20 replies to this topic

[grahama]

Hi all,

I have been following a thread on the mig welding forum about an argon mix causing thin metal to blow holeseasier than plain co2. As all mini welding is thin I thought I would see what people use on thier minis and resulsa gained as I am wondering which gas to buy.

MAny thanks,

Graham

[Chris_R]

Will watch this with interest - I've never welded anything before and have just borrowed a MIG from a friend with a full bottle of CO2. I've got plenty to do on my mini and need to return the MIG in a few weeks, to which doesn't give me long to learn how to weld and do the work that's required!!

[FoxClassics]

Hi there,

I do a lot of Mig welding on old classics, I've found Ferromax from AirProducts (which is an Argon/CO2 mix) gives about the cleanest weld and is very forgiving on thin body panels. CO2 I've found in the past doesn't burn as clean and leaves a lot more splatter about the weld, and if anything blows more than mix does! I'd go for a mix anytime over plain CO2.

Im not a AirProds agent or anything, but have found them the easiest to deal with of suppliers and the best gas I've used.

Cheers

Fox

[ANON]

argon/co2 will give better results than just co2, just steer clear of pub bottles

[Paul Wiginton]

CO2 is an active gas and is crap in my professional opinion.
Argoshield TC from BOC or Ferromax from Air products are the way to go.
You will only get the gas to blow holes if the pressure is too high

Paul

[sonikk4]

I use Argo shield light from B.O.C and works fine on thin metal. The pub bottle CO2 does work although now its not my gas of choice. It is cheaper without a doubt but unless you know a friendly publican get the Argon CO2 mix. There are pro's and cons to using CO2 the pro being it is cheaper, the con it does not leave such a clean weld but its passable as you grind most welds on a car down.

I'm on a yearly contract with B.O.C but if i decide i no longer want the bottle i get refunded any full months of my contract left, quite a good scheme.

[Timinichelsea]

Argoshield has always been good for me.

Any holes have generally been my fault rather than anything else.

[M J W J]

CO2 works perfectly well on most steels. Most people complain about it as they do little or no prep work on the metal they are trying to weld. The more time you spend cleaning the metal that you are going to weld then the better the weld will be. The cleaner the metal the easier it is to get the arc going. This applies to any form of electrical arc welding.

Keep your welds short (inch to inch and a half long max). That way you reduce the risk of distorting your work and keep the heat down reducing the risk of blowing through.

[Carlos W]

CO2 works perfectly well on most steels. Most people complain about it as they do little or no prep work on the metal they are trying to weld. The more time you spend cleaning the metal that you are going to weld then the better the weld will be. The cleaner the metal the easier it is to get the arc going. This applies to any form of electrical arc welding.

Keep your welds short (inch to inch and a half long max). That way you reduce the risk of distorting your work and keep the heat down reducing the risk of blowing through.

I've taken to cleaning the panel once, then cleaning again as I go along in short sections to reduce the amount of oxidation. I usually try to weld in 2 areas, swapping between the 2 to allow one to cool and reduce distortion.

I'm using CO2 due to its cost advantage!

[MRA]

Co2 burns hotter than an argon mix gas and is a lot less forgiving to thin steel sheet

Use Argon mix at about 5% argon to 95% CO2

[Carlos W]

http://www.adamsgas....rl=krysal_range

I'm considering moving to these people, and to a mixed gas to see if it improves things!

No rental charges and as I live in Kent only £5 delivery! They're cheaper than BOC too!

[JoneseyBoy]

argonsheild light is what i use

[grahama]

Looks like it's argonshield, or similar, for me then. Adams gas too far away for me so have found one in Widnes, (air liquide agent), close by which is reasonable.

Thanks for your thoughts,

Graham

[morley]

Wee bit of a hi-jack but where do most people get their gas from? i'm really struggling to find some gas locally as the wine shop i got my bottle from has closed down and none of the brewerys will refill it!!

I can get some from BOC but you need to open an account which i've been told you have to pay big bucks for [out of my price range anyway] i'm only getting the gas so a mate can do a couple of patches!

wandering if theres anywhere that does deliveries at a reasonable price?

[sonikk4]

Wee bit of a hi-jack but where do most people get their gas from? i'm really struggling to find some gas locally as the wine shop i got my bottle from has closed down and none of the brewerys will refill it!!

I can get some from BOC but you need to open an account which i've been told you have to pay big bucks for [out of my price range anyway] i'm only getting the gas so a mate can do a couple of patches!

wandering if theres anywhere that does deliveries at a reasonable price?

If you have been reading this thread you will see that i have a contract with B.O.C and as i mentioned if you return the bottle with say 11 months of a years contract left you will get that refunded. So not that expensive plus they do different sizes of bottles and some are cheap. Try them for a quote it may surprise you.