[94MN1246]

could someone with experience welding exhaust tell me if a stick welder should be sufficient enough to weld a long lasting exhaust system? i know stick welders are mostly junk, but its what ive got and could save a lot of money on exhaust work. any help is appreciated.

-94MN1246

 

[94t-birdlx]

I wouldn't call a stick welder junk. There are some junk welders out there but it's not because they are stick.
I think the toughest part about stick welding an exhaust would be trying not to blow a whole bunch of holes in the pipe.

 

[_95badbird]

if you know what you're doing, it should work just fine.
Just keep your settings lower(should be a chart on the welder, or in the manual, that tells you how many amps to set the welder for how thick the metal is), and you won't blow any holes.
I've done it a few times.

 

[coggonobrien]

stick welders are great for heavy duty weld's, if they are junk its cause they are in the hands of piss poor welders

 

[94 Daily Driven 4.6L]

stick welders are great for heavy duty weld's, if they are junk its cause they are in the hands of piss poor welders

I agree 100%!! My Grandfather was a welder for 50+ years and never learned to use a wire welder. His welds were as good or better than most welds I've seen.

And often a stick welder is easier because you can get to places that a wire welder tip can't reach... i.e. the top of an exhaust pipe. :thumbsup:

 

[warmaster259]

I prefer MIG for Exhaust, but only because i dont have much experience with ARC(stick)

 

[94MN1246]

glad to hear it will work. the only "good" welder i know is always talking about how stick welders are worthless... but all his welds look horendous. i guess thats one misconception cleared up for me. hopefully my welding skills will be up to par come april or so, that way i can do my exhaust up nice. not to turn this into a welding how-to, but is there any special method to welding over a small (1/8th inch) gap? maybe build up both sides first, then fill the middle from a little bit farther away? as far as slip fit or butt joints, should either one be able to be welded just as easily? thanks for the help.

-94MN1246

 

[ITT-BIRD]

i worked at a fabrication yards before ... we did high pressure pipe lines, prove-a-loops etc using stick and mig...
the stick and mig welding were all xray'd and passed.
ive had someone do my exhaust done with a torch.
they have nickel and feather edge on pipes where its sorta tapered or like a knife edge

 

[ZeroRain]

arc is how i fixed the pip in my sled and i think it would be considered tin. the best thing to do is build up your metal let it cool and then repeat until you bridge the gap between the two pieces.

 

[94MN1246]

let it cool huh? guess that shoulda been obvious when all the metal just poured right through. thanks man, ill give it some more practice in a little while.

-94MN1246

 

[ZeroRain]

yea use a low temp/amp and just use the metal from the rod to get a ridge so to say. when its back to solid state "not more then 5-10 sec of cooling move to the side alittle and repeat. shouldn't take more then a couple of minutes once you get the hang of it. might use up a few sticks but in the end you will have gained much needed stick knowledge. when i did mine i had to weld around an inch and a half piece of tin back to the main silencer then weld up about a half in square. i think i only used maybe a stick and a half to two sticks. my welder is a little rough tho. my selector works but my readout doesn't tell me what so i have to do some test arcs lol. hope i could help.

 

[jesusraybrown]

An old shadetree mechanic I know used to do exhaust oxy style. I just put pipes on my car yesterday with a lincoln, and some 6013. Just multi-pass it. And as far as sticks being junk I think it's more impressive to see a guy take a descent arc, and make it look better than the next guy's mig... not only look better, but hold just as well. I can run overhead 3/32" 7018, and make it look as good as flat mig. With enough practice you would be surprised what you can do.

 

[tbirdtess]

MIg Advantage?

Hello

The only advantage to MIG is the Gas it uses for cooling. If you let it cool properly with graduated spaces a stick welder is usually As good if not better.

Remember there are different sizes & materials in the welding rods on a stick welder. Extremely easy to change!

Ever change the welding wire on a gun style welder? Plus having enough of the right gas.

Paul