Welding Tips and Tricks

Okay guys, how (if at all) can you get a good looking bead on 16-18 gauge mild steel sheet metal? Now granted I'm harder on myself than the hulk is on t-shirts when it comes to my welds, I just cant get a bead that satisfies me. I cant seem to get any kind of ripple definition at all, which i know doesn't mean a hill of beans when it comes to strength, but I still like an aesthetically pleasing bead. If you could give me some advice, comments, or closure on this subject, I would be very thankful.

Check out my post below on welding .065 inch 16 gauge mild steel tube..

The Pulse settings that Brian recommended really helped me...

Also remember 18 gauge is half the thickness of 16 gauge you need to use .035 inch or .040 inch filler rod and a 1/16 inch tungsten max....if you don't want to worp it I would back it up with a piece of copper behind it and don't weld more than an inch at a time

adrynalinjunkie wrote:Check out my post below on welding .065 inch 16 gauge mild steel tube..

The Pulse settings that Brian recommended really helped me...

Also remember 18 gauge is half the thickness of 16 gauge you need to use .035 inch or .040 inch filler rod and a 1/16 inch tungsten max....if you don't want to worp it I would back it up with a piece of copper behind it and don't weld more than an inch at a time

Junkie--how about looking at a gauge chart and reporting back here on the actual
thickness of 18 ga. vs. 16 in steel???

16 gauge is .0625 and 18 is .0500, It's not half as thick as mentioned, but the advice given in Brian's post is sound.

Dave's right though, please take a minute to research your response before giving advice, we pride ourselves here in giving a well researched answer. It makes it better for everybody if we don't have to muddle through answers that contain misleading information. If you're offering an opinion that's one thing, but everything else should come from a reliable source.

@goforthjp,
One thing to remember with thin metal is that you probably will get complete penetration and therefore you need to clean the back side if possible or you'll bring the contamination into the weld. Controlling your heat input is a real challenge so be prepared to weld at a pretty fast pace and only short distances before letting it cool down. Stagger your welds to control warping. Filler metal helps cool the puddle so add rod as often as the joint width will allow.

Learn to weld thin metal on small scraps where there's nowhere for the heat to go, with your welder set on a set amperage, without using a foot pedal or torch switch and you'll learn a lot about heat input and how to use the filler rod to control the puddle. It's good practice for anybody, really.

Len

Wow, sorry guys!

I had a section of a autobody patch pannel left over from my chevelle, that I was told online was 18 gauge.

I measured it with the calipers the other day and it was .035" (before I started practicing with it since it is left over scrap) so that is what I though the thickness of 18 gauge was...

Turns out it is actually 20 gauge!

Just shows you can't always believe what you read on the internet all the time! even from me...

I will try to be more careful next time... I was not trying to lead anyone astay...

Here is link to a sheet metal chart if anyone wants to see!

http://www.sheetmetalguy.com/sheet_meta ... _chart.htm