Car body panel welding

Q: I only have a 110-V arc welding machine, and I want to weld car panels, but I keep blowing out the metal. What can I do to stop this? Can I use aluminum rods?

A: You can use aluminum rods on aluminum only, and they typically are used only for really thick pieces, about 0.25 inch and thicker.

Body Panel Welding Tips

If you’re welding mild steel with your 110-V machine, 6013 is perfect for thin-gauge steel. Try some 0.09375-in. electrodes; you can buy them in 3- to 50-pound bunches. They more you buy, the cheaper they are. Shop around at supply stores or on the Internet for the best price, because prices vary widely.

Set your machine on what used to be straight polarity, but now is called DCEN, or direct current electrode negative. In other words, hook up the electrode holder to the negative and the work clamp to the positive. That means the electricity is flowing out of your electrode holder and into the workpiece because DC always flows from negative to positive. That puts two-thirds heat on the work and one-third on your electrode, which provides less penetration. Some machines have a switch so you don’t have to change the lead connections.

If your machine is AC only, at least it’ll be good for a boat anchor. Just kidding! You can use 6013 on AC too, but it’ll be rough. DC is much smoother and produces nicer beads.

If you need to, you can even use smaller-diameter electrodes, down to 0.0625 in., but I’ll bet the 0.09375-in. will be fine.

I’d set the machine at anywhere from 50 to 90 amps and adjust it from there.