How To Wire Weld Sheet Metal

Problems with welding sheet metal.

How to wire weld sheet metal.

A wire feed or tig welder is ideal for sheet metal but we will assume that you don t have one. Using a thinner wire 0 30 instead of 0 35 will also help. Learn how to mig weld automotive sheet metal in about 5 minutes or less. As a rule when mig welding sheet metal never use a body filler metal that is thicker than the base metal.

Holding the tip too far from the surface will cause the wire to have to come out too far to touch the metal. This means the. Mig welding for thin 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.

Mig is one of the best ways to weld 20 gauge sheet metal. Keep the stick out short stickout of your mig wire is important when welding any type of metal but especially sheet metal. With these materials use a tri mix gas 90 helium 8 argon and 2 co 2. Move the torch faster and or reduce the amp setting of the welder and the lower the wire speed.

Mig welding was developed in the 1940 s and 60 years later the general principle is still very much the same. The real trick to weld sheet metal is to use a wire feed. While wire feed welding sheet metal go for short bursts of welding instead of a going on a long bead. If you are burning through the metal you re not moving the torch fast enough and or your welder is set too high.

For thinner gauge sheet metal like 18 or 20 gauge we suggest 023 6mm wire in your mig welder. When welding 304 stainless steel er308 er308l and er308lsi wires are compatible but for welding 316l stainless you need a 316l wire. It is an arc welding process that where you feed a solid wire electrode through a. Just kidding this tip is to explain how to weld sheet metal with a stick welder.

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. To weld sheet metal with solid wires use electrode positive ep or reverse polarity. Short bursts or tacks will help you gain more control and adjust easily. Mig welding is one of the simplest to use for welding.

We need to establish what is considered thin metal.