How To Weld Gaps In Sheet Metal

For cv mig welding on sheet metal wire diameters of 035 inch are recommended.

How to weld gaps in sheet metal.

Tack weld in place. Tack welding is the best way to hold the metal in place before you fully weld it to the original metal. When mig welding a patch panel on your car body panels you should think of leaving small gaps between the patch panel and the original metal. Make the replacement metal is not larger than the original metal or it will not fit.

Use short bursts when you weld. If you have a gap because you drilled a piece incorrectly and need to fill in one of the holes you can do that. During the welding process the metal will get hot and the gap a welder leaves will compensate for the expansion that occurs. It doesn t matter as much it it s a bit smaller because if there s a very small gap this can be filled with filler metal.

Take the time for proper fit up proper tight part fit up is especially important when welding thin materials. Working in short bursts will form a bridge between both pieces of metal. How to mig weld large gaps the right way corners. I keep blowing through my thin sheet.

Tack welds are simply small welds that barely penetrate the metal and aren t pushed or pulled to form a bead. Andy gives helpful insights and tips to mig weld thin sheet metal. Ditch a 1 8 inch tungsten electrode for something much smaller like 1 16 inch tungsten. A 100 argon shielding gas is the most common in mig welding aluminum sheet metal.

Here s a little trick i use when i come up against a gap that s a tad to big. My names matt urch and i own and run urchfab welding and fabrication.