Bad Sheet Metal Weld

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.

Bad sheet metal weld.

To recap firstly you should never haste or go too fast when it comes to how to weld auto body sheet metal. Take the time for proper fit up proper tight part fit up is especially important when welding thin materials. A good heat setting for 1 8 6011 rods on thin material is about 80 90 amps. Also clean the metals before even starting to avoid the build up of oxide layers.

For cv mig welding on sheet metal wire diameters of 035 inch are recommended. Mig welding sheet metal always use the smallest wire diameter possible since smaller wires take less heat to melt and heat the metal less. It requires a lot of experience patience and skill to get the desired results. Just grab a piece of sheet metal to get the heat set correctly and go to town.

Even professional welders can create excessive heat affected zones and burn through while welding sheet metal. Underside of weld has insufficient penetration excessive globules of metal over sized weld undersized welds undercut overlap incomplete fusion porosity and or cracking. The rest is up to what way you are doing your welding and what results you want to achieve but it is also essential to take proper safety measures as well. In this video im showing you the process i use to do small rust repairs where a complete panel.

Sheet metal is a lot thinner than other materials that one needs to weld so a completely different approach is needed. Small wires also provide more control over the weld bead and a better chance of recovering from mistakes due to lower deposition rates. This is due to many factors that came into play. Everyone is different but those settings will get you in the right ballpark to weld sheet metal.

A 100 argon shielding gas is the most common in mig welding aluminum sheet metal. Signs of a bad weld include. It s one of the highest quality machines available and comes incredibly low priced. Excessive grain growth or the presence of hard spots cannot be determined visually.

Lap welds because they cannot flex like the sheet metal around them will eventually show visible creases. When welding sheet metal the main thing to look out is to prevent warping and burn through. Gaps between the pieces to be welded can contribute to warpage. Novice welders need to understand that every material demands a different approach.

The hobart handler 140 mig is the best affordable mig welder for sheet metal.