Welding Sheet Metal With Mig Welder

It is recommended that a welder should use 023 or 024 inch wire for light gauge sheet metal work.

Welding sheet metal with mig welder.

Short circuit transfer mig short arc tig and pulsed tig welding processes provide the most control over the heat to address these challenges. 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. It is better to use instead of a high percentage of co2. The metals that can be welded with a mig machine can be grouped into three basic classifications.

The material also determines the wire size and material as well as the gas needed. When welding thin metal the main objective is to avoid warping burn through and excessive heat affected zones while still ensuring the weld has enough mechanical strength for the application. Carbon steel also referred to as mild steel or a36. As a rule when mig welding sheet metal never use a body filler metal that is thicker than the base metal.

Learn why mig pulsed mig tig and pulsed tig are the ideal choices when welding sheet metal. It is better to avoid using a flux cored wire when welding sheet metals. Then tack between the two previous tacks. Tack in a few places apart from each other and wait until the panel is cool to the touch.

Holding the tip too far from the surface will cause the wire to have to come out too far to touch the metal. Keep in mind during the welding process it is important to direct the arc right at the center of the weld puddle and don t do movements like whipping or weaving as it may cause warping and burn through quickly. Avoid warping the sheet metal. Keep the stick out short stickout of your mig wire is important when welding any type of metal but especially sheet metal.

The hobart handler 140 mig is the best affordable mig welder for sheet metal. For thinner gauge sheet metal like 18 or 20 gauge we suggest 023 6mm wire in your mig welder. The type of metal that you will be welding has a great influence on mig welder settings. Andy gives helpful insights and tips to mig weld thin sheet metal.

It s one of the highest quality machines available and comes incredibly low priced. While replacing body panels overheating and warping thin sheet metal is common. 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. While sheet metal is primarily a tig welding job there are times when it s handy to have an available mig welder to fuse sheet metal.

Place the welding tip wire at the gap and tack weld several small spots spacing them evenly apart. Otherwise you may find a lot more splatter than you have imagined.