ALL YOU WELDERS OUT THERE

[Maddog]

School me on the technical differences between wire diameter choice with a mig. I have a new Lincoln 140HD, just finish using some .025" and bought some .030". How does this affect welding sheet metal, say 16-18g? Heat settings etc. I'm too lazy to read the manual.

[NickP]

http://www.airgas.com/content/detail...=7000000000143

[chevynut]

I use only .024" wire on everthing from sheetmetal to 1/4".

[smooth 56]

I use .024 for thin metal 16 to 22g you are able to keep you'r heat lower.For frame work I change to 30/35 you need the heat for good penatration.I'm no pro but I have had weld's to brake on heavy'er metal with the .024.

[Rick_L]

There's also guys that won't use anything but .030" wire whatever the thickness.

You can adjust the wire speed to suit the wire diameter, metal thickness, amperage, and torch travel speed. There are many ways to get good results. In the end it's what works for you and what you're used to.

I use .024" wire on thin stuff myself.

[BAM55]

School me on the technical differences between wire diameter choice with a mig. I have a new Lincoln 140HD, just finish using some .025" and bought some .030". How does this affect welding sheet metal, say 16-18g? Heat settings etc. I'm too lazy to read the manual.

Well your thinner wire requires less amps to melt. The thicker the wire the more amps it requires to melt it. Its not that you can't use .030 wire to weld sheetmetal, but using it will require that you put a more heat into the panel. When welding sheetmetal we are trying to keep the heat down as much as possible that is why we use the thinner wire. That is why .023 or .024 is the better choice.

I use .023 for all sheetmetal up to 16 gauge. Just in case you want to know what I use. .024 is a nice choice also.

[Maddog]

Yea Bam, we all know about too much heat LOL.