Welding small diameter rod

Some of my home project require me to weld small diameter rod to pipe/flat stock etc. and my welds always look bad. Is there a trick to welding the circumference of small diameter rod (1/4")? I have a PP205 and use the supplied W26 torch which is big, heavy, bulky and hard to maneuver around the small diameter rod. I usually tack at least two sides then sort of tack the rest of the rod to the other piece, but it does not look nice. When I say it does not look nice I mean it not a continuous weld. Any tips are much appreciated.

I can't comment on torch technique- but it sounds like the tacks are getting in the way. Any way you could use a jig or fixture to secure the 1/4" rod prior to welding?

If the rod is to large to get in the gap you could use smaller rod or build up the weld over the voids.

How are you approaching it? Are you trying to hold the torch perpendicular to the small rod, can you hold it parallel to the rod so you're rotating around rather than moving laterally?

On flat bar drill out the location and weld/pocket weld from the backside, on pipe drill the hole in the pipe stick in the rod give it a single wrap of mig wire and just play the heat around just enough to melt the mig wire, should do the trick. small stuff like that is usually brazed or silver soldered.

Or, like Geezer's information on the pipe, drill and use a straightened piece of MIG wire for the filler even if you have to tack/fill it around, then use the heat to work it in, like single wrap idea.

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Originally Posted by geezer

On flat bar drill out the location and weld/pocket weld from the backside, on pipe drill the hole in the pipe stick in the rod give it a single wrap of mig wire and just play the heat around just enough to melt the mig wire, should do the trick. small stuff like that is usually brazed or silver soldered.

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The wrap of wire to use as filler is a good idea. I'll have to file that one in the back of my head somewhere for future use.

Geezer thanks for the tip. I will try and get some mig wire and give it a shot.

I tried the "wrap filler wire" technique a few months ago on a tight joint only because I couldn't gain access with 2 hands. Worked like a champ. Wish I had pics, but on 1 area, I had to re-wrap, then hit the wire at either end of the open area, remove the excess and re-run my arc around to blend in. Works awesome.

Posting a picture would help us understand what your problem is better, but here is my guess for something like that:

Use a small diameter, sharp tungsten. Use pulsing with higher current. Use small diameter filler rod. Just weld a little bit at a time. Reposition your torch as many times as is needed. Select the cup size and tungsten stickout so you can rest the tip of the cup on the work and maintain an accurate arc length, and just make a sequence of tack welds. No need to move the torch when the arc is turned on. It will take some patience, but eventually you'll complete the weld all the way around. It won't be fast but it will look good.

I like to use a "3rd hand" to hold a small rod or something like that in position when I'm getting the first 2 tack welds on there.

Jakeru-
Thanks for the advice, it sounds like that’s what I need to do although I am not very patient. According to most of the people I know welding is the best thing I have taken an interest in as it is teaching me patience. I will post pics later.
Thanks again,

If a defective welds discovered after a structure is complete, the weld must be removed and the entire welding work to be redone, so eat your profits and valuable time. This is little bit important thing to check.

Keep your torch head constantly moving to match the angle of the tubing. Small diameter tubing means you have to stay on top of things. Don't hold the torch till your hand cramps. Holding it light and easy will help keep things going and smooth.

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Originally Posted by performance

Keep your torch head constantly moving to match the angle of the tubing. Small diameter tubing means you have to stay on top of things. Don't hold the torch till your hand cramps. Holding it light and easy will help keep things going and smooth.

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Yeah... small round bar like that has to be done steady, quick, and light. There isn't a whole lot of heat, or filler rod that is going into the weld.
If you're having problems with your welds just being gobbed up at the joint, you are probably using too much filler rod. I would use 1/16" rod, and not very much of it at that. Most of the welding will be done with just the torch, and only a small amount of filler so that the weld isn't undercut.
If your weld just looks nasty, then you may need to clean the metals. Small diameter hot rolled bar is notorious for having contaminants from the mills and dealers. Make sure you take a grinder to the area that you are welding to make sure it is absolutely clean and you see shiny metal all around. Otherwise, you may pick up some of the 'pickle' solution that they dip the metals in at the mill to keep them from rusting.