Is My Welder Man enough for 5mm box/angle?

[JuiceBanger1]

I bought a Rocworth Arc welder (40 - max 100 amps), last summer in B&Q, a Fifty quid cheapie bought on impulse. Ive done little with it other that practice on some 3mm box with the 1.6mm and 2mm rods. I've read a lot in this site today, wish I'd done research last summer!, but I want to make a utility trailer for my car, in the 500kg-750kg region( max unbraked weight) Ive seen a lot of people make them out of 5mm box or angle, which I will probably use, for strength. Obviously needs to be safe and welded well.

my question is, is my welder and 2mm rods ''man enough to do the job'', with fillets and multiple passes to get the joins well done, or should I go and get my da to supervise me!! and use his decent welder which can use thicker rods i.e 4mm etc, and means less passes??

he's made trailers before. I just fancy doing it myself.

 

[decepticon]

if you can weld reasonably well with 1.6mm rods then i would say you should get hold of some 2.5mm rods (max size your welder could do) and build your trailer with 5mm fillets-this should be more than sufficiently strong.
your machine may need abit of time between welds to allow it to cool down.
4mm rods would be too big for 5mm angle-3.2mm would be okay with a bit of skill but not with your machine.
make it on your own if you want but why not use your dads machine and ask him to check the welds over after you have finished.
take a pic and show us how it turned out.
cheers

 

[JuiceBanger1]

thanks decepticon. i will record it for the projects page.

 

[GeorgeB]

3.2mm would be okay with a bit of skill but not with your machine.

I'm sure I've used rods of that size at below 100amps.

JB1 - don't let theory put you off until you've tried it for yourself. Try various rods and settings to find out which combinations work best.

 

[Drains]

I'm sure I've used rods of that size at below 100amps.

JB1 - don't let theory put you off until you've tried it for yourself. Try various rods and settings to find out which combinations work best.

3.2's below 100A may be possible if you're going uphill, but otherwise you'll have a lot of trouble getting a good weld, no matter what George says. Sorry George, but that's the way it is, and I'm not talking about theory, but practice, and experience. Trust me, I've found this stuff out for myself.

Good advice would be to stick to a 2.5mm 6013 rod (or smaller), of a decent quality, on a transformer running 48v and under 100A. If you want to run 3.2's, you need a set which will run 140A for enough minutes to lay your weld. The average 140A cheapo transformer will do no more than a minute or two without cutting out. Again, my experience informs me, George.

And a sub-100A welder may also have a stupidly low duty cycle, and even have trouble burning a whole 2.5mm rod.

As for the various combinations and settings suggestion - can't fault that! Practice and experiment.

Juicebanger - i've just read your first post - and I have to say, I would use 2.5mm rods, and a bigger welder. But 2.0mm will probably do on 5mm box, with the welder you have. 3.2's would be too big anyway.

 

[JuiceBanger1]

thanks for the advice guys. I think I will get some of the material i'll be working with and practice and see how it goes.

 

[GeorgeB]

JB1 - don't let theory put you off until you've tried it for yourself. Try various rods and settings to find out which combinations work best.

Update - perhaps I should have said:

Don't let theory or anyone else put you off until you've tried it for yourself. Try various rods and settings to find out which combinations work best.

 

[Drains]

Update - perhaps I should have said:

Don't let theory or anyone else put you off until you've tried it for yourself. Try various rods and settings to find out which combinations work best.

I can't stop myself...

But don't go spending money on stuff that dreaming optimists suggest you acquire, when other people with MORE EXPERIENCE give you good advice.

George, why can't you try to be helpful instead of just a wind up merchant? For God's sake man. Your suggestion to try 3.2s on a 100A machine is nothing but unhelpful, bad advice, and the only person who would disagree with that is you!!!!

Sorry Juicebanger. This is what happens. Not your fault.

 

[snowcat]

Simon you really have far more energy than I do.... good on you....

JB expecting a 100amp plant with a low D/C to sufficiently run 3.2 rods is like expecting me to unlock the mystery's of the universe, possible but very improbable....

 

[brightspark]

welding current

just tested a 3,2mm rod out of curiosity tried on some quarter plate using pickhill oilcooled welder . at 80 amp it spluttered and was hard to start the ark at 90 amp it struck up fairly easily WITH PRACTICE it welded ok but stood up a bit proud and was narrow as in picture . the second was at 110amp which had good penetration and a wider weld .so the consensus is on a decent welder 110amp minimum on a 3.2 rod pictures atached a bit fuzzy mind

 

[GeorgeB]

just tested a 3,2mm rod out of curiosity

brightspark - you really have far more energy than I do.... good on you....

