My friend and I recently bought a Lincoln Electric welder (the Model 100), and
we are busy learning how to make decent welds. So far we have been using the
flux core wire for practice welds on fairly heavy gauge metal. We have the MIG
welding kit which we plan to install soon so that we can practice MIG welding
on some sheet metal scraps. My question is what gauge sheet metal is typically
found on Triumphs? Does anyone with this type welder have any suggestions as
to the welder settings we should try with sheet metal?
I have the same box and put on the mig attachment, it will weld so much easier.
I use 25%CO2/75%Argon mix. I just spent about 25 hours replacing the right
floor, rear quarter patch, inner, outer sills and scuttle repair. the settings
very slightly, but C3 to D4 are a good start. Gas was set at 25-30 CFH. Migs
are great. I may never use a buzz box again.
From: "W. Ray Gibbons"
Alex Levinson wrote regarding welding
On welding: Are those who say MIG welding is easy being disingenuous?
Maybe a little. It is easy in comparison with other ways of welding I've tried,
but not as easy as drawing a line with a magic marker, as one restoration text
said. I agree, it is easy to burn through when butt welding 20 gauge sheet
metal. If you teach yourself MIG welding by trial and error, there will be a
lot of errors. If somebody who knows how stands beside you and tells you how
to do it, it will get easier. I have sold a couple of welders (at no personal
profit) to friends by proving they can weld a good bead the first time if I
set up and show them how to do it. I suspect ,any have used the same trial and
error, weld, grind, weld again method that I did.
Hints:
The metal must be CLEAN. MIG does not work well on rusty or painted metal. The
two pieces to be joined should be in contact, to equalize heating. The
books say to leave a slight gap. That's OK with 1/8 in steel, but it only
causes problems (IMHO) when welding sheet metal. Butt welding light sheet
metal is challenging, I agree. To minimize burn through, have the best
contact of the edges possible and--this is important--weld in short bursts
so the puddle gels between trigger pulls. High buck welders have a stitch mode
that does this automatically. Those affordable by hobbyists will do the same
thing if you just keep pulling the trigger. If you try to butt weld a
continuous seam on 20 ga without letting the puddle cool, the heat keeps
increasing. You either have to be skillful enough to adjust arc length and
travel speed (hard) or keep pausing (easier) to avoid burn through.
You will want to do this for other reasons, too. If you try a continuous
weld, or even stitch welding without cooling periods, the panel will heat up
and may warp. Not much problem on floor pans. On exterior panels that must
not warp, weld 1/2 inch here, 1/2 inch far away, 1/2 inch in the middle, etc.,
with air or damp rag cooling between welds, until all those 1/2 inch segments
are a continuous bead. When you can, use a flange (brit. Joddler) to make an offset
on one panel, lay other panel on top, and avoid the hassles of butt welding.
That gets MUCH easier.
More hints.
Heat and wire feed are
only the most obvious adjustments. If the torch moves closer to the work, the
heat increases. Ditto if the travel speed decreases. Strive to keep these
constant, or change them only deliberately. If welding dissimilar thickness
(e.g. floor pans to inner rocker), point the torch toward the thicker piece
as necessary to heat both evenly, or zig-zag torch across the joint dwelling
on the thicker piece. (If you do not have intimate contact between the parts,
it will be exquisitely difficult to weld parts that are substantially
different in thickness.) In general, think about heating of two pieces--for
example, when welding a small patch into a panel, the patch will heat fast
and the panel more slowly. Adjust torch angle and movement to compensate.
Big, huge, most important hint of all. You can't do a good job of welding
when you can't see what you're doing. Once in a blue moon you may want the
hand held eye screen that comes with some cheap welders, but you should also
buy a decent hinged helmet. Then save the glass (intended to protect 8 hr/day
production welders) that comes in it for solar eclipses. Replace it with a gold
coated glass (not sure of exact term, but welding store will know). You can
adjust the hinges on the helmet so you can place the torch, using both hands if
necessary, and nod your head to lower the shield (looks real professional).
Trouble is, your eyes take a few seconds for the iris to adjust, so you cannot
see the beginning of the arc. For really critical stuff, I beam a 600 watt
bulb on the work so I can set up through the lens with the faceplate down; it
also helps me to see things. If you cannot see the edges to be joined as well
as you would like, draw a line along the intended
weld with a soapstone marker. I also wonder at those pictures of guys
free-handing a torch. You see them waving the torch around, but I bet that's
not how they got the welds that are shown in close-up examples. I invested in
a couple of machinists magnets and a piece of angle iron. When possible, I
attach the magnets to the car, lay the angle iron across the magnets, and rest
my hand on that. One can also rest the edge of the torch on the work at a
slight angle, and the arc is about right. Or use the sign-painters method
with a wooden stick and a rubber ball (a picture would be worth 1k words). Re
welders. I have a Lincoln SP-100. It is pricier than the imports, but has
continuous adjustment on both the wire feed and heat, a 3 yr warranty, and
parts available at the corner welding store. Butt welds in 1/8 steel push
this machine, but it can do anything on a Spridget. It is a good quality
machine.
Ray Gibbons
To answer your questions on Lincoln Mig Welders:
The Weld Pack line is the retail Migs of Lincoln Electric. They are set up as flux core welders.
Mig Pac 10/15 and the SP 100T/170T are the 110V and 220V versions of the gas solid wire mig welders.
The mig pac is sold through automotive outlets.
The SP line is sold through the standard welding distributor.
To convert a weld pac you need a conversion kit which includes a regulator for the gas and some other gizmos. The low ball
price on a weld pac is Home Depot.
"While I have no use for the flux wire, it works
out free and maybe I'll use it someday to weld up
something that doesn't need to look pretty. The gas
is somewhat expensive to use if you are doing long
welds."
All units can be converted to flux core wire. It is handy for welding outdoors. The heater in my garage will blow away the gas
shield on my MIG PAC 15. The tips are $12.99 for a pack of ten. My whole Morris Minor restoration needed 2 tips.
All units come with a three year warrantee from Lincoln. The reason Lincoln gives this warrantee is the units are practically
bullet proof. I have had my MIG PAC 15 in a busy body shop for the last year with no problems. It is used almost every day.
Where to buy is your choice. Lincoln is a commodity product line. With Home Depot bringing the price down it's hard not to
go there. But....when was the last time Home Depot supported a car club? Gone to a auto flea market? Answered questions
on rusty floor boards?
Sincerely,
Curt Strohacker
And this from Ron Classen
The sheet metal thickness on your Triumph is probably about 20 gauge. I would not even consider using flux core wire on it. Use the 75%-25% CO2-Argon commonly available. Also, I'd use .023 wire as it works best on thin metal. Weld in short stitches so as to avoiud burn through, and warping. Base metal must be clean, as in ground down with a grinder. Rust, paint, and oil mess up Mig welds as does wind. When switching from flux core to gas shielded welding, remember to change the polarity on your welder as per owner's manual. Good luck.
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