Welder Settings For Sheet Metal

Try to set proper mig welding settings for mild steel along with other kinds of metals.

Welder settings for sheet metal.

While wire feed welding sheet metal go for short bursts of welding instead of a going on a long bead. Everyone is different but those settings will get you in the right ballpark to weld sheet metal. However if you are dealing with materials that are 18 gauge or thicker one should be able to use 030 inch welding wire. Mig welding sheet metal.

We suggest starting with 1 8 3 16 to allow you some room for error when welding. To weld mild steel choose an american welding society classification wire such as er70s 6 which has a weld puddle that wets out nicely. Then start welding again and have an assistant increase the voltage until the arc becomes unstable and sloppy. Metal thickness amperage settings.

While one person welds on scrap metal an assistant turns down the voltage until the arc starts stubbing into the workpiece. So if you are welding 12 gauge mild steel with a thickness of 0 100 you would set the machine at 100 amps. Try going for a wire of 023 inches when welding sheet metal. Tack weld patch panel in place.

When welding mild steel a good rule of thumb is to set the amperage level at 1 amp for every 0 001 of thickness. It is recommended that a welder should use 023 or 024 inch wire for light gauge sheet metal work. A lap weld is much. The voltage is the main heat setting that get s changed depending on the joint metal thickness gas type and position of the weld.

Just grab a piece of sheet metal to get the heat set correctly and go to town. If no chart manual or specifications are available for setting the correct voltage you can try this. For 3 32 7018 s it s about the same. The problem with welding sheet metal or thin gauge steel is that you can easily blow holes in the panel and create a big mess quickly.

Butt weld vs lap weld. Short bursts or tacks will help you gain more control and adjust easily. As a rule when mig welding sheet metal never use a body filler metal that is thicker than the base metal. A good heat setting for 1 8 6011 rods on thin material is about 80 90 amps.

Hold the panels in place. When the material is 18 gauge and thicker you may be able to use a 030 inch wire. For sheet metal i use ine welding wire and it is just as good as their flux cored wire if you want you can grab one here. It s recommended to use a 023 or 024 inch wire for most light gauge sheet metal work.

This is why production body shops swear by them. Lap welds are used when quick results are needed.