Welding Rebar

[tdiddy]

Hello,
I am building a deer fence out of rebar and wanted to see if anyone could give me advice/pointers on welding the joints. I am new to welding and have found a local class that teaches mig welding. I just wanted to see if anyone here has had experience with welding rebar.

Sincerely,
Tony

 

[malcolm]

Rebar is the steel reinforcement used inside concrete. I think it's ordinary mild steel so no materials issues. Any coating would need grinding off before welding.

It's really thick though (anything 10mm diameter upward) so you'll need a welder with a lot of amps. If you are welding outside you might be better off with a stick welder or a decent MIG with shielded wire.

 

[Lippyp]

Yeah I'd have said go with an arc (stick) welder, particularly if you're building it on site.

 

[markthewelder]

welding rebar outside

rebar (or rebar in weldmesh form) is better welded when outside with a stick welder.
even a cheap machine set @ 55amps/ish & 2.25 mild steel rods will do a good quick job without having to clean off any surface rust or bar scale first.
even better if you've got 70amps/ish & 3.25 rods.
If you are just starting out in welding, you may find that simple butt joints are difficult to fill.
just persevere after initially striking the arc, long enough to let a good lump of weld build up before weaving over onto the next bit of rebar. keep weaving or flicking the rod end, backwards & forwards in the same place until you 'make the connection; between parts.
Practice on welding between the 'nobbles sticking out from the bar'.
Rebar 'straights' normally come as carbon steel, but also in mild steel, just depends upon what it was designed for.
Do a quick 'grinder test' to see if it's carbon steel.
It doesn't make much difference which kind it is when using rebar for general work, only when making structural joints in concrete work.
You will also find carbon rebar very difficult to bend by hand, & it cracks easily on tight corners. Mild steel rebar is no problem in comparison.
When joining rebar, grind off any 'nobbles,or parts of' that create unmanageable large gaps at 'T' joints.
This keeps it quick & easy to weld.
About half of a 3.25 rod is plenty to go around even an unprepared gap on 20dia bar.
For butt welding the ends together, tack a dollop on the end of one bar first, the 'dollop' gives a clearance gap to run around with the stick.
Tricky with 2.25 rods, but easy with 3.25's.
If you come to making smallish squares with rebar & find that magnetism is repelling the weld deposit from the gap, place a welding magnet at the opposite side of the weld & the more powerfull magnetism of the magnet, pulls the weld deposit into the gap.
If all your welding is done in situ, ie 'on the fence', I highly recommend that you use half decent 'positional' welding rods (defined as being suitable for welding in all positions- up,down,sideways & overhead (6G)) & definately not 'low hydrogen' rods.
This alone will make the job so much easier & faster, with no mass of burn holes through your sleeves!
The cost of the positionals are outweighed many times over by their speed & ease of use compared with 'cheap' rods.
regards.

 

[LocoRay]

welding rebar outside

rebar (or rebar in weldmesh form) is better welded when outside with a stick welder.
even a cheap machine set @ 55amps/ish & 2.25 mild steel rods will do a good quick job without having to clean off any surface rust or bar scale first.
even better if you've got 70amps/ish & 3.25 rods.
If you are just starting out in welding, you may find that simple butt joints are difficult to fill.
just persevere after initially striking the arc, long enough to let a good lump of weld build up before weaving over onto the next bit of rebar. keep weaving or flicking the rod end, backwards & forwards in the same place until you 'make the connection; between parts.
Practice on welding between the 'nobbles sticking out from the bar'.
Rebar 'straights' normally come as carbon steel, but also in mild steel, just depends upon what it was designed for.
Do a quick 'grinder test' to see if it's carbon steel.
It doesn't make much difference which kind it is when using rebar for general work, only when making structural joints in concrete work.
You will also find carbon rebar very difficult to bend by hand, & it cracks easily on tight corners. Mild steel rebar is no problem in comparison.
When joining rebar, grind off any 'nobbles,or parts of' that create unmanageable large gaps at 'T' joints.
This keeps it quick & easy to weld.
About half of a 3.25 rod is plenty to go around even an unprepared gap on 20dia bar.
For butt welding the ends together, tack a dollop on the end of one bar first, the 'dollop' gives a clearance gap to run around with the stick.
Tricky with 2.25 rods, but easy with 3.25's.
If you come to making smallish squares with rebar & find that magnetism is repelling the weld deposit from the gap, place a welding magnet at the opposite side of the weld & the more powerfull magnetism of the magnet, pulls the weld deposit into the gap.
If all your welding is done in situ, ie 'on the fence', I highly recommend that you use half decent 'positional' welding rods (defined as being suitable for welding in all positions- up,down,sideways & overhead (6G)) & definately not 'low hydrogen' rods.
This alone will make the job so much easier & faster, with no mass of burn holes through your sleeves!
The cost of the positionals are outweighed many times over by their speed & ease of use compared with 'cheap' rods.
regards.

