Welding Light Sheet Metal

Mig welding is the preferred method for most automotive bodywork and since sheet metal is the thinnest of metals a large expensive mig unit is usually not required.

Welding light sheet metal. The hobart handler 140 mig is the best affordable mig welder for sheet metal. Everyone is different but those settings will get you in the right ballpark to weld sheet metal. Stainless steel are used in applications such as hvac automotive mobile machinery guards and cabs and small parts as well as stainless steel food service and processing. It s one of the highest quality machines available and comes incredibly low priced.

Short bursts or tacks will help. However if you are dealing with materials that are 18 gauge or thicker one should be able to use 030 inch welding wire. To weld mild steel choose an american welding society classification wire such as er70s 6 which has a weld puddle that wets out nicely. A er70s 6 wire would be most ideal for welding mild steel.

A good heat setting for 1 8 6011 rods on thin material is about 80 90 amps. Most of the light gauge sheet metal work will require the use of 023 or 24 inch while if you have a sheet metal having a gauge of more than 18 gauge then a 030 inch wire would be the most ideal. Carbon steel and 18 ga. Just grab a piece of sheet metal to get the heat set correctly and go to town.

While wire feed welding sheet metal go for short bursts of welding instead of a going on a long bead. It is recommended that a welder should use 023 or 024 inch wire for light gauge sheet metal work. As a rule when mig welding sheet metal never use a body filler metal that is thicker than the base metal. While sheet metal is primarily a tig welding job there are times when it s handy to have an available mig welder to fuse sheet metal.

When the material is 18 gauge and thicker you may be able to use a 030 inch wire. The majority of the sheet metal welding i ve done was with a 90 amp 110 volt welder. Try going for a wire of 023 inches when welding sheet metal. It s recommended to use a 023 or 024 inch wire for most light gauge sheet metal work.