Mig wire type

[flatheadmurre]

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.

[36coupe]

Originally Posted by flatheadmurre

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.

I have a cobra/henrob torch which is the same. Just learning, I built a few exhausts 2 steel and one stainless butt welding mandrel bent tubing. Turned out nice especially in the engine bay with lots of direction changes.
In my little mig welder I have EZ grind wire, it is much softer to grind. It’s worth trying. I bought 2 rolls on eBay. Shipping was as much as the wire.

[rotorwrench]

I learned O/A gas welding in A&P school. We used a torch that was very similar to the modern Victor J-28 torch handle but older & made in USA. They still had the carbide generator set up to make the acetylene. There is a lot to learn and good quality two stage regulators help a lot with the little torches. The key thing to know in never draw more than 5 psi of acetylene. If a person draws it too quick the bottle can get unstable. Good safety practices go a long way.

I use an old Victor torch that was made in the early 80s now. They aren't available anymore but Smith's makes one even smaller than mine. I don't know if it will work well but mine sure does. I keep RG45 filler in my hand when I'm welding but really only use it to cool the weld if it looks too hot while welding between the spot welds. If you butt the metal close enough, you don't need much filler at all unless the metal is thick like on a Ford tractor engine cover. Most old Ford steel is thick enough that it won't blow through unless corrosion has made it real thin. I've had a lot of practice on rusty old Fords and I find it a lot easier than tig welding.

With wire feed, I always just made a series of tack welds until it was completely stitched up. With O/A, I still tack it but I can make the tacks farther apart then jump around in between making sure not to let the whole panel get too hot. Patience is a virtue when welding thin stuff. Getting to know what the metal is going to do when it gets hot is half the battle.

[Don]

RKSPA,,,built up 4 or 5 old ford over the years using my snap on mig with .023 wire and 75-25 mix,seems like I always had to grind a lot,probally just memust have been the s-7 wire,picked up a 10# roll of s-6 today guy said it was a little softer and would finish a little easier !tried it out and my snap on welder really likes it,flows out better than what I was using,I’m no schooled welder but have learned a lot over the years,very seldom will I be using anything heavier than 1/4 inch then I get out the stick welder which I can’t hardly see what I’m welding!not much better with the mig,,,have one of the auto helmets ,still have a hard time seeing where I’m welding,can’t seem to get rite shade!!!

[RKS.PA]

Originally Posted by Don

RKSPA,,,built up 4 or 5 old ford over the years using my snap on mig with .023 wire and 75-25 mix,seems like I always had to grind a lot,probally just memust have been the s-7 wire,picked up a 10# roll of s-6 today guy said it was a little softer and would finish a little easier !tried it out and my snap on welder really likes it,flows out better than what I was using,I’m no schooled welder but have learned a lot over the years,very seldom will I be using anything heavier than 1/4 inch then I get out the stick welder which I can’t hardly see what I’m welding!not much better with the mig,,,have one of the auto helmets ,still have a hard time seeing where I’m welding,can’t seem to get rite shade!!!

Don, sounds like your new wire is getting you where you want to be!! I know what you mean by being able to see the material. When doing smaller piece work, I try to be out in the sun. I have a Miller helmet...auto darkening...with added magnifying lenses inside...that's in addition to my bifocals!!! I'm happy with it for both stick and mig.

Best of luck with your projects.....Dick.

[JSeery]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Ya, guess I just need to go with the stitch and grind welds. I like to hammer the welds and not grind, but it is almost a two man operation. You have to have somewhere to put to torch and/or turn it off about every inch or even less. And you have to move fairly quickly. At one time had my kids and later my grandkids help me and it worked well. Just not good at it old and by myself, LOL. I do like the hammer weld though and it also help with the shrinking of the metal some.

[Tony, NY]

Originally Posted by JSeery

Ya, guess I just need to go with the stitch and grind welds. I like to hammer the welds and not grind, but it is almost a two man operation. You have to have somewhere to put to torch and/or turn it off about every inch or even less. And you have to move fairly quickly. At one time had my kids and later my grandkids help me and it worked well. Just not good at it old and by myself, LOL. I do like the hammer weld though and it also help with the shrinking of the metal some.

