Mig Welding Thin Sheet Metal Techniques

Mig welding is the preferred method for most automotive bodywork and since sheet metal is the thinnest of metals a large expensive mig unit is usually not required.

Mig welding thin sheet metal techniques.

For most of us mig properly gmaw for gas metal arc welding is the easiest and most effective way to join thin steel sections but like any other good thing it has its own lurking snags and pitfalls. Once you have the the welder set then the trick is to keep a steady a arc. When welding sheet metal you re going to want to tack your joints every 1 5 to 2 inches. The two most commonly used methods for welding sheet metal are mig and tig methods.

The effect is quite neat though this is a cold method of mig welding. To weld sheet metal with solid wires use electrode positive ep or reverse polarity. Don t attempt to weld thin materials like sheet metal with flux cored wires which put more heat into the base metal. That will keep your joint from spreading on you while welding.

For thin metal this isn t a problem but a continuous weld seam weld would be much more appropriate for steel over 1mm. Forget the larger 1 8 inch tungsten electrode and use a smaller one. Manufacturers claims of welder capability often seem exaggerated. Use a hammer to tap all the spots that aren t tacked together.

Applicable 10 off coupon code. If you have had or are having problems mig butt welding light gage sheet steel materials help is at hand. The clarke 90en claims to be capable of welding 4mm steel sheet but the calculator says 2mm. However in some cases spot welding is also utilized.

This method is favorable as it leaves room. The main reason to use a smaller diameter wire is that it takes less heat for melting and hence the metal around the weld is not heated to a very great extent. Tig welding sheet metal. September 10 weldpros mig welding for sheet metal.

The majority of the sheet metal welding i ve done was with a 90 amp 110 volt welder. Mig welding is one of the most appropriate methods used for sheet metal. For mig welding sheet metal it is often recommended to use an electrode wire of the smallest diameter to prevent burn through and warping.