Best mig welder?

[ThatOneEuroE30]

I'm wondering what a good mig welder is. I went and picked up a Lincoln electric 140 hd weld pack which was 600 at Home Depot. It seems to be blowing through the metal still I'm hoping some argon co2 will fix this but if not what should I do for a welder?

[FredK]

The Weld Pak is a fine MIG welder. If you're welding thin sheetmetal, you're probably going to blow holes pretty easily if you're using it in flux core mode.

Are you using .023" wire? That'll help keep the heat down. With a tapped welder like a Weld Pak, fitup becomes more critical, because you don't have as much adjustability.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Best mig welder?

At first I started with the gas less .035 wire. When I get some argon I'm goin to go to the .025 superarc L-56 wire.

It's the wire from this kit

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Lincoln-Electric-MIG-Conversion-Kit-with-1-4-in-Regulator-with-Gauge-K2526-1/100672827/

[JGee]

At first I started with the gas less .035 wire. When I get some argon I'm goin to go to the .025 superarc L-56 wire.

Yep, argon/C02 mix. (75/25%) and smaller wire make it a whole lot easier. to do the thin stuff. Also clean metal (both sides) helps. If your just starting out practice on some 1/8" stuff first.

JH

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Yep, argon/C02 mix. (75/25%) and smaller wire make it a whole lot easier. to do the thin stuff. Also clean metal (both sides) helps. If your just starting out practice on some 1/8" stuff first.

JH

Thankfully my dad is very skilled at welding we just are new to the mig welding process since he only does stick and tig welding for his job. I really hope the gas works or I will be buying my third welder If it come to that though I'm gonna get a nice Miller.

[AndrewBird]

I have a Lincoln 140c and weld sheet metal all the time with it, both flux core and solid. Sounds to me like technique is the issue, not the welder.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

I have a Lincoln 140c and weld sheet metal all the time with it, both flux core and solid. Sounds to me like technique is the issue, not the welder.

What's the preferred technique

[dewme5]

good fitment, small wire, gas, short bursts of low power.

Sheetmetal does not have much mass to sink heat, so blow through is going to happen, and warping as well if you stay on the trigger.

For warping reasons, you'll want to keep stitch welds moving around. 1" at most, and at least 6" away, if not more between welds.

For heat reasons, Ideally you could use 1", but your welder does not have the adjustment to let that happen. Stick to small, consider them spot welds. Start making them longer if you can, but start small.

Concentrate on good fitment. No need to bevel the edges, sheetmetal is thin enough that you don't need that. But, if the joint has a gap in it, you are going to have a crappy weld no matter what you do.

Almost, make sure it's clean.

Once again.. small wire, and gas.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

good fitment, small wire, gas, short bursts of low power.

Sheetmetal does not have much mass to sink heat, so blow through is going to happen, and warping as well if you stay on the trigger.

For warping reasons, you'll want to keep stitch welds moving around. 1" at most, and at least 6" away, if not more between welds.

For heat reasons, Ideally you could use 1", but your welder does not have the adjustment to let that happen. Stick to small, consider them spot welds. Start making them longer if you can, but start small.

Concentrate on good fitment. No need to bevel the edges, sheetmetal is thin enough that you don't need that. But, if the joint has a gap in it, you are going to have a crappy weld no matter what you do.

Almost, make sure it's clean.

Once again.. small wire, and gas.

Yea my plan to get rid of warpin is to do like 1-2 inch welds in spots and hop around the piece until it's one solid weld. I try and get the metal
As clean as I can. My dads even stick and tig welding for 25+ years so I'm gonna assume the technique is
About the same for all welding. Also is there preferred wire speed I should be using? I had it set at about 1 or 1.5.

[AndrewBird]

1" strips are going to be too much weld, it will likely warp. Spot welds with a maximum length that is double the width would be a lot better, at least 3" apart. You may be able to get away with more, but the more you weld, the hotter the panel gets and the less you can do. Lots of small welds cool much quicker than a few bigger welds. I try and keep the panel to where 3 inches away from any weld, I can touch the metal with my bare hand.

Keep your travel angle very flat, and go slow enough you keep the wire in the weld puddle. Set the wire speed to where you can stay in the puddle, but don't blow through. 1.5 sounds about right, maybe faster. The slower you go, the hotter the surrounding metal gets and the more likely you are to blow through. Use the chart on the inside of the welder as a starting point. I suggest starting a bit lower on the amperage though.

Also watch your stickout. You only want about a 1/4" of wire from the metal to the tip of the gun. The length of wire affects the amperage a lot more than you would think.

You can actually buy an add on for that welder that is a spot weld timer. It goes inline to the trigger on the gun and stops welding after the trigger is pressed for a period of time you set with a knob. Not necessary, but helps keep consistent spot welds without burning through.

[IronFreak]

^^^Beat me to it


Your welder probably has a cheat sheet for wire settings based on metal thickness, look into that. 1-2" stitch welds are to much, spot weld it, its thin....you'll warp the piss out of it. ask me how I know......welding body panels is the biggest PITA ever.....si I try not to do it......fiberglass yo........

[ThatOneEuroE30]

^^^Beat me to it


Your welder probably has a cheat sheet for wire settings based on metal thickness, look into that. 1-2" stitch welds are to much, spot weld it, its thin....you'll warp the piss out of it. ask me how I know......welding body panels is the biggest PITA ever.....si I try not to do it......fiberglass yo........

I can only imagine how much it's gonna suck to weld in this Quarter panel. So basically you guys are say to do a bunch of spot larger sized spot welds so I don't warp the panels. I don't think it's possible to fiberglass the amount rust this car has.

[IronFreak]

.........I was kidding about the fiberglass....

[F34R]

My Puch moped build sharpened my skills with sheet metal welding, I was only used to welding plate steel before that. Take an afternoon to get used to welding thinner metal together, it will save your ass when welding what matters.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

.........I was kidding about the fiberglass....

Lol that went way over my head...

My Puch moped build sharpened my skills with sheet metal welding, I was only used to welding plate steel before that. Take an afternoon to get used to welding thinner metal together, it will save your ass when welding what matters.

We have been using the floor pans as our practice as I could care less how warped the metal is as long as it's welded. I plan on just slapping in some VAC aluminum floor pans and calling it done. I'm not dealing with sound deading and carpet that's to much.