Welding on Pig body's
- Thread starter J Mack
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
TIL this is just Bob’s way of saying “Butt”, and not, as I had assumed, bob’s special way of poking the pig.Are we also doing Buttand
welds?
Metallurgist is only going to do what you ask. What do you want from such an evaluation?Are we evaluating the coupons (cutting in half) or sending to metallurgist
- Thread starter
- #64
My thoughts were to see if we could all try different, size wire, volts and wire speed and find that sweet spot that had a good balance between penetration, weld porosity and burn through on Toyota gauge sheet metal.
Maybe help that new guy looking for a starting point. Most of the details would work themselves out because too cold won’t have any or very little penetration leaving porosity that water will eventually work its way through and bubble the paint and that should be easy to spot on the back side of a coupon, burn through is just that and chasing a hole will look like what you would think when you flip the coupon over so really we want to weld the front and inspect the back. Note the machine settings and share them with front and back photos..
I just can't see SMAW on thin sheet metal like 18 ga minus. I like the process especially if penetration is the goal(it should always be the goal), but its so violent.
I haven't done any repairs to my Cruiser yet, but I have been practicing with GMAC and GTAW on thinner sheet metal. I like the less violent aspect and better heat control of the TIG. I'll probably use Mig to secure the pieces then TIG between the TACS. That is what I imagine anyway.
I haven't done any repairs to my Cruiser yet, but I have been practicing with GMAC and GTAW on thinner sheet metal. I like the less violent aspect and better heat control of the TIG. I'll probably use Mig to secure the pieces then TIG between the TACS. That is what I imagine anyway.
Working on getting my welder setup for pig work, I have it loaded with .025 wire at the moment. The last piece of the puzzle I need is a bottle. Should I go straight C02, Argon, or 75/25? Will a small 20cf bottle last a little while or am I going to blow through it fast?
I have (bad) memories of attempting 20ga with one of those Lincoln 'buzz box' setups. AC sucks, though I guess they have AC rod now. It's possible that 6013 would work (AC or DC), and I know the autobody guys use it when they use SMAW, but the flux has minimal to no cleaning action, or penetration assistance, so it runs best on a super clean surface. No scale, oil, dirt, etc.
I'm told it puts down a lot of metal pretty quick, which is why it is preferred for sheet metal and really thin stuff, but if you need high heat and deep penetration, (see other thread about welding on frames), 6013 is not the best option.
- Thread starter
- #69
75/25... The biggest bottle you can afford is always the answer..
75/25 and fluxcore is best for outdoors in less than ideal conditions. Mig is what ya doing you're good
. 6013 is Stick welding which does'nt apply unless you are welding structural like a frame 
.
. 6013 is Stick welding which does'nt apply unless you are welding structural like a frame .
You can use CO2 or 75/25 Argon/CO2. The 75/25 will have less splatter, the straight CO2 will provide deeper penetration. Argon is inert, but CO2 is a reactive gas, not truly inert; it breaks down in the arc into CO and O2, releasing extra energy (it's an exothermic reaction) that makes the arc hotter and drives heat deeper into the base metal, creating a wider, deeper fusion zone. The O2 also 'wets' the molten metal, which helps the weldment flow into gaps and increases fusion.
You could also look at the various "SteelMix" gasses. There are various 2-part mixtures (84/16, 90/10, etc), or even tri-mix gasses like Stargon (90Ar/8Co2/2o2)
Taking the straight SteelMix, it's 90% argon/10% CO2. It has even less splatter than 75/25, and is general purpose. The drawback is that it seems far more expensive on a per fill basis, but a large bottle of 75/25 holds something like 270 ft^3, and a large bottle of 90/10 holds 330 ft^3, and you'll spend less time on cleanup (getting rid of the splatter). If you have employees with a gun in their hand, this is a big factor. On your own, you get to decide what your time is worth.
Anyway, the 90/10 costs more.....so the "cheaper is always better" crowd always grabs the 75/25---ignoring the fact that the 90/10 has almost 25% more gas per fill. (Math seems to not a strong point-anymore...)
IDK how fast you'll "blow through" a 20 ft^3 bottle. IDK what your gas reg is set to, and how much time you spend with the trigger pulled. My only advice is that if you plan to get things done on the weekend, get a second bottle, because running out on the weekend doth suck.
@Ry24000 literally said, “I just can't see SMAW on thin sheet metal like 18 ga minus.”, which is why I responded (to that), with 6013.6013 is Stick welding which does'nt apply unless you are welding structural like a frame
Or able to lift out of your truck, yes it's come to that.
@kbahus Look in the classifieds for terms like; Bottle, Tank, Helium, nitrogen, 02, co2 Argon ect. Your local gas supplier will take any customer owned bottle and exchange it for the gas you desire. I once showed up at someone's house for a smaller "80" cfs bottle of nitrogen they were selling. It ended up being a 250/300 cfs. score for me. I just exchanged it for some 75/25.
tell the young ‘uns you don’t need help (until you do).Or able to lift out of your truck, yes it's come to that.
My suppliers don't care. I have exchanged nitrogen, c02, and helium for argon and C25. They have a deposit price based on size. I upgraded sizes by getting smaller bottles from auctions or classified ads and trading up. Of course your mileage may vary. Doesn't hurt to ask.