Martin Brody
New Member
- Messages
- 23
- Location
- Yorkshire, UK
Hi folks, I am a newby to Arc welding. I have a Thermal Arc 202 AC/DC single phase HF TIG which I dabble at with smaller stuff on old vintage cars and bikes. However now need to weld some brackets onto the frame of a steel frame building. The brackets will be made from 75 x 75 x 6mm angle and the UC's of the steel frame are a bit thicker, I haven't measured them but would guess 8mm to 10mm. The frame is dirty but I can get at it to clean it before welding.
Obviously TIG is no good for this application but my TIG does have a stick function.
I have searched the web and this site for answers and, unsurprisingly, I have found dozens of different answers to what I thought would be a simple question. The question is what rods to use to a) practice my technique and b) actually weld the brackets on? They dont have to be the same rods hence the question in two parts.
One thing I have seen is that some people recommend 7018 rods but then go on to say that they need to be used within a day of opening or else they need a special oven to dry them out. The brackets will be welded on over the course of a few weekends (whenever I have some spare time) so I am not keen on having to buy multiple packs of the same rods just because I need to use them more than one day apart.
Thanks in advance.
Obviously TIG is no good for this application but my TIG does have a stick function.
I have searched the web and this site for answers and, unsurprisingly, I have found dozens of different answers to what I thought would be a simple question. The question is what rods to use to a) practice my technique and b) actually weld the brackets on? They dont have to be the same rods hence the question in two parts.
One thing I have seen is that some people recommend 7018 rods but then go on to say that they need to be used within a day of opening or else they need a special oven to dry them out. The brackets will be welded on over the course of a few weekends (whenever I have some spare time) so I am not keen on having to buy multiple packs of the same rods just because I need to use them more than one day apart.
Thanks in advance.