How Mig Weld Sheet Metal

Forget the larger 1 8 inch tungsten electrode and use a smaller one.

How mig weld sheet metal. Keep the stick out short stickout of your mig wire is important when welding any type of metal but especially sheet metal. Learn how to mig weld automotive sheet metal in about 5 minutes or less. When mig welding sheet metal it is important to set the proper parameters to prevent warping and burn through or else it will create excess heat and easily blowholes on the metal. To weld sheet metal with solid wires use electrode positive ep or reverse polarity.

Tig welding sheet metal. However if you are dealing with materials that are 18 gauge or thicker one should be able to use 030 inch welding wire. It doesn t have a huge amperage range but it provides everything you need to mig weld sheet metal. This is a simple machine with very few settings but it runs an impressive bead and can get down to a low amperage range to ensure you can run smooth welds without blowing through your joint.

When starting to learn auto body sheet metal welding with a mig welder you should opt for a shielding gas that has a higher proportion of argon gas. Holding the tip too far from the surface will cause the wire to have to come out too far to touch the metal. It is better to use instead of a high percentage of co2. This drops the voltage and heat of the weld arc and causes the welds to sit proud no penetration on top of the metal.

Don t attempt to weld thin materials like sheet metal with flux cored wires which put more heat into the base metal. The best way to weld sheet metal panels together is by butt welding which is joining them side by side see picture below. Making a patch panel take some time to make your patch a perfect fit. It is better to avoid using a flux cored wire when welding sheet metals.

I keep it short and to the point in this welding instructional video and show how ve. Mig welding uses an arc of electricity to create a short circuit between a continuously fed anode the wire fed welding gun and a cathode the metal being welded. This means the extra wire causes the voltage to drop by the time it actually gets to the surface and strikes an arc. As a rule when mig welding sheet metal never use a body filler metal that is thicker than the base metal.

Otherwise you may find a lot more splatter than you have imagined. The heat produced by the short circuit along with a non reactive hence inert gas locally melts the metal and allows them to mix together.