welder ?

[87swb]

alright i want to weld up a few little rust holes in my windshield channel and backglass channel. what does the welder need to be set on and what kind of welder works the best?

[4x4orbust]

depends on the welder and most economical and easiest is a mig welder with gas.

[VileZambonie]

How bad is it? got any pics?

[87swb]

sorry but i dont have any pics. there about the size of a pencil eraser and then bout 2 are twice the size. mainly just pitted down thru the channels. id like to have both of the whole bottom part of the channels cut out. i don't think its possible. i was gonna weld them up just to say there werent any rust holes on my truck and put rust converter on it and smooth and paint it. got access to an 80 amp flux core but i know its too hot as i tried to weld a hole on a license plate to test.

[VileZambonie]

I know this sounds old school but wire wheel it all up and use lead

[dv8customs]

A mig will work jsut fine. You will have to play with the setting to see what works best as every welder will be different.

[jaredts]

You can probably do it with that flux core, its just a pain.  Put it on the lowest power setting and try on a test piece of steel (aren't license plates aluminum?).  You will probably have to use extremely quick bursts to keep from burning through.  This technique stinks with a flux-core because you really need to remove the slag before tying the welds together, but it can be done.  I'm a lousy welder, so if someone more experienced wants to correct me--please do (I might learn something).

[87swb]

where do you get lead at? i got access to 3 welders. one is a campbell hausfield 80 amp flux core with a high/low voltage setting wire feeder type, cannot adjust the amp. the other is hobart that has gas and you can adjust it, its a feeder type and its huge it can weld 25 ga. metal. and one more is a lincoln stick welder and it will go as low as 35 amps.

[jaredts]

Absolutely the Hobart.  You need to see what diameter wire is on it.  I inherited mine with .035" wire on it.  That can work on thin sheet metal, but its not a good choice.  .023" is the preferred size.  If you have the larger wire you'll need to spend a little more time practicing as its harder to use for this job.  My Hobart has a chart inside the lid that will get the settings pretty close for what you're doing.  Maybe this one has it too.  By your description it sounds like you need to cut small patches rather than just filling the holes.  I've only heard of using lead for bodywork, never seen it.  You can get babbitt from Mcmaster Carr Supply:  http://www.mcmaster.com if that helps.

[87swb]

well this hobart has the lid on the side that flips open and tells you everything. it has 2 different spools in it. i really don't know much about welders bit this one is supposed to be pretty sharp. and i don't plan on welding them. not really good at it. but those holes, they're small, patches wouldn't be worth the trouble i think. i'll look at that welder tomorrow and tell ya more.

[dv8customs]

Depending on the severity of the rust you may need to cut out large sections to get to good metal and then weld in patch panels. The Hobart sounds like your best bet and use the solid core wire with a shielding gas if available. If it is not available, or you are working outside in windy conditions, then use the flux core wire. It will work just fine but it makes a bigger mess with splatter.

FYI: All the bodywork on my truck was done with flux core...

[4x4orbust]

i also did all my body work with flux core.   i even used the harbor freight cheapo 110v welder.    it came out decent for what it is (firewood/work/offroad truck that can drive on the road)   
a solid core wire with shielding gas in a garage would be the best bet.   it leaves much cleaner welds, and can be controlled more.   only word of caution is if you have a pin hole of rust,   it is actually a dime sized amount of rust, and sometimes you need to repair a dollar sized peice of metal to fix it.   

[87swb]

i'll have to think about it. i just think it would be expensive to have all that cut out and replaced and painted, i know it would. but i dont want another cab, this is the only rust on this truck. no cab corner or rocker panel rot, besides it wouldn't be the same truck. will por 15 really stop it?

[jaredts]

I think pics would be very helpful.  If you have 1/4" holes, the right way is to cut it out to clean metal, probably twice that size or more and weld in new steel patches.  If you wanna patch it up for a couple of years there are lots of options.  It depends on what you want.

[joesgarage71]

I know this sounds old school but wire wheel it all up and use lead

 Yup you start grinding and welding/burning through your little holes turn into big ones! I'd use lead.