How can I weld thin metal?

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Well I was trying to weld thin metal. I'm not sure the thickness but less than 1/8" and it would just burn right through it. I was just practicing so it wasn't a big deal, but I eventually want to do some repair work to my old Mustang. I narrowed down the problem to one of two things: the wrong wire size, or too high voltage. I have a Clarke MIG 130 amp welder and I wasn't using Argon. I was using .030 Fluxcore wire. I had the voltage setting on the welder at 1 which is the lowest and I had the wire feed speed very low so that it wouldn't just go right through the metal.I couldn't figure out how to make a good weld. What should I do? Thanks.
Reply:gas-less flux core likes a bit more stick-out to preheat the wire. up your wire speed and move your gun more would be my suggestions.I don't think you can get flux core in a smaller size than .030, but I have never looked either.
Reply:Originally Posted by UMfan92I narrowed down the problem to one of two things: the wrong wire size, or too high voltage. I have a Clarke MIG 130 amp welder and I wasn't using Argon. I was using .030 Fluxcore wire. I had the voltage setting on the welder at 1 which is the lowest and I had the wire feed speed very low so that it wouldn't just go right through the metal.
Reply:Make sure your have your polarity set right as well. +1 on running 70s-6 with 75/25
Reply:Ok so it's possible right? I have the tanks for MIG but I need a new regulator and I need to get them filled with the right gas. I'm pretty sure I have my polarity set correctly, but it's set correctly for fluxcore. I will see if maybe I can get the tanks filled one of these days and get some thinner solid core wire. Thanks for the tips though. Good to know that FC is hotter than MIG. About how much is it to fill the tanks? So my problem had more to do with the wire rather than the voltage? I hope it's not my welder.
Reply:Originally Posted by UMfan92  Ok so it's possible right? I have the tanks for MIG but I need a new regulator and I need to get them filled with the right gas.   I'm pretty sure I have my polarity set correctly, but it's set correctly for fluxcore. About how much is it to fill the tanks?
Reply:Originally Posted by SuperArc With mig, you really need a zero wind speed in the atmosphere around you, wheras flux core welding tolerates windy conditions.
Reply:You can use mig with gas outside with a light breeze if you turn up the gas flow. You will know when the breeze is too high because you'll immediately see the signs of poor gas flow as the wind blows away your shielding gas. If you don't know what this looks like, simply don't turn the gas on and try a short bead on scrap. Take note of what wind conditions are when you notice the wind is too high to work. I can usually tell if it's too windy to weld outside at my place by looking at the trees and leaves. If the leaves are only lightly rustling, it's probably do able with out setting up  a wind break. If the branches aren't swaying in the tree tops, but I can hear the leaves, I probably can get by with simply setting up a couple sheets of plywood or a tarp as a screen. Much more than that I'll bag it for the day, break out the FC wire in the spoolgun or go to stick, or if I absolutely must get it done with mig, set up a full tent, but that's a bit much for most stuff. 90% of the time I can simply do what I want another day.A friend of mine does about 1/2 to 2/3rds his on site work using gas mig. He tents almost every project. Part of doing business. With the sort of work he does, porosity in welds is NOT an option, so he takes the time to protect the work. Some days, it's not possible to weld due to extremely high winds, but most times he has no issues if he sets up the tarps right..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:Originally Posted by Mambo DaveUm, can you define just how "zero" is "zero"  ?I am really leaning toward getting a cylinder of an Argon/CO2 mix to do thin metal, but zero wind speed when welding outside and 2.5 miles from the Atlantic ocean is a no-go.  I can weld behind the wall of the house, but to believe there will be zero wind movement most days (I did have almost two days of low wind, here, within the last three weeks - but that disappeared at about 1 AM this morning) is like believing North Korea is now stable since the great leader was knocked off / died / found a place to retire with the billions of $.
Reply:Thanks guys.  I may go research some form of tarp as a barrier-wall around me, or plywood.  I was practice welding in the back this morning with the .030 flux core I picked up over the weekend, and even behind the wall it was really gusty... which was great for ventilation, not so great for migrating away from FC.  I have been down here for about 9 years, and even just before I bought this Handy-Mig I remember wondering if the wind was always this constant, from the ocean's direction, for this many days at a time during other "winters" I've spent down here.  I know we get still air and west winds in the summer, but this is getting weird (if not really nice, save for welding).  Some day I will have argon, and have it working.  (just checked, it seems I was welding during 14 to 18 MPH winds this morning, but that was in the open areas - I was getting the turbulence from behind the wall.)
Reply:Question re: this topic and the start of every weld I upgraded to an argon tank and .023 wire.  Is there a way to purge an area (get the argon flowing from the tip) before beginning a weld?  It seems that I can get passable welds once I get going.  Lincoln's gun seems to only have the options of a partial-pull of the trigger which pushes wire, and a full pull of the trigger which pushes wire and begins the arc.  The option to get the shielding gas flowing, first, seems like it would be a handy thing to have. Cancel that - I found that if I pushed less I could get gas flow without wire feed.Also, as an aside that I haven't figured out yet (the instructions from Lincoln are left wanting), the gas continued to flow through the nozzle once after a weld was done - and bumping the trigger a few times didn't shut it off.  Only the end of the next weld did shut it off.I am probably going to want to buy a gauge for the regulator, too... I can't tell how much it's putting out without a gauge.Last edited by Mambo Dave; 12-21-2011 at 02:18 PM.Lincoln Handy Mig
Reply:I weld autobody sheet metal and probably the best way to weld it is to reduce the angle directing the heat away from the pool, using .023 or 24 wire and using a backing block, also consider going tig, pulse your trigger if you have to and move around let the pool cool.Also may wish to consider a mig with greater control over you heat selections and infinite wire speed adjustment, pretty tough when you ave four or five heat setting to get it dialed in right.I just rput new drive wheels on a millermatic 212 and ,024 wire and it still burns a little hotter than my other machine.Last edited by pistolnoon; 12-22-2011 at 01:44 AM.
Reply:I hate to say this, but I also have that Clarke 130EN... I hated it.I went to a Miller 140 and weld quality improved 10 fold.JoeMiller 140 Autoset (2010)Miller Syncrowave 250 (1996)
Reply:Originally Posted by joebieI hate to say this, but I also have that Clarke 130EN... I hated it.I went to a Miller 140 and weld quality improved 10 fold.
Reply:Best light gauge welding machine I ever had was an old century machine 120v I think about 130amp at the max. Pretty much useless on anything thicker than 1/8" but on thin sheet it just seemed to work better than anything else I ever used, even my MM251.