What gas to use MIG welding my brew rig

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dallasdb

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I know this isn't a welding forum but I've seen the DIY magic you guys can produce. So I need your help!

I just got a welder from my Dad for FREE!!!

Craftsman 120v MIG gas/no gas welder SEEN HERE

I have everything but my Dad never hooked gas up to it. The manual doesn't specify what gas to use and I can't see any stickers on the air tank.

So what gas should I get for it?

I've read pure CO2 isn't good for steel because it produces splatter and oxide formation.
I will be using steel angle iron or steel tubing (something inexpensive)

What do you welders recommend to fill my air tank before MIG welding my brew stand?
 
I know very little about welding but I can confirm that you can use 100% CO2. It runs a bit hotter than the typical Argon/Co2 mix but it's fine. I didn't want to get a second tank.
 
I know very little about welding but I can confirm that you can use 100% CO2. It runs a bit hotter than the typical Argon/Co2 mix but it's fine. I didn't want to get a second tank.

You actually inspired me to build a brew stand. I saw the one you made out of bed frames and said, "I can do that!"

Mine is going to be 3 tier because I don't have the coin for march pumps.

I figured CO2 would be okay but I read:

"Pure carbon dioxide allows for a deep penetration and is inexpensive. But it also produces excess spatter and oxide formation, which weakens the weld. Pure carbon dioxide is therefore rarely used as a shielding gas in MIG welding."


I didn't know if that was an exaggeration but I want to make sure the welds are strong enough to hold a keggle with 10 gallons!!!
 
Before you bother with a shielding gas, what type of wire you have in the machine?
If it's solid wire (looks like copper, actually it is coated with a fine layer of copper that is used as a deoxidizing agent) then a 75% Argon 25% CO2 blend is what you should use.
Welding shops call it 75 25 gas.
If your wire looks dark grey than almost certainly you have flux cored wire which does not require a shielding gas.
Flux cored wire has flux in the core of the wire. It starts out as a flat strip and a flux powder is deposited on the wire just before it it rolled into it's wire shape.
 
Another point I'd like to make is that solid core wire and flux core wire are usually welded with different polarity.
Check your manual to see if you have the capability to switch the polarity.
 
Another point I'd like to make is that solid core wire and flux core wire are usually welded with different polarity.
Check your manual to see if you have the capability to switch the polarity.

Im pretty sure all wire feed welders can have theyre polarity switched, they are all dc current, even $100 harbor freights.

For the gas i would use c-25, best mig gas for every day mild steel mig welding.
 
dmfa200 said:
Another point I'd like to make is that solid core wire and flux core wire are usually welded with different polarity.
Check your manual to see if you have the capability to switch the polarity.

The manual does instruct me to switch polarity with gas/no gas.
 
Wire roll on the far left is .023", says MIG solid wire, and looks like a faded copper color?

Middle roll is definitely copper color, .030" but just says MIG welding wire.

The roll on the right is silver in color, .030" and says aluminum MIG wire

Who knows the difference between them and what to use with gas/no gas?

Thanks again!

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The first two are solid mig wire probably ER70s-2 general purpose filler for carbon steel.
Use the 75/25 or C-25 gas for those.

The aluminum wire is probably 4043.
Use 100% Argon for Aluminum.

Another tip...

For Aluminum mig welding with low end machines the correct drive roll tension is very important, and use a clean new contact tip. Also keep the gun cable as straight as possible. Minimize any bends or loops.
It is recommended to have a separate Teflon coated liner exclusively for Aluminum in your gun cable for welding Aluminum.
Welding Aluminum with a liner that has been also used for carbon steel can cause contamination problems.
 
If your welding mild steel use 75/25 argon, CO2, if your welding stainless steel use 90/7.5/2.5 heilium, argon, CO2 and Argon if you got a aluminum mig gun. hope this helps
 
I bought 100% argon to do some SS welding (was going to use tri-gas, but they convinced me otherwise), and was told by the Airgas Rep that I could use it for non SS welds as well. I already had a 75/25 tank, too. But, if this statement is correct, If I had it to do over again, I'd just have bought the 100% argon.

One of you experts please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
100% argon on stainless leaves a really dirty weld and also welds really poorly, but if you have a small amount of ss welding to do it does work
 
Thanks for the responses.

So from what I've gathered, I don't have any wire to use without gas is that correct?

Also, the aluminum wire is for welding aluminum not steel right?

Since I have CO2, and I want to get started this weekend, will the welds be weaker if I use CO2 or it just splatters more?

