Thread: What gas to use on my Lincoln 180 MIG welder?

you dont need to "waist" your money on 100% argon. all you need is mig sheild m1 (air liquid) argosheild light or universal form boc i personally use 100% co2 from my local home brew shop i onw a 2.6kg bottle outright and it costs $30 to get filled i had a argon regulator and i got a stem and nut form boc gas and gear and swoped it over. how thich it the metal that u plan on welding?

tom/wodstok

I'll be doing bits and pieces but material thickness will be from about 2mm to 6mm.

Argoshield light will do the job

the only reason i use co2 is becaust i cant justify the 120+/- a year for bottle rent! i have had no problems welding with co2 i prefer it because i have a small machine and when i was welding my work bench i was using 40x12mm flat bar so i needed the extra penatration!


tom/wodstok

Originally Posted by wodstok

the only reason i use co2 is becaust i cant justify the 120+/- a year for bottle rent!

I can't really come at the bottle rent either, as I still do a lot more stick than MIG. I've been pleasantly surprised with the quality of flux-cored welds despite all the talk of bird-poo etc. How does CO2 compare with flux core? Can you do thinner stock (1.6mm) with it, or is the penetration too fierce?

ive welded grinded 1.6mm angle and box tube and i have had no problems with it all i do is turn the ampe and voltage down if you can get a peice of copper behinde it will help disperse the heat. i have used ally and it also works but it isint as good!

tom/wodstok

If you are welding steel, then I would choose C02 every time.
With a very few exceptions argon mixes are overpriced and unnecessary. CO2 actually performs better in most situations, it's only drawback is that you cannot spray transfer with it - but then again a 180 amp welder will not spray anyway. In my 20 odd years experience C02 gives a more sound weld at lower cost than argon mixes which have the unfortunate habit of producing the odd gas pore in the root run in particular - not enough to worry most, but if working at wtia certification level a problem.
C02 is hands down a superior performer on galvanised product also BUT BEWARE of the fumes produced when welding Galvanised with ANY process. THEY CAN AND WILL BRING YOU UNDONE..
CO2 on Aluminium or Stainless - forget it. There are special gasses for these metals, (argon for ally and an argon mix for stainless).
If your welding supplier told you to use straight argon for steel then I would be finding another supplier as obviously this one has no knowledge of welding whatsoever! Straight argon should not be used for steel.

I find it harder to get a nice looking weld with co2, does'nt seem to wet in as well and you seem to get more spatter than with a mix.

It is all about set up, what you do find is that spatter from C02 does not stick as badly as spatter from argon mixes.
You will need to back off the wire speed a little from where you would run with argon mixes (for a given voltage) as C02 has a lower ionisation potential and thus needs more voltage for the same amperage (controlled by your wire speed).
Dare I say it but many of the current crop of GMAW welders are substandard, by this I mean the ebay specials and a certain brand that is painted light blue, (not cigweld). Their inductance seems all wrong and you could do better shooting wire out your A - - E! Argon mixes will mask - to a degree - their faults.
I find that CO2 has a more forgiving penetration profile, (much more akin to a stick weld profile) and if you look up the specs produces a tougher weld with better impact toughness and better ductility than argon mixes. Still not as good as low hydrogen stick welds though.
I am not totally anti argon mix however I believe that a very effective sales campaign has been waged and that CO2 is a much underrated shielding gas. If I were working heavy plate (12mm+) in the downhand position and not working to code then I would probably choose argon mix or FCAW.
If working to code I would consider a CO2 shielded root run and then argon mix.
In my own home workshop I have only one choice a DECENT Mig welder and CO2.