Car repair panel

[Pob]

Hi all,

I'm having a hard time welding a plate into a area that had holes in it. I have cut the rusted area out and made a plate, but It's just popping holes in the car panel. It just wont give a good weld, just pidgeon crap effect.

I've got a Clarke 160TE, It's got 0.8mm wire in it at the moment... Is this where I'm going wrong? What sort of setting should I use? I've tried 1 min and max and various wire speeds it just makes it splatter faster

Oh and I'm using it on disposible bottles at the moment, CO2... I'm getting like a black burnt marks around the pidgeon turd. Even on a new bit of sheet metal, it welds bad

Thanks,
Dan

 

[shenion]

Do you hear the gas coming out ofthe torch? I hear the dusposables need to be turned all the way upp to get any flow.

0.6mm wire will be easier.

 

[Pob]

Yes I can hear gas the bottle was cold when I finished making a mess.

Dan

 

[daf45]

Not sure how much you have read here or how much welding you have done before - but with plenty of practice the set you have should manage that job.

The disposables need to be on full-chat to give enough gas flow and they don't last long... The areas you are welding ideally need to be shiny clean.

You need a good clean earth close to where you are working, and 0.6 wire will make all the difference on car thickness panels. Hope this helps.

 

[weldequip]

Wrong combination of gas & wire Dan (you should of bought it from us ) 0.6mm wire & argonmix gas Still a lot of practice & technique required on the thinnest stuff, but that's the way to go set-up wise.
weldequip

 

[Pob]

Thanks for the replies

I've got 0.6 wire and Co2/Argon mix and now I carn't even get it to weld at all, as soon as it touches the metal is pops and sticks itself to the tip causing the wire to jam and get a load of bent wire at the feed.

I managed to get a small of weld to stick then noticed the gas was out (CO2 not mix) Stuck the bottle of Co2/Argon mix on and there is hardly any pressure behind it. I'm not sure if this was the same for the others, but when I turn the regulator on you carn't hear the gas going up the pipe, there is a small amount of gas at the end of the torch but only very lightly. It's a SIP regulator on a Clarke bottle

Thanks,
Dan

 

[weldequip]

as soon as it touches the metal is pops and sticks itself to the tip causing the wire to jam and get a load of bent wire at the feed.

Not enough wire feed speed and/or too close to the job. You want aorund 5mm of wire stick-out (from the end of the chrome gas shroud) & try & maintain that distance away from the workpiece.
Increase the wire feed speed until you can feel it pushing your hand back (too much) & then start to reduce it until you get a nice "frying bacon" sound
weldequip

 

[Pob]

Thanks for all the help, much appreciated. I'll have another go and let you know

Thanks again,
Dan

 

[irondarren]

any better results pob? its all down to practice and of course the right set up, once you know how it comes easy

 

[Finalreminder]

I used .8mm gasless on the lowest setting (Clarke 151) when welding a new floor well into my Landy.
Kept blowing holes
Switched to .6mm Co2 for the other floor well and had no problems. Took some practice though, I'm used to Gasless

 

[Pob]

I've not had chance yet you have another play.... I've took some pics of my 'practice' sheets of metal, I'm going to start another topic with them attached, let me know how bad it is lol

Dan

 

[Dusty]

Try on the 160t power 1 / Min, and wire speed of just about 4.5 on the dial, and a good flow of Argolight gas, (sorry I only got Boc gas) this setting should work on 20 gauge or there abouts, Good earth and clean rust free surface to weld will make all the difference. Just a suggestion mind! but it works for me.

Go on have another go,....

 

[Dusty]

BTW .6 wire !!!

 

[arkangel06]

I've not had chance yet you have another play.... I've took some pics of my 'practice' sheets of metal, I'm going to start another topic with them attached, let me know how bad it is lol

Dan

clean your regulator and your gas deffuser

did i just

 

[Morrisman]

The mistake I made for ages on my bodywork welding was having the wire speed too high. I'd heard of this 'frying bacon' noise I was supposed to get, and I only ever heard it when I was on about 75% wire speed. After weeks, months, of horrible welding, wire pushing through, lumpy welds, minimal penetration etc I decided to wind the wire speed down, and it made such a difference I almost screamed in annoyance

The moral? Don't be afraid to experiment.

That was on a Sip 130 on Argoshield, 0.6mm wire.

Also, I found my old Morris was 'tinned' over virtually all the body, where it had been lead filled at the factory in 1934. This coating makes it impossible to weld on, until you have ground it back to steel, which is a little awkward when the base metal is barely 0.020" thick in places it had been pressed out.

There sure was plenty of welding to do, as I chopped the top 3", as well as repaired all the dozens of rusted holes and totally 'missing' areas, and made it a two door instead of four, Sorry about the cruddy pic, as I only had a cruddy digital camera back then: