SiPMerlin150
Member
- Messages
- 987
- Location
- Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Today, i was assigned the task of tacking on a new panel section of a rear wing to an old ford. Never before had i used a mig welder, watched people doing it though in the garage, (I say watched, but more listened and looked at welds afterwards and between whilst the fella was cutting out more steel pieces)
Oldish looking Lincoln Electric 'compact 185' (big metal box, not compact!)
200 amps or so, with a massive bottle of CO2, i opened the cylinder, set the gas on around 17 - 20 liters per minute (a little drafty near the recovery truck bay) and set the wire speed to 8, and the power to 2, and away i went! 
4 sucessful plug welds and 30 or so tacks spaced an inch apart, and no blow throughs. Ground the welds down and left it to the bodywork guy to carry on.
I can see how it is a quick way to construct things and not have to stop and change a rod. I'm not being big headed, but I found it very easy to use.
The only problem i had was my auto visor kept falling off my head whilst i lay down next to the car to plug weld the sill
Oldish looking Lincoln Electric 'compact 185' (big metal box, not compact!)
200 amps or so, with a massive bottle of CO2, i opened the cylinder, set the gas on around 17 - 20 liters per minute (a little drafty near the recovery truck bay) and set the wire speed to 8, and the power to 2, and away i went! 4 sucessful plug welds and 30 or so tacks spaced an inch apart, and no blow throughs. Ground the welds down and left it to the bodywork guy to carry on.
I can see how it is a quick way to construct things and not have to stop and change a rod. I'm not being big headed, but I found it very easy to use.
The only problem i had was my auto visor kept falling off my head whilst i lay down next to the car to plug weld the sill