I'm not a welder....yet
but that sounds like a good tip there if i ever heard one!

 

[Burdekin]

Stick welder and just gp rods. I use to make bar stools and other stuff from it.

 

[Sarto]

Could you post a photo (or three) of your "rebar furniture"?
I'm gathering ideas for a "post atomic" rebar small table, and it would help a lot.

Thanks.
SARTo

 

[Burdekin]

Sorry got no pics. That was many years ago now but looks kind of like wrought iron so makes good rustic furniture. I use to just use polished hard wood for the other parts, looked a treat.

 

[Kent]

If you need help with heights required per species etc I can help
Estate parkland type fence is excellent for this as wire creates lots of issues for deer

 

[Wozzaaah]

Wow.....9 year old thread resurrected from the dead....a forum record!

 

[Burdekin]

Never noticed that. Good use of the search facility by LocoRay.

 

[Sarto]

Ops. Sorry.

 

[Kent]

never look at dates but I suppose in resurrection one should

 

[cocker]

Did the fence the op was making fall on him ?
He hasn't posted since

 

[Bill Edwards]

Well sadly forums are full of people who sign up to call upon the knowledge of people to help them with a problem then disappear without giving anything back.

 

[cliff366]

I agree seems they milk the help then bugger off till the next time know someone that's the same with beetles always asking the most random questions instead off using google or getting his hands dirty and finding out the hard way like we had to years ago

 

[cliff366]

Oooo I never knew it blanked out naughtyish words

 

[davemill]

Replying to a 19-year-old thread, thank you @markthewelder for a tremendously informative post.

welding rebar outside

rebar (or rebar in weldmesh form) is better welded when outside with a stick welder.
even a cheap machine set @ 55amps/ish & 2.25 mild steel rods will do a good quick job without having to clean off any surface rust or bar scale first.
even better if you've got 70amps/ish & 3.25 rods.
If you are just starting out in welding, you may find that simple butt joints are difficult to fill.
just persevere after initially striking the arc, long enough to let a good lump of weld build up before weaving over onto the next bit of rebar. keep weaving or flicking the rod end, backwards & forwards in the same place until you 'make the connection; between parts.
Practice on welding between the 'nobbles sticking out from the bar'.
Rebar 'straights' normally come as carbon steel, but also in mild steel, just depends upon what it was designed for.
Do a quick 'grinder test' to see if it's carbon steel.
It doesn't make much difference which kind it is when using rebar for general work, only when making structural joints in concrete work.
You will also find carbon rebar very difficult to bend by hand, & it cracks easily on tight corners. Mild steel rebar is no problem in comparison.
When joining rebar, grind off any 'nobbles,or parts of' that create unmanageable large gaps at 'T' joints.
This keeps it quick & easy to weld.
About half of a 3.25 rod is plenty to go around even an unprepared gap on 20dia bar.
For butt welding the ends together, tack a dollop on the end of one bar first, the 'dollop' gives a clearance gap to run around with the stick.
Tricky with 2.25 rods, but easy with 3.25's.
If you come to making smallish squares with rebar & find that magnetism is repelling the weld deposit from the gap, place a welding magnet at the opposite side of the weld & the more powerfull magnetism of the magnet, pulls the weld deposit into the gap.
If all your welding is done in situ, ie 'on the fence', I highly recommend that you use half decent 'positional' welding rods (defined as being suitable for welding in all positions- up,down,sideways & overhead (6G)) & definately not 'low hydrogen' rods.
This alone will make the job so much easier & faster, with no mass of burn holes through your sleeves!
The cost of the positionals are outweighed many times over by their speed & ease of use compared with 'cheap' rods.
regards.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Replying to a 19-year-old thread, thank you @markthewelder for a tremendously informative post.

He looks like an example of someone who signed up just to give some good advice and then vanished so as not to suck the forum dry!

Jack

 

[Ace Paul]

As this thread has been bumped. This popped up elsewhere