23 wire is good for anything A Body mopar
welder/welding
- Thread starter rbkt65
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harrisonm
Well-Known Member
I will totally agree with the fact that the newer Millermatic welders with auto settings are awesome. I have one, and it works very well.
That being said, you don't need automatic settings. My first welder was a Hobart Handler 135. It had manual settings. It took very little time to get used to adjusting those settings. Start with the recommended settings for the gauge of metal you are welding, and go from there. Weld on scrap for practice. It takes a lot of practice to get GOOD at welding, but it takes very little time to get competent. Find some videos on You Tube and watch them. DO NOT TRY TO GO THE FLUX ROUTE! welding with gas is MUCH easier. Use a combo of CO2 and Argon.
Wait. Why am I bothering. It's been almost 3 weeks since the OP posted his question, and he has not been back.
It's a bit thin for most things thicker than sheet metal. For body sheet metal, it's good.
Yeah go figure, i have one also. They will figure it out, hopefully.
harrisonm
Well-Known Member
True. I use 30 wire. It works fine on sheet metal, and it is also good thicker stuff. I have welded fabbed motor mounts and major suspension pieces with it.
I use .030 for heavy stuff and .023 for sheet metal. It works for me.
I've probably taught 40 plus people to weld and get certified that came thru my shop over the years. Even gave brief lessons to a few members starting out at there homes.
Welding is just proper wire, gas, and position. I use argon co2 mix. unless it's Flux core, . Flux core comes in the same dia. As standard wire.
The rest is just practice.
I still do a fair amount of outside welding so Flux core it is. Or fire up the old stick welder..
Welding is just proper wire, gas, and position. I use argon co2 mix. unless it's Flux core, . Flux core comes in the same dia. As standard wire.
The rest is just practice.
I still do a fair amount of outside welding so Flux core it is. Or fire up the old stick welder..
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4 key points of welding.
Heat, Angle, Distance, Speed.
Practice.....
☆☆☆☆☆
Heat, Angle, Distance, Speed.
Practice.....
☆☆☆☆☆
I had a guy tell me when I was a kid "welding is just melting three pieces of metal together" and that really simplified it for me.
You left out practice, practice and more practice. lol
Yup I have a new spool here, gotta get tips to match, I'm used to having 0.030 or 0.035 (usually 0.035) on my machine. Got some sheet metal work on my truck, the 0.023 will work better for.
I have a '97 millermatic 185 that I bought new, love it. Older than "autoset" though
I bought a Miller 211 years ago. I mostly used it for little projects as I didn’t have much trust in my skills or lack there of…. That changed when I was thrown to the wolves with a wounded race trailer in the side yard. By the grace of god we got home like this. Switched the unit over to the 240 settings, bought a 50’ cord, and a racer buddy of mine walked me through setting up a “dirty” outlet receptacle off my main power box of the house. Replaced one hanger and layered and boxed the rest. 2 spools of wire and a couple weekends and we were good. I was a bit nervous taking on something with critical structural importance, but so far it’s solid.
Try using a 75/25 gas mix .
also make sure spool of wire is clean. I bought some from an estate that had slight rust on wire but didn't go through liner smooth. I didn't have pads to clean wire so I wound up buying new liner and wire. Joe
RGAZ
Diehard
You guys hit them all, I wanted to add a few more:
Make sure your MIG tip matches the wire and is new (enough) and tight. Airflow around the piece can ruin the weld. Angle, speed, practice etc. I find setting can really make a difference. I have a Millermatic 110 and it does everything I could want with two different wires. I use CO2/AR mix and flow rate right around 20 for indoor. I tweak all of these depending on what I am doing which brings me to....
My suggestion to add is you need to plan and worry about heat. Where is the heat penetration, how does it build and where will it go? Look at what you are doing and figure out the heat path. If you don't, you will get burn-throughs, warping, bad welds and pretty much make yourself feel like you don't have a clue how to weld.
For example: Welding a 2.5" muffler pipe that is slip fit has lots of heat-sinking capability (big metal can), but if you try and weld a butt-connected quarter-panel the same way, you will warp and burn through it quickly. Each take different techniques and you need to identify which you need by thinking.
RGAZ
Make sure your MIG tip matches the wire and is new (enough) and tight. Airflow around the piece can ruin the weld. Angle, speed, practice etc. I find setting can really make a difference. I have a Millermatic 110 and it does everything I could want with two different wires. I use CO2/AR mix and flow rate right around 20 for indoor. I tweak all of these depending on what I am doing which brings me to....
My suggestion to add is you need to plan and worry about heat. Where is the heat penetration, how does it build and where will it go? Look at what you are doing and figure out the heat path. If you don't, you will get burn-throughs, warping, bad welds and pretty much make yourself feel like you don't have a clue how to weld.
For example: Welding a 2.5" muffler pipe that is slip fit has lots of heat-sinking capability (big metal can), but if you try and weld a butt-connected quarter-panel the same way, you will warp and burn through it quickly. Each take different techniques and you need to identify which you need by thinking.
RGAZ
Dfr360cuda
Diagnosis... Plum Crazy.
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HUH????
We're talking about wire feed MIG, not stick.
I’m sure other folks have learned something so not a total “bummer”. Practice is the big take from this discussion and the polarity issue.
It happens.
Mopar Momzee
Well-Known Member
Just realized this myself earlier this year fir my tig welding. see was the problem.
64mopar64
Active Member
IMO welding with shielding gas is easier than without. Just a shot in the dark (pun intended) are you able to see the weld adequately, cheap, dirty or non functioning helmet, not enought light on the work area?
i have been trying all the info that has been suggested and i appreciate all that have posted help. i look at this often and try to apply the info. i am getting better but it will take time. AGAIN THANKS TO ALL THAT HAVE POSTED HELP. ALL IS APPRECIATED.
Another thing that makes welding difficult is safety equipment. There is no need for those big thick gloves when MIG welding. I use the thinner TIG gloves if any at all. You should wear something for the UV protection. A helmet with the biggest view is nice too.
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