Is a stick welder much better for automotive bodywork than a wire welder?
Posted on February 26th, 2010 by admin
I bought a pretty cheap Campbell wire welder and it seems like it’s the wrong tool for the job. Ugly, spotty, messy welds that don’t hold well. Then again, maybe I’m just a n00B. Even if it’s my low skill level, would a stick welder be better anyway?
Stick welders are good if you want cheap and are welding thicker material. I have welded 16 gauge steel with 3/16" rod before because that is all that was available at the time, but generally, stick welding is not ideal of the thin gauge steel used for automotive bodywork. I have stick welded for years, and it isn’t something you just pick up in a few hours or a few days. It takes constant repetition to get good at, but once you master it, you can make welds as pretty as a wire feed welder.
The problem you are having is probably due to the fact that you bought a low quality Campbell welder. Even the best welders can be tripped up by a welder that is malfunctioning, and there is nothing that can be done if the welder is not up to the job. I would look into buying a used Lincoln, Miller, or Hobart 110V wirefeed welder if you want to start off on the right foot. A little Lincoln HD100 can be had for $150 and will do what you want.
In terms of wire, fluxcore wire can be used for thin guage metal without a problem, but you must keep in mind that fluxcore burns hotter than solid wire with a shielding gas. When you say that your welds aren’t holding, it means you aren’t getting proper penetration on the weld. The spotty and ugly welds point towards your travel speed being too fast where you aren’t letting the puddle form. This will also cause a lack of penetration. It would be impossible to tell you exactly how to correct everything without being there in person, but it seems that you need to either slow down your travel speed or turn up the heat to a more appropriate level. If you are working on thing stuff that is 20 gauge or smaller, you will have to do small tack welds every few inches and then return to where you started to repeat the process until the entire joint is fused together. Otherwise, you will burn through the base metal without a doubt.
The best piece of advice is to get someone who knows what they are doing to help you setup the machine and run a few beads then start welding on thicker metal you won’t burn through easily. Once you have learned to weld on thick material, you can move to the thinner stuff. Also, if you do want to make the jump to solid wire with a gas shield, use CO2 or a 75%/25% CO2/Argon mix. Straight argon is a waste of money for mild steel which most bodywork is made out of. Unless you are welding high performance vehicles that use aluminum or stainless steel, you won’t ever use straight argon, and even then, it would be better to just use TIG.
February 26th, 2010 at 6:19 am
if the wire welder doesn’t have shielding gas then the weld will be bad- a stick welder has 2 b turned down VERY low U have 2 b very good,,the amperage & feed speed have 2 b set @ a perfect rate..
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February 26th, 2010 at 6:49 am
i prefer the wire feed. i recently did some body work with mine and had the same problem. I ended up with some pretty clean welds toward the end. just had to get some practice and turn down the speed the wire came out.
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February 26th, 2010 at 7:37 am
your mig and tig welders are better than the old stick welders but you will need to practice a lot to get the feel of it, when you are welding it should sound like bacon frying
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February 26th, 2010 at 8:13 am
T.I.G is the best.Generates less heat so less structural changes to the metals being welded.Stick welding will require a small diameter rod and a low amperage.If you don’t get it right you will burn through the metal and you will create holes.Out of M.I.G, T.I.G and M.M.A (Stick welding),the stick welding generates the most heat.
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February 26th, 2010 at 8:36 am
Your wire welder is a flux core welder.. IMHO it’s the worst type of welder make. Welds will have a lot of splater, ugly like you said, and it will burn through the metal easy.
The best welder would be tig but thats $$$$ and hard to use
Next best would be a good MIG welder with sheilding gas. It’s still a wire welder, but uses solid wire and insert gas. They also have more adjustable heat range. Your campbell flux core is probbly an 85 or 90 amp welder that just has a high and low heat setting then adjustable wire speed knob.. The low setting is only 10-15 amps lower than the high setting..
You need around 24-40 amps to weld car body sheet metal
Migs are more adjustable. My horbat 140 handler is a 140 amp on high, but has 4 heat settings and will turn down to 25 amps on the lowest setting
The best deals on a full kit I can find is from welding depot on the clarke.
http://store.weldingdepot.com/cgi/weldin...
Clarke® 130EN Mig "PACKAGE – 8" Contains:
Clarke® 130EN 110 Volt 130 Amp (No Gas or Gas) Welder
WE6540 Regulator w/ Gauges
CC-MIG Industrial Welding Cart w/ handle – sold exclusively in packages from Weldingdepot!
Our #1 selling: SS2-0801 Solar Auto Darkening Helmet – sold exclusively in packages from Weldingdepot
HP-20 Cylinder 20 cu ft Argon or Argon/Co
$480
If you don’t need the bottle or plan on renting a bottle you can get the same kit – bottle for like $370
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February 26th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Stick welders are good if you want cheap and are welding thicker material. I have welded 16 gauge steel with 3/16" rod before because that is all that was available at the time, but generally, stick welding is not ideal of the thin gauge steel used for automotive bodywork. I have stick welded for years, and it isn’t something you just pick up in a few hours or a few days. It takes constant repetition to get good at, but once you master it, you can make welds as pretty as a wire feed welder.
The problem you are having is probably due to the fact that you bought a low quality Campbell welder. Even the best welders can be tripped up by a welder that is malfunctioning, and there is nothing that can be done if the welder is not up to the job. I would look into buying a used Lincoln, Miller, or Hobart 110V wirefeed welder if you want to start off on the right foot. A little Lincoln HD100 can be had for $150 and will do what you want.
In terms of wire, fluxcore wire can be used for thin guage metal without a problem, but you must keep in mind that fluxcore burns hotter than solid wire with a shielding gas. When you say that your welds aren’t holding, it means you aren’t getting proper penetration on the weld. The spotty and ugly welds point towards your travel speed being too fast where you aren’t letting the puddle form. This will also cause a lack of penetration. It would be impossible to tell you exactly how to correct everything without being there in person, but it seems that you need to either slow down your travel speed or turn up the heat to a more appropriate level. If you are working on thing stuff that is 20 gauge or smaller, you will have to do small tack welds every few inches and then return to where you started to repeat the process until the entire joint is fused together. Otherwise, you will burn through the base metal without a doubt.
The best piece of advice is to get someone who knows what they are doing to help you setup the machine and run a few beads then start welding on thicker metal you won’t burn through easily. Once you have learned to weld on thick material, you can move to the thinner stuff. Also, if you do want to make the jump to solid wire with a gas shield, use CO2 or a 75%/25% CO2/Argon mix. Straight argon is a waste of money for mild steel which most bodywork is made out of. Unless you are welding high performance vehicles that use aluminum or stainless steel, you won’t ever use straight argon, and even then, it would be better to just use TIG.
References :
Experienced welder