Scroll down to Gas-Saver. Pricey, but does the job.
https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/126/3606

[Tinker]

I like straight argon so I can take the bottle from the mig to tig. Works for aluminum too. .23 soft is great for sheet metal stuff .35 is a great all around wire. tac move then walk away. Grinding adds just as much heat to sheet metal. A pro welder still blows my mind stacking dimes.

[G.M.]

Originally Posted by Tinker

I like straight argon so I can take the bottle from the mig to tig. Works for aluminum too. .23 soft is great for sheet metal stuff .35 is a great all around wire. tac move then walk away. Grinding adds just as much heat to sheet metal. A pro welder still blows my mind stacking dimes.

Straight argon don't work very well with steel MIG welding with the short arc
process. With argon you get an undercut along both edges of the weld on the
base metal. The surface of the weld will have a ruff finish and it don't run real
smooth. G.M.

[tubman]

I have trouble seeing as well and I have found that the magnifying lens in the helmet that works best WITHOUT my glasses lets me see the best. I think the sight going through two modifications (the lens and then the glasses) is not the best method.

[Don]

Maybe need to see about the maginifying lenses,think my helmet is a miller also!!

[Flathead]

I used to gas weld with coat hangers, got pretty good at it but times have changed I guess.

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by Flathead

I used to gas weld with coat hangers, got pretty good at it but times have changed I guess.

That was fairly common amoung the dirt track guys when I was younger.

[tubman]

I think guys would still be doing it except when was the last time you saw a metal coat hanger? I think they are extinct (except maybe in some of you married guys closets).

[Tinker]

You are absolutely right GM. I should be better at explaining myself. That's on me.

In my opinion. I am far from a pro welder. And it is just my opinion.

Straight argon works well for tig. I don't mig very often. But I can use it for most practical proposes. At $250 a tank for a second tank, I'll do that. If I'm doing structural I will do tig over mig everytime. But if you are welding aluminum on mig you should use straight argon. Tacking sheet metal with mig and argon is less worrisome. Burn through maybe in my experience.

Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding require pure Argon (AR) as a shielding gas to protect the weld pool from oxidation and from Nitrogen absorption. Regardless of what type of metal you are welding whether it is mild steel. stainless steel, copper or aluminum the gas you should use is Pure Argon


.

[JSeery]

That would be nice. $229.32

"Hang your torch on these holders to turn off the gas flow and extinguish the flame during shutdown and between use. Start the gas flow by lifting the torch off the support lever and pass the tip over the pilot light to ignite."

[Tony, NY]

Mig brazing (silcon- bronze) sounds interesting. I've seen the Tig brazing but not the Mig. Lower melting point than steel. Some of this video is hard to stay with, but worth watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPI_XNCrES8

[rotorwrench]

Originally Posted by JSeery

That would be nice. $229.32

"Hang your torch on these holders to turn off the gas flow and extinguish the flame during shutdown and between use. Start the gas flow by lifting the torch off the support lever and pass the tip over the pilot light to ignite."

Those things are neat but I just use a home made stand to hold the torch while it's still lit. It's handy when I'm pulling off magnets, clamps, or clecos during welding processes. I generally do my hammering after I've welded a good bit. The metal can cool off some during this process. If it stretches, I just shrink it back up after. When there is no access behind then a person may have to file or grind some but not all that much. There is always a way to move the metal as long as it's not too thick or too far out of shape.

The torch stations are best for production work. They will save some gas anyway. Most folks use Tig for production. Not too many airplanes or helicopters use steel tube frames anymore but there are still a few. The tig is the best way to weld thick stuff to thin stuff. You have to be pretty good with a torch to do that. The Tig is more forgiving.

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

Those things are neat but I just use a home made stand to hold the torch while it's still lit. It's handy when I'm pulling off magnets, clamps, or clecos during welding processes.

That's ok for a short time, but if you're going back and forth hammering it burns a lot of gas. But I don't have anything better, turning the torch on and off is also a big PITA. Just the way it is I guess. The gizmo is kinda cool, have to figure the price of gas vs the price of a new toy.

[cas3]

when gas welding on the bench, i stick the torch into one of the height adjustment holes in my press to keep it going while you get set up for the next weld. works good, but we are not always near the press