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A lot of the welding my students do here in West Africa is on thinnish metal. Our tube steel only comes in 16 ga wall, and often we're welding 18 or 20 gauge sheet against a frame of 16 ga square tube. The normal way of doing it here is by (basically tack) welding the stuff together, with 6013 stick. I've blown their minds by showing them flux cored welding, doing that same stuff with .030 fcaw wire.No argon mixes are available here that are economical (a big 220cf cylinder is about $240). However, we can economically get CO2 refilled.I know people have said that using CO2 on thin metal isn't a good fit because the CO2 makes a hotter weld than C25, so it wants to burn through. However, how does CO2 compare to fcaw? Will we have an easier time welding thin stuff (say, butt welding 18 ga sheet) with CO2 and normal mig wire, or with the fcaw wire we're using now? We can do it with the fcaw wire, but my suspicion is that since we could use .023 hard wire with CO2, that would probably be easier to use on thin stuff than the .030 fcaw we use now (I've never seen .023 fcaw wire).Can anyone who's done both confirm this?We're using miller machines ranging from MM180's to 250's.
Reply:I've done both, and I like CO2 shielded wire much better than FCAW for thin metal.Even with some .035 in the machine I was easily able to weld thin tubing - smaller wire would have been even easier but I didn't feel like changing it out for only 3 hours of work.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:I've never welded anything that thin before. If I did, I'd go with .023 wire and 100% CO2 over self shielded wire any day of the week.Dont pay any attention to meIm just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:CO2 and .023 works much better than .30 FC on thin material. Mr. HE
Reply:One more-- CO2 and solid wire will be way better than the FluxcoreEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Awesome! First hand experience is just what I was hoping for. I have a 10# CO2 bottle (it's actually a fire extinguisher) that i found (full) at the scrap yard here. Now I'll get a regulator sent over and we'll get to work! I've welded in the States with C25 and Trimix on stainless, and know how much better they are than fcaw. I know CO2 won't be as nice, but hopefully it'll be a big step up from fcaw! Should be a lot less welding fumes too, right?
Reply:Originally Posted by JasonPAtkinsShould be a lot less welding fumes too, right?
Reply:The bleeping computer must have vaporized this when I tried to post it yesterday: Jason, I'd be very interested to read a new thread from you telling your experiences in Africa. I have thought of teaching shop skills, and of starting a little fixed or mobile welding operation overseas, before I get too old. There surely are others who would like to hear about it too, if you have time.
Reply:If you go with CO2 then you can also use it for aor pressure to run impacts, paint guns, fill tires etc. |
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发表于 2021-8-31 22:44:38