I porbably won't be able to hit General Air for the correct gas till next week. Thanks again!
 
Yeah, none of those three spools are meant for gasless welding.

You should be fine starting with the CO2. In theory the welds won't be as good with CO2, but I can't imagine the material that you're using is very thick, so you could probably just get away with turning up your heat a bit and using the .030. Another option is to start fitting and tacking it this weekend with the CO2, and then finish welding it later when you get your Ar/CO2 mix. This will also let you see the difference first hand between the two gases. Unless you're in a huge hurry to get this thing welded, this is what I would do because MIG with Ar/CO2 will weld nicer than MIG with CO2 or gasless Flux-core.

And yeah, the aluminum wire is for welding aluminum only. As mentioned earlier, if you ever do any you'll want to use 100% argon, plus a nylon liner for the cable and make sure you keep your line as straight as you can. Because it's is typically softer than steel, it jams up in the line easier if you're not careful (This is why you usually see spool guns or push-pull guns used with aluminum). Another thing is that you won't be able to weld material as thick as if you're doing steel as aluminum requires more current to weld a similar thickness.

And as for the question about stainless, I'll second the opinion of 100% Argon being crappy (with wire feed, it's fine for TIG). We were doing some stainless at work with argon and it worked, just not very well. The puddle just wasn't right and it didn't seem to really be biting in. The old guy at our shop looked it up and found that the Helium-based Tri-mix is the gas you're supposed to use. Also, he found that using Ar/CO2 mix is apparently better than straight argon. We switched it over (to Ar/CO2, we didn't have any Tri-mix) and tried it briefly and it seemed to work better (I can't give you much of review beyond that, as it was another welder who was doing most of the work. I was on another job and just came over long enough to see he was having trouble and ask the old guy. Then we switched to stick because the wire-feeder started acting up. We don't really do stainless with wire where I work). So I would try the mix gas as well as the argon next time you do stainless and see what works better. If you don't like either of those, then go get some Tri-mix.

And yes, you can use straight argon for welding mild steel, but the only time I have seen it used is when you're going really hot and want to get into Spray-transfer (which you won't be doing if you have a hobby-type welder). There may be other considerations as well, like the steel maybe needing to be cleaner, I can't say at the moment. Plus, argon is more expensive so your Ar/CO2 mix will save you a couple bucks.
 
what argon/co2 mix are you using for your stainless? Im guessing 25% co2 , using that high of co2 can cause your welds to rust with the high content of co2, use no more than a 2% co2. Like you mentioned that the straight argon on stainless the puddle cools way too fast and isnt ever really liguid and very hard to control, also the arc is very unstable especially hen your welding an inside corner, the arc will jump side to side, with a 2% co2 or a tri mix the arc is much more stable and also allows a wet puddle and easier control, to be honest i have used both tri mix and the 98% argon 2$ co2 and if your not welding anything thicker than 1/8" theres no need for the high dollar tri mix
 
The stuff we have at work is 85/15, but the other welder didn't do more than a couple passes before he got sick of dealing with the ****ty wire-feeder (or maybe he was just lazy). I didn't know that about the rust issue though, so thanks for pointing it out. I actually did a quick Google search after I posted to see what other people use, and it seems like it's not uncommon to use a 75/25 or 92/8 or 95/5 for stainless, but it's good to know about the 2% thing. Sorry about hijacking the thread, but do you know if there's any issue doing sanitary welds with a 2% CO2 mix ?
 
Do yourself a favor and just go to Home Depot and get a roll of flux core($11.87)and dont worry about gas. It'll turn out great.
 
I agree with ridevail.

Flux core for now would be fine since your a beginner, and most likely gonna grind your welds.

Flux core is ugly but gets the job done.

For the record though gas shielded flux core is nice.
 
I agree with ridevail.

Flux core for now would be fine since your a beginner, and most likely gonna grind your welds.

Flux core is ugly but gets the job done.

For the record though gas shielded flux core is nice.

Not to confuse anyone I'm referring to Outershield/AWS E71T-1
 
You guys have helped me a ton! Thanks a lot.

Anyone know a good reference for determining proper thickness of wire for thickness of steel you're welding?
 
Do yourself a favor and just go to Home Depot and get a roll of flux core($11.87)and dont worry about gas. It'll turn out great.

I'm no experienced welder ( welded my first brew stand a month ago) and this is exactly what I did. It works fine, the welds are plenty strong enough for me to stand on.
 
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