Chose stick welding over MIG for a repair on a 1-inch thick steel beam in Chicago

Picked up the 7018 rods instead of the MIG gun because I needed deeper penetration on that old beam, and the weld held up perfect after the pressure test - anyone else use stick for heavy structural stuff over wire feed?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_black16d ago

MIG woulda been faster and just as strong with dual shield on that thickness.

sean_johnson1616d agoMost Upvoted

Respect the choice. Stick bites deep on heavy stuff like that.

sean_johnson1616d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah but @abby_black I gotta disagree a little on that one... sure dual shield is fast but the stick arc feels more controllable on vertical stuff to me. The puddle doesn't run as much when you're fighting gravity on something that thick. Plus with stick you don't gotta lug a gas bottle around if you're out in the field or on a job site... that adds up quick. I've seen guys burn through dual shield on heavy plate and get decent results but the slag cleanup is way more annoying than stick. But hey different strokes for different folks I guess... whatever gets the weld done.