Sheet Metal Welding Tricks

Keep the angle of your torch 5 to 25 degree for an excellent weld.

Sheet metal welding tricks.

Learn how to mig weld automotive sheet metal in about 5 minutes or less. This will hold it in place and allow you to weld it properly. Learn why mig pulsed mig tig and pulsed tig are the ideal choices when welding sheet metal. For transformer style tig welders there are usually 2 switches for contactor and amperage usually there are both set to remote for using a remote foot pedal or torch amperage control set the one that says amperage to panel.

Welding sheet metal with a mig involves what i refer to as dot welding. Short circuit transfer mig short arc tig and pulsed tig welding processes provide the most control over the heat to address these challenges. Tack welds are simply small welds that barely penetrate the metal and aren t pushed or pulled to form a bead. Get some scrap sheet metal that is the same thickness as what you will be welding.

When welding thin metal the main objective is to avoid warping burn through and excessive heat affected zones while still ensuring the weld has enough mechanical strength for the application. Before you even get to welding this starts with panel fitment you want gaps as absolutely tight as you can possibly manage. One zap at a time. Weld uphill for thick sheet metal for smooth penetration.

The nice thing with this is that you can use longer 2 4 s to get extra reach that you wouldn t get from a vise alone. I keep it short and to the point in this welding instructional video and show how ve. Use solid wires on thin materials for clean weld. Try going for a wire of 023 inches when welding sheet metal.

Use long stickouts for welding thin sheet metal. Tack weld different areas of the joint about an inch apart. While wire feed welding sheet metal go for short bursts of welding instead of a going on a long bead. Short bursts or tacks will help you gain more control and adjust easily.

One way that i often work with sheet metal for automotive panels is to sandwich 2 4 s in a vise with the workpiece in the middle then work the metal with a rubber mallet. Every time you weld a mig dot it is going to shrink in a circumferential fashion pulling from all sides. Tack welding is the best way to hold the metal in place before you fully weld it to the original metal.