Now have welder, will modify everything....
- Thread starter borntofli
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MEASURE TWICE
Well-Known Member
It is working for you the flux welder on the tail pipe.
I was doing thinner stuff by a small amount than the tail pipe. The sheet metal from bowls that were in the dumpster I used to make one integral cover for my clutch and 1st jack shaft pulley of 10 inches in diameter.
The MIG I used with 75/25 mix AR CO2 worked very well on heavier stuff, but not good at all even on lowest power setting and fooling with feed rate. Punching through
I see how good your doing with that welder, I shall try the sample package of flux core wire I got with the MIG and see about lowest setting again. I am just about am running out of the solid core for MIG and have a 25 pound roll and hub adapter to start using a life time supply of solid core, but think I should try flux for this specific thin metal welding problem.
Anything you might add that helps not punching through?
MT
I was doing thinner stuff by a small amount than the tail pipe. The sheet metal from bowls that were in the dumpster I used to make one integral cover for my clutch and 1st jack shaft pulley of 10 inches in diameter.
The MIG I used with 75/25 mix AR CO2 worked very well on heavier stuff, but not good at all even on lowest power setting and fooling with feed rate. Punching through
I see how good your doing with that welder, I shall try the sample package of flux core wire I got with the MIG and see about lowest setting again. I am just about am running out of the solid core for MIG and have a 25 pound roll and hub adapter to start using a life time supply of solid core, but think I should try flux for this specific thin metal welding problem.
Anything you might add that helps not punching through?
MT
On very thin material you should use a method called 'stitch welding'. That means you touch the wire to the metal and pull the trigger and hold it for only a second or two, moving the puddle along then release the trigger and move to another area. If you're not trying to make a liquid tight container and just putting sheet metal together you can do a series of small spot welds using the stitch method. If building a tank or exhaust, you go back and fill the areas between your original pass but again not trying to make one long continous bead. Trying that is when the heat overcomes the metal's melting point and you "punch through". Moving the weld area around from place to place keeps the heat down.
Hope that helps a little.
As far as flux core being less prone to burn through, you're wrong. It will burn just as readily as when using a shielding gas and solid wire if your welding skills are a little weak.
Practice, practice then practice some more. It's the best way to teach yourself to weld.
Tom
Hope that helps a little.
As far as flux core being less prone to burn through, you're wrong. It will burn just as readily as when using a shielding gas and solid wire if your welding skills are a little weak.
Practice, practice then practice some more. It's the best way to teach yourself to weld.
Tom
Last edited:
maniac57
Old, Fat, and still faster than you
This is the best way to weld thin material. Imagine a series of overlapping dots of individual welds. This doesn't build up enough heat to burn through as easy. Like the man said, if done right, it looks good!
I have a cheap 100$ dc stick welder too and this is the method I use. It works just as well with mig. You can set the amps higher because the weld is too fast to melt through. Experiment and you will get the hang of it.
MEASURE TWICE
Well-Known Member
THANKS! I shall try that kind of tack weld using the MIG. Weld here and the go to opposite side. Then back and forth to keep heat from building up in one place. I would be leaving a space and then sort of interleave to fill in later is the idea I would try.
If sheet metal cools off enough quick enough then I guess it could be like spot weld one and right next to it over lapping again... on an on.
The little bit that is welding a a quick amount in one spot will may build up a surface a little thicker so overlapping has a two fold quality. You want to have full seam and also this itself also less prone to punch through as long as cooled enough.
Good idea!
MT
If sheet metal cools off enough quick enough then I guess it could be like spot weld one and right next to it over lapping again... on an on.
The little bit that is welding a a quick amount in one spot will may build up a surface a little thicker so overlapping has a two fold quality. You want to have full seam and also this itself also less prone to punch through as long as cooled enough.
Good idea!
MT