Angle Iron ??

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I basically failed when trying to weld some sheet metal (20 gauge, for floorboards) to a bracket made of angle iron. Are the 2 metals basically the same (aside from thickness), soft steeL?What should I use for MIG settings when welding a thin sheet metal to a thicker stock, (such as a frame rail)//Thanks in advance.
Reply:Wow....20ga is pretty thin for floorboards.When I'm doing floorboard repair or sheet metal fab on vehicles, I like to use 16ga or 18ga at the thinnest and I always buy cold-rolled steel. I HATE working with hot-rolled .The angle is a hot rolled steel and if you left the scale on the surface and were trying to weld to it, that is going to give you problems.  What thicknes is the angle? That will help determine what settings your welder needs to be at.A trick that I use when doing floorboard repair is to drill/punch 3/16" holes about 1/4"-1/2" in from the edge(depending on overlap on other pieces of sheet or floor braces/rockers). Then when you overlap the two pieces (or in your case, place the sheet on top of the angle, you can fill the hole with weld and the angle acts as a "backer" for the thinner sheet. Then I'll stitch weld between the holes.Her's a pic of what I'm talking about....these are floorboards on a 70's Bronco I'm doing for a customer right now. Attached Imageshttp://all-a-cart.comWelding Cart Kits and accessories
Reply:i generaly weld the thicker steel and just let the outer edje of my bead melt into the thin sheet. set heat for the thicker and never shoot directly at the thin stuff. just like the holes above i would guess he is hitting the center and letting it melt out to hit the thin. just let the bead wash out onto the thin stuf. lots of lil stiches will keep the warping down dont try to do more than about 1/2' to 1" max befor moving on and starting some where else work your way around and repeat till its all filled in. summer is here, plant a tree for mother earth. if you dont have time or space, sponcer some one else to plant one for you.feel free to shoot me a PM or e-mail me at [email][email protected] i got lots of time.
Reply:Plug welding on the floorboards is the way to go.  You can start in the middle of the hole and hold it there and it will fill in.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools