Mig gas pressure?

Hi guys...

Been doing some welding outside with argon/co2 blend going... Just cranked the knob up till the welds went good. Pulled the car in and heard the woosh. Killed off a 20 bucks of gas on 5lbs of wire...

What pressure ought I be running?

I've decided that flux core on pitted rusty *** metal is a bad idea, but 20 bucks a week don't fit the budget.

Thanks

 

I run 25. To save money change over to straight co2. It works fine and is alot cheaper then a mix.

 

did you switch the polarity when you put the fluxwire in?

 

Depending on how windy it is, outside you may have to run as high as 30, but inside I run 12-15.

My 150 tank will last about 1 spool of wire.

 

I run 20 to 25 lbs of pressure, with the mix.

 

15, inside a barn, make sure there is metal under the rust before trying to weld to it. a dirty weld is a weak weld.

 

ALWAYS get the metal to bare. If it ain't clean, you're wasting your time. 12-15 for indoor welding should be good. Also, make sure you have a good ground and that the tip is clean.

 

I've had mine @ 14 for a few years now. I must have little to no wind though.

 

Fluxcore actually works better with rusty material.
Of course the cleanest weld possible is important but the flux actually helps wash away the impurities when your still have some present.

 

15 indoors.

 

Sounds like I need a bigger bottle... and forgot to switch polarity for the flux core.

Thanks guys

 

When you get a bottle, check it for leaks before you even hook it up. The gas from a leaky bottle will displace the air in your garage, make you feel nauseous, and possibly kill you. I had exchanged for a full bottle, set it in the garage, hooked it up later and welded with it some and realized it was close to empty. Checked all the connections and found the valve itself leaked. Then realized why the day before I didn't feel so good after spending a short time in the garage near where the bottle was. I took it back and they gave me a full bottle and tagged it as a leaker.
I run 15 lbs which seems to work fine.

 

I run 8-10 lbs indoors

 

I run 17psi indoors. Works great. Outdoors in the wind you're just wasting gas. Use flux-core in the wind. At 15-20psi your gas will last a good long while. ...and polarity is important.

-Ben

 

I thought that the gas meter was measureing A flow rate? (flowmeter) Not a psi rating?

 

Many home users don't have a flowmeter, but use a pressure regulator.

You're right though, the flowmeter (measures Cubic Feet per hour) is the proper tool. There are various pressure ranges to use depending on the thickness of the metal, type of metal, and type of gas.

Here's a link. Print it out, put the charts on your shop wall for reference:

Lincoln Electric

 

We just bought a new miller 110 tig machine at my shop and the darn thing comes with a double guage regulator !I swapped it out for a flow meter we had on another machine.Both my miller tigs have flow meters and I also installed one on my miller mig.Running a push /pull aluminum gun the flow meter was the only thing that would give the high flow nessary.Ask your gas supplier if they have a welders slide rule it's just a cardboard scale that lists weld setups for different materials and processes.set the slide on weld type and material gives you a starting point.these are usually available if you ask most times they come with a sales reps buisness card in a little window as advertising.flux core and gas will improve penatration when ya really need it