Stupid question... I wanted to make some little butterfly garden decorations for my wife, but I was having trouble finding some thin enough stock for what I was doing. So a friend suggested that I try cutting up some metal cans and welding them. Crazy, I know. Well, I tried with my little 85 amp Dayton welder on its lowest setting, and it immediately blows holes through the material. I tried welding for one second, then letting it cool, and repeating. I could make it work now and then, but invariable it blew through. I finally (Duh) thought to check the thickness of the metal; it was .009 inches (0.23 mm) thick!
Since it seems that the rule of thumb is roughly one amp per thousandth of an inch, and I'm sure my welder doesn't go down to 9 amps, this is hopeless. But it made me think... what IS the thinnest stock you can MIG?
Since it seems that the rule of thumb is roughly one amp per thousandth of an inch, and I'm sure my welder doesn't go down to 9 amps, this is hopeless. But it made me think... what IS the thinnest stock you can MIG?