Arc welder and sheet metal

I know nothing about welding at this point i know it sucks.. A freind of mines dad said his arc welder should work allright for shaving moldings and trunk lid due to just tacking... IS this true? and if so what thickness sheet metal do I need to buy?

no one knows??

Unless that arc welder can be converted to tig then I would say no way. I use a wire feed to do sheet metal work and even with that it still warps alot. If you would like to know first hand then get a peice of metal that is the same thikness as you car and just try to weld it. Ive never tried to weld sheet metal with an arc welder.

if you really have to use an arc welder, becareful. you can burn through the metal very easily with it. use a small rod.

honestly, shaving with an arc welder shouldn't be done by someone who has never welded before. it will be hard for you to start a bead, being never have welded before, nonetheless be able to tack consistently. see if you can get a hold of a MIG welder. flux core will work too, but little harder

The arc weld is exstremely brittle, hot and dirty. You may not be pleasedm with your results and it may crack or rust.

dude i wouldnt weld sheetmetal with and arc welder they suck for thin metal but thick metal it hold alot better than a mig

Since you are new to welding, define arc welding. Tig (GTAW) Mig (GMAW) and Stick (SMAW) are all arc welding. Maybe you will luck out and your friends dad has a mig. If it's stick you will warp the metal before you achieve a decent tack. I'd go with MIG. It's the easiest to learn.

Andys right man, a stick will be nothing but headaches, plus if you've never welded before, shaving isn't something you just pick up and do, you have to be careful not to overheat what you're working on. I would suggest practicing a lot before jumping onto your ride

Im gonna assume that it is a stick welder your friends dad has and i would stay away from it. Instead i would buy a decent welder in the $450-600 price range and practice like crazy with it on heavy and thin stuff and then work on your car. having a welder is always good because you can make money doing odd jobs with it out of your garage.