Lots of good info here.

 

If you can scrounge up $50 grab one of the harbor freight autodarkening helmets.

 

PingPong is quite right...make sure you prep your weld surface. You should be welding on a shiny metal surface and the wire wheel is the perfect tool for that. ...and the 6013 is a good rod to use.
Draw your weld toward you slow and steady. Agent_Oragnge is right about the amperage, but keep it on the lower side. You'll have to judge from how your bead is looking and how well it's arcing. I started out with a bucket full of mixed rods and no reference to go by so I ended up winging it...trial and error. Keep welding up whatever scrap metal you can until you feel comfortable with your equipment and your welds, but do make sure you're welding a clean surface...not just the weld area...the ground too.

 

Ok i thought i had 1/4" 6011 rods so scratch that. Ive got 1/8th & 3/16th 6011 rods, 3/16th 7014 rods, & 1/4" 7018's. Any of those will have to do since im broke, & when i say im broke, im BROKE!! The one problem im having is that my welds come out good when on a work bench/vice right infront of me, but when i go to the jeep, that all changes. The one thing i havent been doing is cleaning the ground spots when on the jeep so ill give that a go & see how that works out!!

 

You are working in 2 different enviroments. Bench welding, is the easiest to do. You have control of conditions. I mean you are welding at a comfortable postion, with a good ground. On the vehicle a lot of things come into play. First being your position.. then your ground, and your vision. It is definately harder to see on the bottom side of an axle while you weld. Mostly cause you are trying to weld Overhead, which is by far the hardest weld to master.


I strongly suggest if possible to make your welds in the flat position. Much easier to accomplish a good penetrating weld with few deffects.

I would try baking your rods, making sure they are dry as can be. Since you have thinner rods then you thought you might want to turn down your heat, and make sure you have a real good ground. Also check your electrode holder for a good connection.. as they get worn.. it can take more heat to start the weld, but not as much to mantain the puddle.

Welsing rods are not that pricey.. I know around where I live Lowes and Home depot sells them for 10 or so a box. Or you can go to the welding supply store and buy more.. but then you will be baking rods, or dedicating an old fridge for rod storage.

 

I'm with Ping, Try to get into a flat position. Prep is a major thing. and Ground close as possible to where your welding. 6011s don't absolutely need to be dried but if there moist yes. 7018s HAVE to be dry. Haven't run 7014s or learned much about them at my CommTech Welding class yet. But all the rods you own are Technically Any Position rods. And what Orange said about the Valley is a good idea but arent completely needed but it helps. Make sure you clean the Slag out after every pass as much as possible. If you think 1 weld isnt strong enough...Lay 2 more on them.

Like this. Imagine the lines are your metal... 1 as your filler. 2 goes on the the bottom half of 1 and 3 should flow over 1 and 2 and penetrate the metal.
|3
|12___

And I gotta question about how your using 6011s...In school they are telling us to do a flick and dip method...not just simply drag it... Just curious on how your doin it.. Also if your curious on tips and tricks and stuff. YouTube or Google can help alot if you want more info on stuff other than waiting around for us to reply. I just typed in How to Weld 6011Rod on Youtube....found a couple vids. Good Luck!

 

Ok lots of good stuff here...

-So far im gonna take a wire brush to the electrode holder & clean it nicey nice.

-Im gonna make sure my rods are nice & dry & free of debree & not leave them on the garage floor before usage!! LoL.

-Im gonna pick up a few flap wheels cause the wire wheel isnt so good gettin to bare metal thats needed for a good bead.

-Im gonna clean the ground just as good & get it as close to my work as i can.

-Im gonna bevel the edges of the steel to allow for a nicer pool to "fill in" the weld instead of just runnin it ontop.

-I will try my hardest to get a self darkening mask IF there really as cheap as $50 bucks so i can see my welds from the BEGINING & not have to wait til i spark an arc.

-I'll also try to position myself as comfhy as possible & remove parts that may obstruct me & maybe even do a practice dry run & plan the weld path ahead of time.

-Practice, practice, practice, with the different rods, the amperage, & the steel used till i get what i want, then copy it exactly onto the jeep.

-And last but not least, i will say THANK YOU to all of you that replied with good advice provided in this thread!!!!

 

I should do a build thread with all thats goin on right now! I mean i got a Ruff Stuff panhard bar goin in, everythings gettin braced & gusseted, im re-doin work better than what i paid for, i have floor pans & stiffeners collecting dust waiting to go in, & hell, maybe ill try for cherokee of the month while im at it!! LoL!!

 

This might of already been covered but, make sure the ground and the area to be welded is very clean, Go with a 7018 rod at around 100-120 or so on the welder and slow down and let the weld penetrate but not to much. Or you could go with a 6011 first and cap over with a 7018.

 

I just remembered....that some rods run like Sh@t on straight polarity....but run great on Reverse Polarity...but for the hell of me it escapes me...6011 i think runs best on reverse... so that could be another problem...

Someone agree with me or correct me. 1st year of welding program and its been about 1 1/2 months...so its not all stuck in the head yet...

 

There are a lot of videos on the net for welding of all types. I've been using it to upgrade my TIG skills. Prep is everything! Your welds look like your welds look like you're controlling the rod well. The oops' look like oil or rust contamination. I also use wire wheels to clean flux soot between welds. Clean your stinger, ground clamp, and grounding point. Keep the grounding point ahead of the weld your working as the current tries to go straight there, and will take the heat with it. I fought my welder for days, just to find that the connection in the handle of the stinger was corroded. Fixed it and it was like a new machine. Hope this helps. Keep working at it. Welding is a skill that takes practice.

 

Are u sayin to try welding in DC??

 

Its not bad to grind down and reweld, but you want to make sure you are grinding down all the way to the main plate you first started with. IE grinding out the old weld so your not just stacking ****ty weld ontop of one another

Im in my 2nd year or my welding program and 2nd year on stick to and you are correct. I would say try to use 6010 if you can. Its going to be a little harder to start, but will produce a nice and better penetrating weld. Then if you want throw a layer of 7018 ontop to cap it and make it look good. Like everyone else has said, make sure the surface you are welding to it clean. Stick will burn alot of crap off but can also cause flaws in your weld. But your welds dont look bad at all man!

 

Ok tomorrow the new panhard bar is going in from Ruff Stuff & i could use a few pointers. 1st is welding in the hex head bungs & how much space i should have before i start my welds so i took a few pics...

1st position is the bung all the way in...



2nd position is about an 1/8th inch out...



3rd position is a good 1/4" out...



SO, which position will work best without the risk of blow thru & screwing up the threads??? Oh & i was thinkin of using the 1/4" 7018 rods instead of the 6011s. Advice please???

 

Ok now for the axle bracket, this is the position it will be in...


Im gonna try to concentrate some good solid welds on the inside of the bracket since it will be a flat surface to weld to...


Next this little fill in piece slides in & will be a ***** to weld so im thinkin of using up half a rod before moving to the axle & using a 1/8th 6011 rod...


NOW this is gonna be the hard part as its pretty much upside down & the most visible weld so any advice on thisone would be great...


This is all goin down tomorrow cause im gettin some real bad DW when i hit a hard bump in the road & im hopin this cures that 100%!!!!!!