RN M OVR

I'm going to fab a duel jerry can holder for the tailgate and just throw my spare in the back.

I'm using 1/8" and 1/16" steel.

For the welder I'm using a basic DC arc welder.

Question:

When I watch people weld, when connected the joints/seams of two separate pieces they move the welder torch across the seam at a slow but constant speed. I know there's not an exact answer, so I'll keep it broad; How fast and/or steady should I move my hand in order to create a smooth, or at least near smooth weld?

MMM...Mud

First of all, when you say basic arc welder are you talking about a stick or wire feed welder? Either way you NEED to start off on a test piece. Simulate the joint (tee, lap, butt, etc) you are going to be welding. If it is stick, the rod needs to be 1/16-1/8 of an inch away from the material. If it is wire feed, the distance is a little more forgiving but not much. Also with wire feed you do not have to constantly adjust for the burning down of the rod. You dont want your amps to low. It will seem like it is spitting and sputtering. Plus the strength of the weld will be crap like JB weld. If the amps are to high, you will burn through the material. If if feels like you have to go fast and the weld is burning through then that means you are probably to high. Be smart and look up on-line how an acceptable weld looks like. As with anything you havent done before, research it first with pics. There will be pleanty out there. Search for something like, passing welding joint pics.

Also. to answer your question a little better, move slow and in LITTLE circles or a SLIGHT side to side movement. It all depends on the joints and how hot (amps) your welding. Remember, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. If you have any more questions feel free to PM me. I am not a welder now but went to school for it for 3 yrs.

Benchmark Designs Inc.

Agree ^^^^

Are you using a wirefeed or stick welder?

sn4cktime

Speed is kinda relevant to your process/settings choice.

Stick Welder: speed is going to depend on amperage, size of electrode, and material thickness.

MIG: speed is going to depend on wire speed (IPM), voltage and wire thickness.

Given the thicknesses you're talking about MIG would be a better choice of process. And yeah, practice on some scrap, there's no defined speed.

alfmoonspace

Agree with everyone above. I would recommend using a light sensitive helmet, that way you can see where you start rather then placing your hand at the spot and flipping your helmet down.

I would do a couple of practice runs, just like everything, practice makes perfect!

Heng'n out

building your own stuff is the the way to go. You have gotten some great advice already, so let me see if I can add to it. you said ARC welder and usually that means stick so I will go with that.

First learn how to weld before you start building a carrier. I don't want to see a jerry can sliding down the road behind your jeep!

I learned by myself on the farm over 30 years ago. I was very young and out there we used alot of 6011 rod. It is very forgiving and the easiest way to learn. get some scrap metal about the same size as you will use and start to strike an arc. Get to where you can hold that arc and really go from there.
you will have to adjust your settings to get to this point. At first more current (amps) will make the arc easier to strike but you will find you are burning through. As you learn and get the striking down turn the current down till you welds look like the pictures you have looked up. Also watch the puddle. It will tell you alot about your penatration, distance, and if you need to clean the metal.

When you get the 6011 rod mastered in practice. throw those in the corner of the shop/garage. they are good for welding that fence the cows pushed down and you need to weld it back up in the rain.

Get some 7018 rod and start over with the practice. This rod has a higher tinsel strength and better flux. This is what you want to use to put that carrier together when you get good at welding.

Just to check your progress in practice. weld 2 pieces of scrap together and cut accross the weld and check your penetration. Remember you are melting metal together in a controled way. The penatration should be deep.

After the farm I went to a welding school and foung myself teaching the instructor as much as he was teaching me. You can teach yourself alot, dont be afraid of that welder it is every jeep owners friend.
ask lots of questions where you by your rod too, they can sometimes help if they want a new customer.

atuldo

test piece-training pieces-field is the best school

JMP8562

when you say arc welder I'm picturing a 220v stick welder do you know how thin the body metal is just a thought did you try a local shop if you fab the parts it couldn't be more that $50 for them to weld it for you or even a local community collage with a shop

drnedatsnov

by the thickness of the material you want to use, MIG would be the easiest and TIG would be ideal. You could do it with a 3/32 or smaller 7018 stick rod. flat position would be the best bet as trying to do a vertical up hill weld is going to burn out as it approaches the top of the joint. Also make sure to tack everything in place before you weld the seems because the base metal will bend toward the weld as the weld cools. If you do have to do a vertical weld, don't go down hill, go up hill and move the end of the rod in a Z pattern, holding on the sides, and going over the middle quickly, you'll want to tilt the rod back slightly "15 degrees or so" . Like the others said, practice and get used to the technique before you jump right in. It's always more difficult stick welding thinner base metals but can be done.

STUPIDFACE

Ive noticed that when people pick up a welding lead for the first time (stick or mig), they tend to try to move too fast. My advice would be, once you get to where you can make sparks, move the electrode slower than you think you should. Look up welding on youtube, they may have some goo tips.

corey d