Question to all the welders out there!!!

65DartGTConv said
Another variable to consider is the thickness of the wire. For thin sheet metal, thinner wire allows you to put less heat into the metal. I've had good luck with .023" wire for auto body work.

Also, don't try to weld a continuous bead. A series of small stitch welds less than 1/4" is what you want. Lay one, then move to another part of the repair and lay another. Come back and fill in the gaps allowing time for the metal to cool. This will help prevent the metal from warping.

.023" is where its at for sheet. Much smoother. I've also found that its a good idea to do your welding, before stripping the entire panel of paint, just the work area, if you MIG/MGAW weld it, so you don't have to clean up lots of slag with a file.

adiffrentcity said
Craigslist! There are mig welders every day at good prices.

Yep.

Ultimately, I've always liked gas shielded welding, over any kind of flux, but they all work.

You should know that flux core wires have a more porous weld than a gas shielded MIG/MGAW.

The wire feed flux core will do sheet metal, exhaust and all kinds of stuff without any problems, but you can't do things like fluid tanks and I wouldn't risk structural parts, because of the weld strength. You aren't even supposed to do fluid tanks with a MIG, because they still have signs of porosity, even with good stickout length on the wire and a good gas nozzle, you still get some porosity and risk leaking or weeping seams over time. That's why you see fusion and TIG welds on tanks. There is no hydrogen contamination between the two metals to create microscopic voids/ pockets.