New Welder....Help!! (1 Viewer)

[notatreehugger]

Hey all, I just picked up a new Lincoln HD 175, with gas. I was wondering if anyone has used this welder repair body panels, and what settings and wire diameter they used to weld in patches.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Anyone around southern Illinois who needs some mig time let me know.

 

[bikinnotdykin]

i have used mine for varius other jobs but not sheet yet. I will be using it for that soon though. I would get the smallest wire you can use without changing the sleeve in the cable to the gun. use gas, do not use gasless wire unless it's a last resort. and just set it on a low setting and practice on a couple scraps for 5 min. you should be good to go by then.

 

[warrior_1515]

I'd second that you use gas. I believe it is called R25, but not sure. My mig uses 75% argon and 25% carbon. and the R stands the tank size. But all this could be incorrect.

Also, since my welder is a piece of crap, I needed to use the thinest wire possible. So what does any low budget do it yourself in the driveway repair guy get? Harbor Freight .023 wire. Might have to buy tips from the guy you get your gas from.

Don't be intimidated by your welder. Every welder is trumped by a grinder. You are in control of both tools.

This guy is great at welding and I learned a ton from his threads

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=104821

and

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=39575

Best of luck

Dave

edit: as far as settings. I'd start with the lowest setting. If you are getting a bunch of splattering then turn it up a bit. Splattering is also from not haveing yoru gas turned on. Also, if you are burning holes in your metal, turn it down. My experience with a mig is not entirely with its settings, but rather the speed you move your gun and the speed of the wire.

 

[lavarunner]

Blue sheild gas, (75 25) .023 wire, Wire fead 3 or C and the Volatage set at 2/3 or B/c depending on you. Use trigger on off method. and becarful . dont stay in one spot.. more questins and I'll answer em.

 

[Texx]

Most important thing to learn is how to make a bead without lumps, or sputtering. It takes practice, a clean piece of metal to weld to (you're way screwed welding to the tub on this), the correct heat, gas, and patience. Start by practicing on clean, new metal, preferably the same guage you're going to weld in. It's gonna take more than a few minutes to get any good at it. You'll be a whole lot better grinder than welder Consider taking a class at a community college, or at least reading a welder's bible. You don't need to worry too much about metallurgy at this point, though. Go with the middle setting to begin with, with wire at about 35 per cent. Welding on low speed is harder, and gives less penetration. High will give you blow out. Practice makes perfect, you're dealing with safety when you're welding on the structure of your tub.

 

[honk]

The usual gas mix of CO2 and argon is as above and commonly known as C25.

There's no 'R'

It costs about $25. to get a liner for .023" wire, but I've had trouble using that size because it needs more wire speed at low voltage for sheet metal making me go faster than I like. So now I stick to good old .030" wire.

But....keep in mind that mig wire is very hard. Grinding it takes a lot more work than grinding the surrounding metal and on thin metal that can spell disaster. I just started using brass (brazing) for small sheet metal repairs and find it a lot more comfortable to work with.