get up to $300.00 off. Just ordered one last night with some accessories. http://www.homedepot.com/hdus/en_US...Forms/Docs/updrebateform.pdf?ddkey=ShowRebate I do not work for HD, just a customer.
No mention yet of heat dam putty but works really well with tig and mig. Have not tried it with gas welding
Ok say you only have the stick welder... Find your local professional welding supply and buy a tube of "Matchlite". It is a very small low amp self starting stick rod just for sheet metal and delicate welding jobs. Also reduce your ground clamp with a small jumper wire of say 14 ga. You can only put so many amps through so big of wire before the jumper wire fails. Try a few practice pieces and see what happens. Change jump wire ga. as needed. also cool the welded area with compressed air as soon as possible to reduce warpage. I've welded plenty of thin guage with a stick.
I just had to do some sheetmetal today with a stick welder. It can be done, but I got a couple of suggestions for you. 7&7 mentioned a specialty rod, I don't have them, but small rods are gonna work the best. I would use something that have very little slag. Unfortunately I only have 6013 hanging around right now and I am really wishing I had some 6011 or 6010. Keep the amperage as low as you can. It will help avoid burning through. Don't hold an arc too long. Run it long enough to get some metal down and fused, then get off it. Let it disappear from your sight in the hood and go at it again. Last but definitely not least, take your time. If you have any issues with patience, you will be filling lots of burn-thru's. I really would have preferred gas or MIG on this job, but right now I am under the gun to get my truck back on the road. So taking time and trying to find someone with the equipment really wasn't an option.
Thanks to everyone - got some great suggestions - I already knew a tig or mig would be best way to go, but unfortunately that is not an option. What did the guys use before the tigs and migs came on the scene? I know there was gas and lead, but there must have been some guys using sticks!!
Exactly. I'll plug weld them shut up to ~3/16" in diameter (with a copper plate for backup). Once they get bigger than 3/16" though, you're asking for trouble trying to bridge them, and a patch that tiny will give you fits, as will trying to weld up and stretch an odd shaped patch. When I can't bridge the hole, I take a hole saw and cut a nice round hole about 3/4"-1" in diameter, then butt weld in a nice round patch. Much easier to hold in place while you tack, and much easier to stretch back out after you're done welding (plus, the pull is very even to start with, 'cause the repair is totally symmetric). I also agree with what was said before. If you don't already own (and have been ruined by) a MIG, buy a small torch and learn how to use it properly. You will be very glad you did so. Working torch welded panels is a dream compared to panels stitched together with a MIG machine. TIG is very close to the same performance as a torch, but a torch is about two orders of magnitude cheaper to get into, and a little easier to master.
My best advice would be to join a car club or get some friends who can help out. My mig has been stuffed for years, & I've managed to get by with the stick. Only on exhaust systems though. I paid for a new cylinder of gas for a friend as a sweetener so I could borrow his mig for a day. Plenty of pre-fabbed patch panels I'd made up. As said before each welding process has it's merits, yes it can be done with a stick but it's effin hard. For panel work the oxy set is the one I'd favour but that's just me. What about a car restoration course, they'll probably let you do a project where you can learn & weld at the same time. The metalshapingzone.com site puts out a DVD that is a must if you want to be proficient at panelwork. An amazing insight that you'll be hard pressed to find anywhere without doing an apprenticeship. Money well spent. I can get by without a Mig, oxy & Tig at home but wouldn't be without my Stick welder. But then again - I do have access to the rest at work. Horses for courses really - save for an oxy set you'll be surprised how versatile they are......
took some time for me to remember where i saw a tech about filling trim holes... but i found it choprods did a tech years ago, here it is http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61876
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