Spooln4

Whats the benefits of oxygen versus argon? I realize that a combination mixture is best but if only one can be used (like in Garn's situation) which one would provide a better atmosphere for the weld? I have a mig welder as well here, just no tank for it.

GaRn

I think Argon would be the best, just from reading of course, I have no experience..

I have read you are supposed to have like 10% oxy/90% argon for MIG or somethin, but alot of ppl just run straight argon b/c you can use it with lots of stuff or somethin..

anyone else?

Andrew, have you welded much with fluxcore? are you able to do very well? I can make my welds look decent now, but it doesn't seem like it penetrates very well, like the bead is riding on the surface instead of being sunk in looking on the good welds you see.. bleh i suck hah

Spooln4

Honestly, I have no experience really with MIG. I took a class at western and I used a torch and rod which was fun! When you look on the other side of the metal, after welding, you should see if it penetrated through 100%. If the face of the weld is huge than either, the machine is feeding to fast, or it didn't penetrate 100%. When you do a butt weld with piping, try using a gap close to the thickness of the wire between the two pipes before welding. Just from my experience with "stick" welding.

non-vtecpower

I have been welding for almost 4 years now.. I was at the shipyard for 2 years on 3rd shift and all i welded with was Fluxcore, Mig and stick. Mig looks a hell of alot better then Fluxcore and is less messy but alot of people think fluxcore is easier to work with.. You can put less effort into the fluxcore and the welds will still look alright. I would pick mig over fluxcore though, just looks cleaner.. This was all pretty thick wire 1/16 and 1/8 wire.. To help you penatrate better try to either turn the heat up some or hold it there longer, Also i like to weave like if you where welding a vertical from the bottom up.. It helps the bead sit flater. Just shoot me a pm if you need any help with welding something.. I can try and help out.

GaRn

thanks

cootees

I've been wanting to take that class. Do you know what the cost of it was and how long it lasted?

Spooln4

The class was once a week, there was a lecture in class prior to lab. The instructor was awesome, I forget his name. He's a real straight forward guy, no bullshit. The labs were pretty much independant, you go in there and work on your projects on your own, at your own pace. He's just there to critique you and help you out. I loved it, and I would like to take the tig portion of the class but I'm going to radford. I forget how much it was but it wasn't very expensive at all.

cootees

Excellent, I will definately be looking into it for this coming spring. I need some welding skill so I can make new bumpers for the 4runner.