Spot welding is usually used to join a panel of overlapping sheet metal parts that are usually 3mm thick.
Best type of welding for sheet metal.
The main reason to use a smaller diameter wire is that it takes less heat for melting and hence the metal around the weld is not heated to a very great extent.
With 3 32 and 1 8 size rods on hand the 6011 will get the majority of your jobs done.
When welding thin metal the main objective is to avoid warping burn through and excessive heat affected zones while still ensuring the weld has enough mechanical strength for the application.
Making a patch panel take some time to make your patch a perfect fit.
Learn why mig pulsed mig tig and pulsed tig are the ideal choices when welding sheet metal.
The best all around welding rod would be the 6011 especially for the diy er and hobbyist.
For mig welding sheet metal it is often recommended to use an electrode wire of the smallest diameter to prevent burn through and warping.
The best way to weld sheet metal panels together is by butt welding which is joining them side by side see picture below.
Its primary usage is in welding auto body and sheet metal.
Keep the stick out short stickout of your mig wire is important when welding any type of metal but especially sheet metal.
Butt welded panels withstand stress better than any other type of weld joint.
Metal inert gas mig welding or gmaw this common type of welding was perfected in the 1960s.
Arc welding is best used on heavy metals of size 4mm and above and is used in repairing heavy equipment steel erection and pipeline welding as well as in the manufacturing and construction industry.
For thinner gauge sheet metal like 18 or 20 gauge we suggest 023 6mm wire in your mig welder.
The best two electrodes for welding auto body sheet metal is either ceriated tungsten or thoriated tungsten.
Because it will have you a lot more control over the whole process and it is more forgiving in case you do anything wrong.
It is a fast fill freeze rod runs on both ac dc and handles dirty contaminated jobs better than other electrodes.
Holding the tip too far from the surface will cause the wire to have to come out too far to touch the metal.
The ration of thickness should not exceed 3 1mm.
The spot welding process is one of the oldest welding methods used.
Ditch a 1 8 inch tungsten electrode for something much smaller like 1 16 inch tungsten.