Welding Rusty Sheet Metal

As a general rule steel surfaces should be cleaned of any oil grease rust and mill scale before using any type of filler metal or consumable for any arc welding process.

Welding rusty sheet metal.

The backside of the patch should be sprayed with etching to prevent rusting. These are all surface contaminants which can potentially adversely affect weld quality. If the metal you will be welding is very rusty and is not suitable to be sanded or removed with a grinder another option to prep the metal is to blast it. Two part epoxies are designed for this purpose and when applied to a clean surface the final repair will be undetectable after painting.

Better to have globs than burn through. Keep the amperage turned way down hit it briefly and try to build up the surface with globs until you can weld to your own weld. It is recommended that a welder should use 023 or 024 inch wire for light gauge sheet metal work. Repairing rust or a rust hole on metal without welding requires a material that bonds and is as strong as metal.

It tends to clean and burn off the crap. After cutting and fitting the new panel you are now ready to weld the patch panel in place. It won t be as strong but it saves time. A rust hole compromises the structural integrity of the metal.

I have welded lots of thin rusty metal. To obtain the best results while mig welding sheet metal proper fitment and cleanliness of the metal are essential. It is frustrating but it can be done. As a rule when mig welding sheet metal never use a body filler metal that is thicker than the base metal.

However if you are dealing with materials that are 18 gauge or thicker one should be able to use 030 inch welding wire. Hold the panels in place. It is softer and finishes well while reducing the heat required to weld it. After blasting the metal may look clean but it will still need to be wiped down with low voc pre or acetone to remove and chemical contaminants.

While er70s 2 filler metal is a common choice for steel another popular option for welding sheet metal is silicon bronze. Https goo gl frdnss thanks to the viewer who requested this episode on welding rusty nasty garbage mat. It s also important to select a filler metal that is thinner than the base metal or as close as possible. Video of the day.

The trick to dirty rusty mig welding is to go a little slower pushing the gun and let the molten bead flow forward.