Welding Sheet Metal To Steel

Ditch a 1 8 inch tungsten electrode for something much smaller like 1 16 inch tungsten.

Welding sheet metal to steel.

Although the weld burns off the zinc very little if any corrosion resistance is lost especially in thin section sheet metal. But when it comes to stainless steel or other nickel based metals less heat is needed. Don t attempt to weld thin materials like sheet metal with flux cored wires which put more heat into the base metal. Sheet metal warps easily and also can burn through easily.

For 3 32 7018 s it s about the same. Mig welding is the preferred method for most automotive bodywork and since sheet metal is the thinnest of metals a large expensive mig unit is usually not required. Everyone is different but those settings will get you in the right ballpark to weld sheet metal. Manufacturers of filler metal have come up with special wires that promise to eliminate porosity.

Most of the thin gauge sheet metal are made from steel stainless steel aluminum or galvanized. Forget the larger 1 8 inch tungsten electrode and use a smaller one. In the us sheet metal is designated through the gauge the larger the number the thinner the metal. How to weld auto body sheet metal with a tig welder.

A good heat setting for 1 8 6011 rods on thin material is about 80 90 amps. Continue the same way along the sides of the piece of sheet metal. This is especially useful for carbon steel. The best two electrodes for welding auto body sheet metal is either ceriated tungsten or thoriated tungsten.

Just grab a piece of sheet metal to get the heat set correctly and go to town. It is imperative you consider the shielding gas welding process and electrode before welding 20 gauge sheet metals. Andy fogarty demonstrates how to weld thin metal to thick. To weld sheet metal with solid wires use electrode positive ep or reverse polarity.

The best way to estimate the heat input needed for welding is by applying the 1 for 1 rule this means that 1 amp should be used per 1 thousandth 0 001 inch of thickness. Tig welding sheet metal. 1 for 1 rule. Porosity is almost inevitable and is affected mainly by the thickness of the zinc coating.

The majority of the sheet metal welding i ve done was with a 90 amp 110 volt welder. Short quick welds when welding sheet metal with a mig welder you do not want to try and run one long bead like when you re welding heavier metal.