argon or o2

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new to mig welding , and setting up my first mig .. what type of gas do you guys prefer and why ? ..or..what type of welding situation would warrant one gas over the other?thanks - the ROOKIE
Reply:Depends on what material you intend to weld. Argon/Co2 mix for mild steel, If this is your first set up, thats probably what you will be welding. Its expensive to practice on much else.
Reply:75/25  argon to co2
Reply:thanks guys .. much appreciated.
Reply:Straight CO2 is the most cost efficient. The more Argon you add, the less spatter you get. Argon has more of a cooling effect also.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:From my miller manual:Common metals Short circuit transferAluminumArgon 100 %Argon 35% + 65% HeliumCarbon SteelCO2 100%CO2 25% + Argon 75% Low Alloy steelHelium 60-70% + Argon 25-35% + CO2 4-5%Stainless SteelHelium 90% + 7.5% Argon+2.5 % CO2CO2 25% + Argon 75%Copper, Nickel and their AlloysArgonArgon +Helium 50-75%
Reply:I don't find 100% argon very good on mild steel, but you need to be CO2 free to go at aluminium, in theory it would seem that with a little less penetration 100% argon would be good on thin steel sheet, but it just does not work as well as C25/75 argon (messy bead profile and inconsistent penetration). There just is no one gas solution to cover all materials well.Lincoln PT185 TIGLincoln 175 MIGLincoln 240 amp AC StickLind Needle Arc plasma welderPlasma cutter, soon???
Reply:A bit off topic but are there any applications for straight Helium? I have a cylinder and other than blowing up balloons I don't know what else I could use it for. Purging?
Reply:Welding thicker aluminium with limited power.Lincoln PT185 TIGLincoln 175 MIGLincoln 240 amp AC StickLind Needle Arc plasma welderPlasma cutter, soon???
Reply:Originally Posted by yellowA bit off topic but are there any applications for straight Helium? I have a cylinder and other than blowing up balloons I don't know what else I could use it for. Purging?
Reply:We use both CO2 100% and CO2 25% + Argon 75% at work. I have used them both with outershield wire and i perfer the mix alittle more then over using the 100% co2. Also theres less spatter with the mix and it seems like the mix dosent give off as much smoke at 100%co2 doesYa gotta spend money to make money!
Reply:Originally Posted by sn0border88No, that isnt pure enough to be used for welding.  The suppliers add atmosphere to it so people dont suffocate when they breath it in.  But there are a few situations where welding grade helium is used.
Reply:sometimes we can be lax and then sometimes we gotta be fussy. the tile of yer  post is argon or o2.  it gotta say cco2.  o2 would be very bad.
Reply:I use 75/25 Ar/CO2 and 85/15 Ar/CO2 for short circuit mig on carbon steel with solid wire.   I use pure Argon for mig on aluminum and 98/2 Ar/Oxy for spray mig on steel.   I have used pure CO2 with dual shield and solid wire too.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:I prefer 75/25 Argon/Co2 for general purpose work with .030 or .035 ER70-s6 wire. It runs smooth and has little spatter. Starting out thats probably what you will want and that stuff is redially available. I keep that, straight Co2 for outershield wire and 100% argon for tig. That straight co2 works fine with solid wire also, it penetrates  little more and is not as clean IMO..............................."Look Good Doing It"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!