For thinner gauge sheet metal like 18 or 20 gauge we suggest 023 6mm wire in your mig welder.
Weld sheet metal to wire.
Holding the tip too far from the surface will cause the wire to have to come out too far to touch the metal.
Keep the stick out short stickout of your mig wire is important when welding any type of metal but especially sheet metal.
As a rule when mig welding sheet metal never use a body filler metal that is thicker than the base metal.
Forget the larger 1 8 inch tungsten electrode and use a smaller one.
While wire feed welding sheet metal go for short bursts of welding instead of a going on a long bead.
Try going for a wire of 023 inches when welding sheet metal.
For sheet metal i use ine welding wire and it is just as good as their flux cored wire if you want you can grab one here.
Tig welding sheet metal.
Mig is one of the best ways to weld 20 gauge sheet metal.
Don t attempt to weld thin materials like sheet metal with flux cored wires which put more heat into the base metal.
Butt welded panels withstand stress better than any other type of weld joint.
Sheet metal has usage in sectors like making automobiles airplane wings and fuselages roofing and medicinal tables.
This means the extra wire causes the voltage to drop by the time it actually gets to the surface and strikes an arc.
It is recommended that a welder should use 023 or 024 inch wire for light gauge sheet metal work.
Metal inert gas is then used to protect the weld from contaminants.
However if you are dealing with materials that are 18 gauge or thicker one should be able to use 030 inch welding wire.
Making a patch panel take some time to make your patch a perfect fit.
Mig welding for thin metal.
The best way to weld sheet metal panels together is by butt welding which is joining them side by side see picture below.
To weld sheet metal with solid wires use electrode positive ep or reverse polarity.
The wire feed welder speed will probably be not much over 100 ipm inches per minute.
Short bursts or tacks will help you gain more control and adjust easily.
A wire feed or tig welder is ideal for sheet metal but we will assume that you don t have one.
Mig welding is one of the simplest to use for welding.
On the thin sheet metal like you are asking about 023 025 e70s6 bare wire with 75 25 argon co2 is the best.
I keep blowing through my thin sheet.
There is no absolute according to hoyle answer but i always considered anything less than 3 16 to be thin.
Andy gives helpful insights and tips to mig weld thin sheet metal.
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.
It is an arc welding process that where you feed a solid wire electrode through a welding gun.