using argon instead of co2 ?

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The gas supply guy is out of co2 till Friday after next....I just filled my bottle of argon can I use that for shielding gas?Mild steel grates over a drainage trench.I also have some fluxcore wire.I Googled it and maybe not Ideal but it will work?
Reply:100% Ar shielding is relegated to TIG.  Your "out of CO2" comment suggests you are run'n GMAW.  Don't use Ar only for MIG.  Go FCAW-S."Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:Don't use it for MIG, use your flux core.
Reply:You can barely weld sheet metal with pure argon.Low penatration, tall welds are what you end up with.old Miller spectrum 625 Lincoln SP-135 T, CO2+0.025 wireMiller model 250 and WP-18V torchCraftsman 100amp AC/DC and WP-17V torchCentury 115-004 HF arc stabilizerHome made 4 transformer spot welderHome made alternator welder
Reply:Fwaking liquor stores are now refilling Co2 around here in New Jersey...  $12.00 bucks for 5lbs, not cheap but it will keep you going.   Needed beer anyway.
Reply:If you can find somebody that refills paint-ball cylinders, they are usually open on the weekends too.Not cheap, but available.
Reply:I'm using fluxcore wire on a Lincoln 180 .....I supported it on each end then drove my van on top ...very little flex.I don't think a full water truck could drive over it though.Thats 2"x1/4" frame and 1"x3/8" for the slates on the bottom I welded a 1/2 round rod down the length.Because of the way I'm welding it I'm ending up with a slight positive camber.Last edited by IamVince; 04-17-2014 at 12:35 PM.
Reply:LOL. I don't think there are many paint ballers in the Virgin Islands. Betcha could find a beer bubbler tho ! Got a 320-580 adapter ?Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:If that grate is intended for vehicle traffic across it on a regular basis, you ought to add a stiffener/stabilizer slat to the bottom in the center (on the long axis).  Otherwise, the slats have a little too much span across the side dimension, and down pressure might cause them to twist, especially if the vehicle was braking or accelerating while on the grate.If it's just for pedestrian travel or an exclusion grate, it's fine just the way it is.
Reply:I finely picked up a 2nd CO2 bottle. A 5lb aluminum keg tank for $90 filled, full weight of the tank is 12lb total.Should have did that years ago. My original 10lb tank weighs 45lb full. It was made in the 1960s.old Miller spectrum 625 Lincoln SP-135 T, CO2+0.025 wireMiller model 250 and WP-18V torchCraftsman 100amp AC/DC and WP-17V torchCentury 115-004 HF arc stabilizerHome made 4 transformer spot welderHome made alternator welder
Reply:Originally Posted by BurpeeLOL. I don't think there are many paint ballers in the Virgin Islands. Betcha could find a beer bubbler tho ! Got a 320-580 adapter ?
Reply:Originally Posted by walkerweldIf that grate is intended for vehicle traffic across it on a regular basis, you ought to add a stiffener/stabilizer slat to the bottom in the center (on the long axis).  Otherwise, the slats have a little too much span across the side dimension, and down pressure might cause them to twist, especially if the vehicle was braking or accelerating while on the grate.If it's just for pedestrian travel or an exclusion grate, it's fine just the way it is.