There's no doubt about it, this is the big stuff! Welding Thick Steel

by Craig R.
(Greene, Iowa)

Hey Jody, I will be welding on 1 1/4" pieces pushed together at an 1/8" apart with a V between the pieces. Yes indeed this is the big stuff. It happens to be part of a frame to a Crane. These welds have to look particularly nice and I would like any suggestions on how to make the weld look sweet. At the top surface the gap is approximately 1 1/4". I can imagine how tough this can be. Oh! And by the way, the weld is 12 ft. long. Nice huh!

Craig R.

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Craig,

sounds like a job for dual shield flux core or heavy 7018 stick.

if you have a heavy duty mig power source, flux core with shielding gas will be the most productive process.

I would call lincoln or esab to get a recommended filler wire for such a job...have the base metal specs on hand when you call.



1 1/4" thick is too thick for a single weave pass so it will take several stringer beads stacked evenly .

without any more details, I really cant comment much more than that.

feel free to use the contact us email function if you would like to send in a few pics

jody