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Hi, Hurst, I've spent quite a bit of time recently trying to see what was the thinnest gauge metal I could weld with stick, and what electrode worked best. I haven't had good luck with less than 18 gauge, .05" sheet, though someone with more skill probably would. I would recommend using 3/32" 6013 at 40 to 50 amps. It would be helpful to clean the underside of the area to be welded and to place some copper against it to draw off some of the heat. I keep meaning to try that as soon as I get a big bar of copper. Tilt the work about 15 degrees and weld down, so you're welding to cool metal. The most important thing, though, is for you to get some similar metal and practice until you can do it without a single burnthrough. 6013 is pretty accomodating for this kind of project. It's one of the rods in the fast follow category, and was originally developed for fast sheet metal work running on DC negative. It runs fine on AC, however. You have to move as fast as the rod will put down a bead without skips. That's why you need to practice on some other metal. It's not difficult, but you'll appreciate getting it right the first time on you mower deck. 7 gauge is more than 3 times as thick as 18 gauge, so you might be able to weld it easily without going to the lengths I've described. On the other hand, there's little harm in doing a job better than it has to be. Avoiding a burnthrough would be well worth using extra care. All the best, Stan
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