Mig or Stick

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Running 3/8 steel - lap joint - 4" edge to flat weld position- now do we use 3/32 7018at 95 amps or 035 solid at 180 amps - which would be the best ?? or would it balance outto about the same - no load on weldThe main thing is not to panic or get excited Bobcat 250, X-Treme 12VS,  MM211Meltabo, Milwaukee,Porter Cable,Dewalt,MakitaVictor O/A, Ingersoll-RandEvolution Rage2, 40 amp PlasmaLincoln 225 AC/DC
Reply:.035 solid wire at roughly 180 amps is a bit on the cold side most likely, but if it's a no load situation I'm sure it would do just fine. 3/32" rods are a bit on the small size for 3/8", but would certainly work. Personally for 3/8" I'd go up to 1/8" rods simply because I could run more amps, and I'd get a higher deposition rate.If I had to choose between the two, my 1st temptation would be mig, simply because I run mig best over stick, and it's easier to clean afterwards. If if was a load bearing operation, I'd probably opt for stick to get more penetration over what are probably borderline mig welds. I'd probably suggest you run what you do best in this situation..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Ok i guess i'am feeling good tonight  so  for the sake of arguement lets up the amps on the 035 to 200 and go to 1/8 7018 at 120 amps now which one will burn in better -The main thing is not to panic or get excited Bobcat 250, X-Treme 12VS,  MM211Meltabo, Milwaukee,Porter Cable,Dewalt,MakitaVictor O/A, Ingersoll-RandEvolution Rage2, 40 amp PlasmaLincoln 225 AC/DC
Reply:Probably pretty close to even at those settings. Mig might want to go just a tad higher, but I've done plenty of 3/8" at roughly that setting. Again I'd go with what you do best, or what works based on conditions. I'd go with stick if it had to be done outside and there was a breeze for example even though I prefer to run mig..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Now that we are getting close, why does it take 80 more amps on the wire that's 090 thssmaller than the rod you are useingThe main thing is not to panic or get excited Bobcat 250, X-Treme 12VS,  MM211Meltabo, Milwaukee,Porter Cable,Dewalt,MakitaVictor O/A, Ingersoll-RandEvolution Rage2, 40 amp PlasmaLincoln 225 AC/DC
Reply:You really aren't comparing apples to apples here. There are several reasons why things are different. The biggest one being the fact that the stick rods have a flux coating on them that changes the way they run. 1/8" rods aren't all the same. There's a big difference between 6013, 7014, 7018, 6010/11 and say 7024 even if they are all 1/8" rods. 6010/11 has the most penetration, yet it tends to run at lower amps than say 7018. It has to do with the flux coating. A closer comparison would be the fact flux core wire that is similar to stick, usually burns "hotter" than say solid wire as far as penetration is concerned.You also have to keep in mind even though you said "amps" when talking about mig, mig is a Constant Voltage process. "Amps" is just a generic way to compare two machines. Amperage changes while voltage is constant in mig. Stick is a Constant Current process. Even if you compare Stick to say tig which is also CC, 125 amps doesn't equate to the same thickness, partially because Stick is usually DC+ and Tig is usually DC-.Each process has areas where it's better or worse than other processes. It's tough to compare one against another unless you 1st set the playing field even and establish some ground "rules" Change those "rules" and you end up with a different answer..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:My uneducated guess would be that 1, the shielding gas is working against penetration, and 2, the smaller wire needs more heat to penetrate into the base metal.
Reply:I would have thought the simple answer was that the stick runs at a higher voltage than the Mig, you turn the amps up and down on a stick but turn the volts up and down on a Mig.A bit like Electricity transmission lines, the more power you want to shift and the longer the distance the higher the voltage that is used in order to get the current through a smaller (relativly) wire.Cheers Andrew
Reply:If it were me, I'd use stick. 1/8 7018 130-135 amps. Sound weld. Done.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:DualShield trumps both of those.
Reply:I'd spray it with .045 solid wire, 90/10 Ar/CO2 and maybe 450 IPM, something like 26 voltsExperience is something you get right after you need it