How to Weld Thick Metal to Thin
Welding thick metal to thin metal is a challenge all welders face at some point. At the outset it does not seem easy but once you learn the technique, good welds that can be trusted are not hard to make. Whether you weld with a stick welder or a wire-feed unit, the technique and ideas are exactly the same.
Instructions
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Set the welder dials for the thicker metal. Even though you will be welding the thinner metal as well, the welder's voltage and amperage settings must be dialed in for the thicker metal. If you set it to effectively weld only the thinner metal the fusion will be nowhere near strong enough to hold. There is normally a diagram inside the door of the welder which states where the settings should be for each metal thickness it is capable of welding. Refer to that, because each welder is different.
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Start welding the thicker side first. With the two metal objects set up how you would like to weld them together, strike an arc on the big piece first. Hold it until you see the puddle of molten steel, and then momentarily dip the electrode onto the thinner piece. The trick is not to hold it there too long, but long enough that a good fusion takes place. Move along the weld seam in this fashion until the weld is complete. Always spend more time on the thicker steel than on the thinner steel and the weld will penetrate well and not burn through the thin piece.
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Test the weld. Depending on how thick each metal is, there are various ways to do this, but striking the weld with a small hammer in various places is universally accepted as a decent test. You could also try to manually bend the weld at the joint, but if the weld is just meant to fuse the pieces together and not necessarily for strength, the smaller metal could bend. If the weld holds, allow it to cool and you are ready to prime and paint the steel. If not, try it again with a tad more heat and hold the electrode slightly longer on the thinner metal with each dip.
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References
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