Welding question

[homeowner]

I just bought a welder and learned to weld last summer, and got pretty good at it after wasting $25 worth or rods and scrap steel.

I got to weld something now, and its freezing in my unheated garage. The metal will be as cold as the outdoor temp (below freezing). When the metal is that cold, do I need to increase the welder power for the same gauge metal? In other words, if I had the welder set to

80 in the summer, should I set it to 85 or 90 in the cold, for the same metal?

Maybe this is nonsense, but the way I see it, the metal, rod, etc needs more heat to reach welding temperature.

By the way, I am refering to a stick welder.

[jim]

go over to this newsgroup: rec.crafts.metalworking and ask that question, alot of machinist, welders and handymem over there and you will get an answer and why it should be.. hope this helps.

[Steve]

Your question is valid.. Normally what you would do is take a propane torch and warm the metal up.. Once you start welding the heat from the weld will keep the surrounding area warm enough..

[DanK]

Another good group is sci.engr.joining.welding is also good for welding related questions and has newbies to professionals to help answer questions.

DanK