How To Weld Sheet Metal With A Mig Welder

It is better to use instead of a high percentage of co2.

How to weld sheet metal with a mig welder.

Unlike welding with a stick welder mig welding is a semi automatic process. Short circuit transfer mig short arc tig and pulsed tig welding processes provide the most control over the heat to address these challenges. This article is more a general guideline to help the novice welder understand how the various settings will affect your results. Learn why mig pulsed mig tig and pulsed tig are the ideal choices when welding sheet metal.

Andy gives helpful insights and tips to mig weld thin sheet metal. Keep the stick out short stickout of your mig wire is important when welding any type of metal but especially sheet metal. 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. Tips for welding sheet metal with mig or tig.

Mig welder settings can vary substantially from model to model and certainly from brand to brand. Hold the panels in place. As a rule when mig welding sheet metal never use a body filler metal that is thicker than the base metal. It is better to avoid using a flux cored wire when welding sheet metals.

For thinner gauge sheet metal like 18 or 20 gauge we suggest 023 6mm wire in your mig welder. I keep blowing through my thin sheet. 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. After cutting and fitting the new panel you are now ready to weld the patch panel in place.

Otherwise you may find a lot more splatter than you have imagined. 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. 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. 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.

To obtain the best results while mig welding sheet metal proper fitment and cleanliness of the metal are essential. Holding the tip too far from the surface will cause the wire to have to come out too far to touch the metal. However if you are dealing with materials that are 18 gauge or thicker one should be able to use 030 inch welding wire.