Mig wire type
 

Out of mig wire and looking for something that works good and easy to grind,label is gone from roll,but it wasn’t what I would call easy to work,there’s a lot of diff opinion on the internet,need somebody that knows something!!

Re: Mig wire type
 

I've used ESAB Easy Grind. From what I can find/read it's "softest" mig, making it somewhat easier to grind when doing body work. I haven't had much luck moving it much with a hammer and dolly, but I'm far from being a good metal worker. It's kind of hard to find and expensive. Bought two 11 lb. rolls a couple months ago and was about $100 a roll.

Re: Mig wire type
 

That seems a whole lot out of line for something as simple as welding wire!!

Re: Mig wire type
 

Don if you look at the labels on the wire the hardness of the wire is noted by Sn where n= some number. If you just ask for MIG wire what you normally will get is S6 which is hard and often cracks if you tack something or if you weld it and try to hammer and dolly the work.. Years ago I used to get S0 for body work and it bends without breaking. The Easy Grind you get now is like S1 or 2. I do a fair amount of metal work and much prefer this softer wire for body panels. If you TIG weld, the fit up of the pieces is crucial (as you already know) to not using much filler rod. Always ask the welding store professionals about what you should use and explain your experience level. In my opinion for what I do, if using the MIG, the Easy Grind is worth the extra money. You can easily swap it out for stronger wire if you are doing something structural. Dual shield wire is very expensive but is twice as strong if you are going for strength. Good luck with your choices.

Re: Mig wire type
 

Any mig wire you buy you won't be able to metal finish the weld. Either tig or gas welding will work .

Re: Mig wire type
 

Is the "easy grind" wire available as a flux core wire or only for use with shielding gas?

Re: Mig wire type
 

I use .023 Eazy Grind for my sheet metal work

Re: Mig wire type
 

I am using gas mix for shielding!aregon a d co2::

Re: Mig wire type
 

I use a "Tri" mix, it seems to "help" with splatter

Re: Mig wire type
 

Don, most of the time, what are you trying to fix/build with your mig welder??

Re: Mig wire type
 

75/25 gas is a must. The small MIG welders that don't require shielding gas, aren't worth buying.

Re: Mig wire type
 

When we were boxing deuce rails for about 10 years in my chassis fab shop we used a wire between S1 and S6 both for strength and ease of grinding. I can't find the exact number anymore. We used 75/25 gas. The man that worked for me for 10 years boxing rails got to be a dam good mig welder. When he first started he left a lot of material to grind but after a few years he was leaving minimal excess. We never had any complaints about rails separating so he must have burned them together good. Still seemed like we went thru a lot of 24 grit discs over the years

Re: Mig wire type
 

There is brazing wire available for the mig to nowdays...used mainly for not affecting galvanized steel in modern car bodywork.
I tried it on a project more looking like a sieve then a floor after blasting...and since it doesn´t melt the base material i talked myself into that it worked better...or was it the feelgood of something new...:D

Re: Mig wire type
 

Have you tried on something like a body patch panel (external skin) or butt joint situation? Interesting and something I've never heard of.

Re: Mig wire type
 

Seems to work as good as the normal migwire...less splatter...but it needs clean surfaces.
If you think it will tigweld fine it works migbrazing.
I had to reduce the power a fair bit compared to mig welding.
Less heat so warpage/tension seemed to be less.
Haven´t used it much yet.

Re: Mig wire type
 

One of the major problems with the wire feed welders is the feed system. The wire has to be hard enough to feed or it will break. The "S" or alloy number is only part of the description. The ER70 gives the tensile strength at 70k if you know the system. 70k is pretty hard stuff.

I don't use a wire welder for sheet metal due to the hardness of the filler. I use RG45 with an O/A gas rig to weld sheet metal. The 45k filler wire is much softer and many times I don't have to hammer it at all. I use an aircraft torch to keep the heat down to a minimum. Believe it or not, O/A/gas shields the weld pretty well during the process if done correctly. It's so much easier to weld that I would never use a 60k or 70k filler. I do use the wire feed for welding thicker metals but I also still use the old rod burner too. The wire feed keeps the stuff cleaner with Argon/CO2 mix but the rod burner is less expensive to operate out in the toolies.

Re: Mig wire type
 

This is really interesting (to me at least), will have to do some research. I have trouble with something like hammer welding with gas because of having to do something with the torch or turn it on and off. And MIG is an issue because of the wire. And TIG has it's problems as well. Haven't found the ideal, for me, solution yet.

Re: Mig wire type
 

I have been practicing my gas welding skills and trying to follow rotor wrench' suggestions. Not very pretty yet. I am using a small old Harris torch. Next step is to drop down to a 0 tip size and see how that goes. I was not able to find RG-45 filler rod in a diameter smaller than 1/16". I asked my welding shop about TIG filler rod, but it was the same ER70-S6 material as the MIG wire, or something very similar.

I did the firewall repair in my avatar photo with the MIG welder and I am pleased with how it turned out after some grinding. That was before I had the O/A setup.

Oh well, keep practicing with the torch.

Re: Mig wire type
 

I really like using a torch, but for some reason it always ends up being a juggling act for me!! :)

Re: Mig wire type
 

I have an old Dillon O/A from Henrob works great.
You can cut a comb from 1/4 steel with it and very good heat control welding.