Thread: welding my trailer

Biggest causes are wet/ damp/ incorrect welding rods, incorrect amperages, and poor earthing. I would stick the rods in the oven at about 60degrees for a while, check the earth lead is good and the earth point on the trailer is good, and get some practice/ play with settings first. Zig zag isn't a good idea, inclusion of impurities is a result usually. To avoid sticking first up, tap the rod quickly to 'start' the arc and lift off slightly to create the molten pool/ flow. Practice makes perfect

JC

Arcing the stick a few times to get it up to operating temperature before attempting to weld also helps a lot.

Garry

all of the above advice plus turn up the juice a bit and also squirt a little graphite on the surface where you are trying to strike the arc ..it does assist in getting going and not sticking...once you get the hang of it you'll be OK. Also file the end of the rod where you want to spark to ensure you have a proper contact.

You may find it easier to weld first up with a shorter rod as you have better control... So, cut the full size rod in half. You'll need to remove 30mm of slag back to bare metal from one end of the offcut to hold it in the stinger.

There are a lot of videos on Youtube demonstrating arc welding. Best tip is to find a TAFE offering weekend tuition in arc welding for beginners...it's well worth the investment!

Originally Posted by shamirj

hi guys,

I have started welding my trailer in front of and behind the wheels for extra storage areas like on camper trailers. its only a 6x4 trailer. have welded with an old stick welder some supports and will weld a top on them. Im no expert on welding but enjoy having a go. why does my welder always stick for ages before it gets going? can you weld on two metal surfaces which are painted? i grind back the paint but the welder seems to stick on/off for ages before i can begin a weld. how do you get that professional weld look. should i go zig zag when welding and slow to get that one strand look. thanks

All of the above, when I was taught how to weld many years ago, my instructor said to imagine I was striking a match, start an inch or so from where you want to start welding and strike the tip of the rod like you were lighting a match towards the starting point and start welding, good luck, Regards Frank.

Yeah - there are lots of YouTube videos about welding. Just search for "Learn Stick welding" or something similar and you'll get quite a few like this:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf8ZTNBOidk]YouTube - How to ARC Weld Metal, Steel / Stick Weld Welding: Starting Bead Mig Tig Lincoln Ac-225[/ame]

Only need take the paint off were you going to weld and make sure theres no paint were you put the earth clamp which maybe part of the problem.As for the rods sticking you need turn the amps up.

Hi here is a link MIG Welding Forum

It's a Uk forum concerning all aspects of fabrication and welding. Very friendly and helpful bunch of guys....

Originally Posted by shamirj

hi guys,

I have started welding my trailer in front of and behind the wheels for extra storage areas like on camper trailers. its only a 6x4 trailer. have welded with an old stick welder some supports and will weld a top on them. Im no expert on welding but enjoy having a go. why does my welder always stick for ages before it gets going? can you weld on two metal surfaces which are painted? i grind back the paint but the welder seems to stick on/off for ages before i can begin a weld. how do you get that professional weld look. should i go zig zag when welding and slow to get that one strand look. thanks

Man that bluddy stickyness can drive you crazy.... like the other guys have said generally the rods need to be hot... let it stick on the job for a couple of seconds to get it hot and the amps need to be turned up. One set of sticks I bought were stickier compared to another set as well which was really bizzare, but it's probably due to my skills or lack thereof of why it was all not working.

A year or so ago I checked into TAFE course and such.... had no luck. It was actually someone on here that recommended a course in Sutherland.

Sutherland community college run a welding course... a short w/e course as well as one that goes for about 8 weeks on a tues night.

Here's the link St George & Sutherland Community College

I did the weekend one year before last, bought an arc welder and have been welding all sorts of stuff - set of side steps for my fourbie and heaps of stuff on my trailer... even converting it from 6x4 to 7x4.

Nothing has fallen off yet !

My welding skills are still not the great though... like the other guys have said practice makes perfect.

I'm seriously thinking about joining up on the 8 week course - take a project in and at least get some tips. It's good value and the guy who runs the course knows his stuff and is pretty laid back.

Cheers
Scott