how much of a gap

admin

Hey how much of a gap do you guy leave between your material to be welded if any. I have found my sweet spot is about a wire thickness or should i have more?
Reply:It depends on the joint design. A 't' joint doesn't really need any gap. A butt weld should have around a wire's gap, as you said, but that can vary from welder to welder, as long as you're getting good root penetration.
Reply:Whatever it takes to get full penitration of the weld joint.Different weld techniques will require different joint prep to acomplish this.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:I am welding mig with a Miller 211 and a majority of what i do is automotive welding frame ties and roll bar type stuff.
Reply:Originally Posted by snoeproeWhatever it takes to get full penitration of the weld joint.Different weld techniques will require different joint prep to acomplish this.
Reply:I agree, every situation and material and thickness is different.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWExactly. Welding 1/8" is different than welding 1/2" or 1". What works for 1/8" isn't going to work with the thicker materials, and a gap big enough for 1" with a bevel is too big for 1/8". Add in the various types of joints to the mix and you can complicate this even more.No offence, but a question like this from someone who claims to weld frame ties and roll bars concerns me a bit. It sounds like you may not have the experience and training required to produce proper weldments on critical joints.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSW It sounds like you may not have the experience and training required to produce proper weldments on critical joints.