With the variation in apparent power between various machines I hope your finding lends a bit of weight to my observation. It wasn't professional advice and it certainly was no wind-up when I made my comment. I'm not even saying a 3.2mm rod would be optimal. It's not but it might just have some use which is why I suggest trying it.

 

[Drains]

Ho ho! A weldoff!

Right Brightspark, your challenge is to join two pieces of metal together, rather than laying a bead on a bit of plate. That's a butt weld, on the flat. Thickness, prep and gap of your choice. George, that's one for you too, and not to be left out, tomorrow, I shall give it a go as well. No more than 100A and 48v allowed. I should say that can only be on a 100A max welder, but as I'd have to go shopping to do that, I won't.

And George, the OP was looking for advice on how to weld his 5mm trailer material, not for you to start an argument with another of your handy hints on pushing the boundaries of the possible.

Bring it on!

 

[brightspark]

Ho ho! A weldoff!

Right Brightspark, your challenge is to join two pieces of metal together, rather than laying a bead on a bit of plate. That's a butt weld, on the flat. Thickness, prep and gap of your choice. George, that's one for you too, and not to be left out, tomorrow, I shall give it a go as well. No more than 100A and 48v allowed. I should say that can only be on a 100A max welder, but as I'd have to go shopping to do that, I won't.

And George, the OP was looking for advice on how to weld his 5mm trailer material, not for you to start an argument with another of your handy hints on pushing the boundaries of the possible.

Bring it on!

excuse me there isnt a challenge or an argument . all i did was do a test on a piece of metal out of curiosity and shown the results whatever u think or whoever u want to challenge is up 2 u but it wont be me . so i sugest u do your test with sumone else ive satisfied my curiosity and leaving it at that

 

[Drains]

excuse me there isnt a challenge or an argument . all i did was do a test on a piece of metal out of curiosity and shown the results whatever u think or whoever u want to challenge is up 2 u but it wont be me . so i sugest u do your test with sumone else ive satisfied my curiosity and leaving it at that

Ah, sorry Brightspark. I just thought as you had given hope to George, you might like to prove him right. Fair do's. I'll see if I can prove him right myself!

 

[GeorgeB]

And George, the OP was looking for advice on how to weld his 5mm trailer material, not for you to start an argument with another of your handy hints on pushing the boundaries of the possible.

I didn't start an argument. You did! I made a simple comment, to which you made out that you know better, even though it doesn't sound as if you've even tried it yet. Why should you have tried it in the past, given you feel it's such a daft idea? I would never claim to know more or give better advice than another member. I only report my own findings for what they are worth. There's history here of my being unfairly accused of wind ups, like the recent one on arc welding a bicycle. Now, suddenly, another member is doing just that on a grand scale and it doesn't seem such a bad idea, after all.

 

[Drains]

Ok, I started an argument on the basis of you giving bad advice.
I have thousands of hours of welding behind me, and would NEVER advise someone to try to weld a 3.2 rod on a 100A max welder, it is utter nonsense.
Your advise to try different rods and settings was good, and I agreed with that, but you might have suggested the OP try a 4.0mm rod too, why not?
Brightspark did not do a weld, he ran weld metal on a plate. Do you see two pieces of metal welded together? No, you don't, and the chances are you won't. I'm going to go to work today and do my damndest to see if I can, but I doubt it. It is a bad idea.

George you are a wind up merchant. You suggest and argue for the extreme, the implausible and the downright dangerous; you never admit the possibility you may be wrong, even when the world and his dog are aghast at what you say, and try, in every manner from the calmest, to the utterly exasperated, to convince you otherwise.

Why do I bother? Well actually I find your threads and posts surprisingly useful, as you make me rethink my own opinions, and you spur others on into proving theirs. It's not such a bad thing to question received wisdom. In this case, over rod size and amps, it's pretty damn stupid, as there is the right way to do a job, and this is definitely not it, but hey, I've made my bed, I'll lie in it (and probably soil the thing).

 

[JuiceBanger1]

thanks guys.

 

[Sparkey]

thanks guys.

Lollol! Don't worry Juicebanger! this has nothing to do with you!

Guys, don't scare the poor lad!