Welding Tips and Tricks

So, life doesn't always go as we'd like and now I have this job putting two pieces of 1/4 inch aluminum together and only have 1/16 rod. The next deal it I have two piece of 16 gauge steel and for that all there is, is 1/8 rod.
I would like to see how to address these situations with out saddling up for a 30 mile round trip to the welding supply.
The skill I have seen displayed on Welding Tips and Tricks. com surely can manage to shed some light on this.
Thanks in advance. A video sequence from Jody would be the real ticket......?

thin rod and thick work is easy enough. either feed fast or twist two rods together.

however thick rod and thin work i have no idea on. i just did a bit of that and blew holes. simple problem is puddle freezes when you feed the rod. turn up the heat to melt the rod you blow out the work. you could try chill blocks so you can run higher amps but i'm still doubtful.

1/16 filler for aluminum as stated, you'll have to feed very fast, using 1/8 filler on the thin material, what I do is keep the end of the rod just outside of the arc (far enough that it isn't melting) and a quick dab into the arc just above the puddle is what works for me, much easier to show you then to try and explain.

Thick rod on thin is just a variation on the dab method. I also use a twisting action on the rod if it’s thicker than I’d like. Kind of roll it in your fingers as you feed it.

Poland308 wrote:Thick rod on thin is just a variation on the dab method. I also use a twisting action on the rod if it’s thicker than I’d like. Kind of roll it in your fingers as you feed it.

Great tip! Thanks Josh.

For the ally, twist 3 pieces together with the ends clamped in a vise, the other ends crimped in your drill spin them up tight. Now you can weld away with ally.

For 1/8” steel, dip and increase your travel distance to help spread abs burn the filler in. Or dip ever so slightly to reduce the filler amount.