Different Thicknesses

[Onoff]

Apologies if a dumb question, I have done a brief search here to no avail.

If welding a car batch where the base metal is say 1mm. But the patch is 1.5mm, then what thickness metal do you select. Say if using an R-Tech 181 for instance?

Cheers

 

[JOEPRO]

For car bodywork you won't be welding continuous anyway. It should be a series of tack welds to limit distortion and blow through.

Don't read too much into what machine setting you should use. Do practice runs with off cuts of what you want to achieve and try a few settings to get good tack weld penetration

 

[MetalMonkey]

^^ Wot he said.

Just experiment until you find the setting that gives you the penetration you want and then stitch it together using short spot tacks, try to alternate around the patch with them so you distribute the heat evenly.
As you get more heat into the panel you might have to tweak the settings slightly anyway. Try and periodically cool off the panel with compressed air.

You aren’t building a bridge, so you only just need it hot enough to stick the bits together and seal the joint. It's a very different style of welding to anything structural.

 

[Dozzer]

^^ As the two above says, small spot welds are your friend and used plenty of beens, i will use around 60-70amps if dong body work like Sills as you want quick, fast penetration.

 

[gaz1]

i would set it at the thickest material as im welding thick to thin materials

 

[mr haynes]

I would start as for thickest material and adjust from there.
Always a bit a playing around involved.
You will probably be around 16-17v as a starter with solid, nearer 15v if fluxcore, from memory