Mig Welding Gas Flow

[Stereophoney]

Can anyone give me an idea of what sort of flow rate i should be using for car panel migging ?

I have an argon/co2 reg but i'm not sure what setting i should be on litres per min

Cheers peeps

 

[Luke]

10 lpm is a good starting point. You can lower that to maybe 7 lpm if you're indoors and there's no drafts. If you're outside you might have to go as high as 20-25 lpm, which is really a waste of gas, and means its time to set up a wind break!

 

[Stereophoney]

really, that high ?

when i set it to 5 indoors it's like using a compressor

 

[the snooper]

really, that high ?

when i set it to 5 indoors it's like using a compressor

has your regulator had it

 

[Luke]

If you're getting decent welds then fair enough!

5 LPM is pretty low, I think you'd hardly hear it.

 

[cumbriasteve]

I use 10 indoors, any lower and I get soot deposists, if you can hear it hissing away at 5 then I doubt it is 5, if you get my meaning

 

[slimjim]

I actually bought a flow meter that you stick over the end of the gun, and it confirms that the guages bear no relation to the gas actually flowing, I adjusted it to 7lpm

 

[the snooper]

this might sound strange but in all the years ive welded with mig i set the gas flow by ear ie listening what comes from the torch and never have a problem with welds or use excessive amounts of gas

does anyone else use this method

 

[Stereophoney]

the regulator is brand new ( not from ebay ), up to now i have just been setting it by ear and a few welds do have a bit of soot on them.

I think a flowmeter is my next purchase

 

[chunkolini]

I usually work at about 6lpm on small jobs, and wind it up a bit more if I am doing heavy stuff, like welding over bars or scrap etc (an odd technique, but art is an odd business).

If you are not sure what pressure to use, start off with it turned up high, run a series of short beads of weld, turning it down in between, when you start to get a horrible oxidised finish with porosity, bubbles etc turn it back up a bit and try again.

Again working outside I turn it up until this stops.

You mention flow meters. Have you bought a high output reg? I had one of these, has a very coarse adjustment scale on the output side and might measure in bar not PSI. I had to buy a flow meter to get an accurate set up.
Note if you buy one of these watch how it comes apart if you dismantle it out of curiosity. Ahem. Also worth rigging some kind of guard over it, they are easy to damage, long lengths of steel seem drawn to them like moths to lamps.

Chunko'.

 

[Stereophoney]

i've just bought myself a flow meter from weldequip for the torch so i'll see how i fare with that, it must be a high output reg because i can go from no gas to compressor with not much of a turn

 

[Windy Miller]

this might sound strange but in all the years ive welded with mig i set the gas flow by ear ie listening what comes from the torch and never have a problem with welds or use excessive amounts of gas

does anyone else use this method

Me too - I have absolutely no idea what the flow rate is on my machines!

 

[Stereophoney]

that's what i've been doing but had no idea if it was right or wrong