Settings for MIG Welding 20mm box section with 2mm wall

[Mjg6468]

Hi I own a 3-in-1 HBM1200 MIG TIG Welder Gasless Inverter 240V DC ARC TIG Welding Machine. I would like to know what would the best settings be on the machine to weld 2mm wall 20mm box section mild steel. Also what diameter wire should I use?

Thank you

 

[petro909]

0.8mm wire is a good call. If you’re using gas, start around mid-voltage, should be like 18–19V depending on your machine, and set wire speed around 4 or 5. You’ll want that nice bacon sizzle sound, not popping or hissing. If you’re running gasless, use flux core and bump the voltage up a bit more. Do a couple test beads first to dial it in.

 

[jo1010]

welcome to the forum. Gasless TiG? Don't worry about that function - it won't work well bc all tig welding needs argon shielding gas.
Flux core miG? You'll find this creates a lot of spatter and is not ideal compared to gas shielded mig.
If it's a new machine it may not even work right out of the box. This screenshot is from Amazon with the customer warning from Amazon about "frequent returns" highlighted on the webpage.....

 

[Barking Mat]

0.6 mm with gas, don't bother with flux core.

 

[Dcal]

For 2mm box, gasless mig will work fine.

 

[Erie Fred]

0.6 mm with gas, don't bother with flux core.

And.......

For 2mm box, gasless mig will work fine.

 

[eddie49]

I own a 3-in-1 HBM1200 MIG TIG Welder Gasless

The HBM1200 is gasless, it has no provision for connecting or controlling gas.

 

[Dcal]

I see @Erie Fred is being his usual helpful self, but two contradictory statements can both be correct and the real answer in this case is "it depends".
Glib answers like that don't add much to the better understanding of the subject and certainly won't help the OP however, as this is a welding forum why not try to help @Mjg6468

I'm not familiar with the welder. The best way to get the settings is to set it up with the wire you are using and try welding 2mm box.
If it's your first rodeo and the machine and wire are sub-optimal be prepared to be disappointed.
It would be easier to get good sound welds if you use solid wire and welding gas but that's not what he or she has.

Starting out with little or no experience of what to expect will also probably lead to disappointment.
That's as far as most people go and that just adds to the general consensus that gasless mig is useless.

A lot depends on the machine, but the wire and the experience of the operator will have a big influence on the results.

There are loads of threads on the best gasless mig wire etc, just do a search.
The "best" I've used is Lincoln Inershield ER-211, however a 5kg roll will cost more then the welder @jo1010 linked to.

Without buying another welder the closest answer I can give to the OP's question is - 0.8mm E71-GS wire, torch negative, 15.5v and 3.5m/min wire speed.
It's contained in the post below.
It would also be worth watching the video @doubleboost posted in the same thread.

Post in thread 'Gas Less MIG'

Feb 19, 2022

I was welding some 2mm sheet into an oil drum and ran out of argon.
I'm putting an emersion heater into the drum to see if I can reduce the time it takes to de-rust using citric acid.
It being Friday evening and BOC don't do weekends, I can't get any until Monday, so I thought I'd have another go with gasless.

I bought a 5kg roll of 71T-GS in 0.8m from one of the local welding supply shops a while ago for just such an occasion.
It’s no name Chinese, but came well wrapped up in vacuum shrunk foil and was £50+ which I thought was rich enough.
No idea of an actual make just what’s on the...

• Dcal

• 

Their welder, wire and experience will be different but it is possible to lay down sound welds with budget equipment and consumables.
If the machine doesn't give the settings a clamp meter, volt meter, stopwatch and measuring tape can be used to get the settings I used, but I wouldn't bother because they will almost certainly be wrong for their welder.
However they should be close enough to get them started.
I wouldn't give up if the wire that came with the machine doesn't give good results, it might but then again it might not.

I don't know where the OP is from but Lidl's mig wire (if it's in store) is a very cheap way to get a mig wire that will work ok.

 

[Cobbler]

I don't know where the OP is from but Lidl's mig wire (if it's in store) is a very cheap way to get a mig wire that will work ok.

I bought some Lidl wire recently, it was half price & then 2 for 1. Worked out at a pound a roll. I couldn’t refuse it at that price, not sure when or if I will use it, but just in case …..

 

[Erie Fred]

I see @Erie Fred is being his usual helpful self, but two contradictory statements can both be correct and the real answer in this case is "it depends".
Glib answers like that don't add much to the better understanding of the subject and certainly won't help the OP however, as this is a welding forum why not try to help @Mjg6468

I'm not familiar with the welder. The best way to get the settings is to set it up with the wire you are using and try welding 2mm box.
If it's your first rodeo and the machine and wire are sub-optimal be prepared to be disappointed.
It would be easier to get good sound welds if you use solid wire and welding gas but that's not what he or she has.

Starting out with little or no experience of what to expect will also probably lead to disappointment.
That's as far as most people go and that just adds to the general consensus that gasless mig is useless.

A lot depends on the machine, but the wire and the experience of the operator will have a big influence on the results.

There are loads of threads on the best gasless mig wire etc, just do a search.
The "best" I've used is Lincoln Inershield ER-211, however a 5kg roll will cost more then the welder @jo1010 linked to.

Without buying another welder the closest answer I can give to the OP's question is - 0.8mm E71-GS wire, torch negative, 15.5v and 3.5m/min wire speed.
It's contained in the post below.
It would also be worth watching the video @doubleboost posted in the same thread.

Post in thread 'Gas Less MIG'

Feb 19, 2022

I was welding some 2mm sheet into an oil drum and ran out of argon.
I'm putting an emersion heater into the drum to see if I can reduce the time it takes to de-rust using citric acid.
It being Friday evening and BOC don't do weekends, I can't get any until Monday, so I thought I'd have another go with gasless.

I bought a 5kg roll of 71T-GS in 0.8m from one of the local welding supply shops a while ago for just such an occasion.
It’s no name Chinese, but came well wrapped up in vacuum shrunk foil and was £50+ which I thought was rich enough.
No idea of an actual make just what’s on the...

• Dcal

• 

Their welder, wire and experience will be different but it is possible to lay down sound welds with budget equipment and consumables.
If the machine doesn't give the settings a clamp meter, volt meter, stopwatch and measuring tape can be used to get the settings I used, but I wouldn't bother because they will almost certainly be wrong for their welder.
However they should be close enough to get them started.
I wouldn't give up if the wire that came with the machine doesn't give good results, it might but then again it might not.

I don't know where the OP is from but Lidl's mig wire (if it's in store) is a very cheap way to get a mig wire that will work ok.

HaHaha......"Two men say their Jesus, one of them can't be right".....Mark Knopfler.
So post #4 and post #5 are adding "Valuable Information" ?

No need to write a book for every newbie who can't read the archives for 15 minutes eh ?

 

[Memmeddu]

That's as far as most people go and that just adds to the general consensus that gasless mig is useless.

Agree with that.
I have a little mig welder and I run gasless because I cannot get a proper cylinder right now.
Anyways I've welded body panels without too many problems.
It's a learning curve but not as strap as stick.

 

[Memmeddu]

It's a learning curve but not as strap as stick.

It's a learning curve but not as stick.
Sorry I wasn't awake properly