MIG Welder Gas Question

[TheJackRabbit]

Perhaps somebody here can answer this question.
I have a 240 volt portable MIG.Ran out of shielded wire but have a roll of regular. The manual says use a shielding gas mix of 75 per cent argon 25 per cent CO2. All I have is straight Argon. So, what happens if I use straight Argon? Is this a waste of gas and wire or can I compensate in some other way?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

It will change the profile of the the weld (make the weld bead taller)and not penetrate the steel as well.

I've used it before for steel, it'll work but, I don't like the look of it. I like your 99.9% argon for the GTAW/TIG for SS welding, BUT I use the blend, your manual specifies, for mild steel, sometimes 100% Co2 cover gas for deep penetration with thicker material.

What wire are you using?

J

 

[TheJackRabbit]

Radnor .035 wire on water well pipe.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

ER70S.. or E71T-.. or E70T..

The size of wire doesn't matter. Look at the spool and see if any match the 3 above.

 

[TheJackRabbit]

Will do. The shop is closed up for today but I will be working tomorrow and post what I find.

Thanks again. I really appreciate the advice.

 

[Mace]

Don't use it for a poor weld on a water well (if that is what you are using the pipe for).

Poor welds can lead to the weld failing during well construction and then a possibility of a shorter life of the well over time.

 

[Pin_Head]

Lets see here:
Welding pipe outside? Sounds like you need a Lincoln SA200. Ain't nothin' finer than a pipeliner.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Lets see here:
Welding pipe outside? Sounds like you need a Lincoln SA200. Ain't nothin' finer than a pipeliner.

Couldn't agree more Pinhead.. SA200.. I used red faces and Fowler Mainliners myself for several years.

Me personally 5P root & Hippie out. Downhiller here my man.

Like I've always said.. Shop welding= Miller... Field welding= It better be grey if you wanna stay/ Lincoln all the way.

Millers aren't for Downhillers..

J

 

[Pin_Head]

When I was a kid, my friend's father was a heavy equipment welder and he had a SA200 on the back of his service truck. It was the first welder I ever sparked up a rod with. I always wanted one, but they are a little large for home use.

Actually, you do see the big 3 phase Millers out in the field now running off of a 3 phase generator.

 

[brian]

Lets see here:
Welding pipe outside? Sounds like you need a Lincoln SA200. Ain't nothin' finer than a pipeliner.

i'll stick with the pipe pro, thanks anyway tho....

 

[Mace]

So far the nicest (and fastest) welds I have seen on a well site have been using A suitcase mig running dual shield. It seemed to work very well even at ~18deg and 40 mph winds. they set up a tarp around the base of the drill rig that shielded the wind fairly well.

 

[TheJackRabbit]

The wire is E70T.
The welder is a Lincoln 180.
The pipe is for fences not wells. It was reclaimed- a high falootin word for scrap.

We are going back to E71T Flux core.

 

[Pin_Head]

The pipe is for fences not wells.

It doesn't really matter then as long as it stays stuck. You just don't want to use an expensive process like pure argon when you can use a cheap 6010 rod.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

E70T is a self shielded FCAW wire... No cover gas needed..

E71T is a gas shielded FCAW wire that needs a cover gas like CO2 or an Argon mix. (CO2 is what I'd use)

Pinhead, I'm not sure if he has a stick machine but, yes I'd run 5P+--6010 for a fencing project for sure. (especially if there is any outdoor welding to be performed)

J

 

[TheJackRabbit]

E70T is a self shielded FCAW wire... No cover gas needed..

E71T is a gas shielded FCAW wire that needs a cover gas like CO2 or an Argon mix. (CO2 is what I'd use)

Pinhead, I'm not sure if he has a stick machine but, yes I'd run 5P+--6010 for a fencing project for sure. (especially if there is any outdoor welding to be performed)

J

It is a wire feed. Interesting about pure CO2. The manual calls for 75/25 argon/CO2. I have a small CO2 tank and will try that.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

It is a wire feed. Interesting about pure CO2. The manual calls for 75/25 argon/CO2. I have a small CO2 tank and will try that.

Thanks for the advice.

Hey that's what we do here... GL hope it works out for you..

J

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Here's something off a site to help with that recommendation... E71T-1 is an all position, flux cored mild steel wire designed to produce superior mechanical properties while using 100% CO2 shielding gas. It produces X-ray quality weld deposits that are flat to slightly convex and have a bright lustre. A soft stable arc, low spatter, and fast-freeze weld puddle make out-of-position welding possible.

 

[Jetboy]

It is a wire feed. Interesting about pure CO2. The manual calls for 75/25 argon/CO2. I have a small CO2 tank and will try that.

Thanks for the advice.

A basic rule of thumb is that the more Argon the cooler the weld, less penetration and smoother ark for a given setting on your welder. You're trading arc stability for penetration and lower gas cost. Using an onsite mixer is a bit easier to really get a feel for how different mixes feel.

Anyway, co2 works just fine for most mild steel welding. I usually buy C25 for my little toy welder, and it works for everything I do except aluminum which I use straight Argon.

One other consideration is that CO2 condenses much more at a given pressure than Argon. A tank of straight CO2 will provide somewhere in the range of 2.5 times as much cubic feet of gas as a c25 tank. I don't have time to work out the math, but I think that's about right. So not only is your co2 cheaper, but there is also a lot more in a tank. Just not as nice to weld with.

 

[freewheeling frank]

Is straight CO2 for welding just like the CO2 for a PowerTank or similar that you could use for filling tires, etc? Could you use the same tank for either operation? I have been considering a small CO2 tank for tires and if I could use it with straight wire in .024 for sheet metal welding that would be cool.

 

[Mace]

yep..

You just need a regulator