Gas vs Gasless mig welding

By Howser 20/07/04@01:25

Can anyone tell me the differences between gas vs gasless mig welding ? I understand that the gas (CO2, Argon) protect the arc and pool from oxidents and that gassless wire is infused with chemicals to do kind of the same thing. Does this mean that yuo can get away with gasless when welding good quality metal and gas is really only needed for crappy metal full of contaminents like rusty body panels etc ?

gas welding

By WIZARD 20/07/04@03:21

trying not to upset you..why would you try and weld rusty metal anyways..if its not rusty its good clean metal..think about it,,good luck..

Gassless mig is just cheaper

By hztunnaman 20/07/04@03:50 4352

Gassless mig is just cheaper than using the gass. On the other hand if done incorrectly, contaminents(oxygen,or just"atmosphere")will find itself in your welds, and rust will soon set in inside the steel. With gas, even the most unco-ordinated people can get pure welds(hence the terminology"Just point and shoot").

point and shoot

By a Holden Fan o.O 28/08/06@13:15

your comments anyone can mig weld are incorrect you have to take into consideration torch angle weld speed correct gas flow rate you can still get porosity and contaminated mig welds

gas v gasless

By two heads 20/07/04@04:10 2617

Gas-less MIGs are for the hobbyist/handy-person to use at home when the unit will not be used commercally....
And the gas type is more suited to workshop conditions as they generally require a bigger machine to suit all jobs all day.
I have used a gas-less MIG in semi commercial conditions for about 5 years and have found it to be a very useful flexible unit welding everything from rotted floor pans to exhaust to bull bar mounts and it did a great job every time..only down side is the cost of the wire and when the shop runs out of wire there are no alternatives (coat hangers don't work lol)
but you don't need big heavy bottles to get in the way/drag around.
:toocool:
181

I was told by CIG that gasles

By a Holden Fan o.O 20/07/04@08:59

I was told by CIG that gasless can be quite dangerous as the wire gives off heavy metal fumes that accumulate in the body and bones and can lead to really serious health problems in the future. They recommend gasless only be used if you are wearing air breathing equipment or if you can do it outside or in a well ventilated area, but remember you are usually doing this at home and you might not be breathing the fumes but your family could be.
Personally I would rather fork out for a gas cylinder.
Some of the accumulated metals can be cleaned from the body but some don't.

johnperth

ship him east

By two heads 20/07/04@09:12 2617

John ship that CIG bloke east cause the bastards here didn't warn me about the heavy metal fallout!...and I'm too young to die.....this is something I didn't know and am going to have to look into...cheers john thanks for the warning....I used to love my gasless....
:toocool:
181

Gas Vs Gasless

By a Holden Fan o.O 20/07/04@09:32

First off I'm a boily by trade, I personally hate gasless Mig, as for the story about heavy metals I have never heard that one as directly relating to gasless Mig but it is a known fact in the trade that any form of welding causes heavy metal particles to become airborne and can cause serious health problems later in life, I know this from experience because the legend that taught me the craft is dying from Multiple schlorosis which was caused by breathing in welding fumes for 50 years(long before Mig became a common process and I can say with almost 100% certainty that he would never have used gasless Mig). As for being too young to die anyone is too young to die from breathing welding fumes.

Gas Gasless

By icecol 20/07/04@09:12 3000

You get a lot more splatter with gasless and also more heat.
The gas provides a much cleaner weld and is also a cooler weld which is more suited for car panels.

You can hire bottles for BOC on a monthly rental so if you use all of the gas and don't plan to weld for a while then you can take the bottle back and you don't pay anymore until you get a new bottle.

same same

By two heads 20/07/04@09:19 2617

I use a BIG gas type set up at the workshop/muffler shop I work at and the gasless at home and the heat/weld quality and splatter are the same for both....just depends on experience I think....but the heavy metal thing has got me worried!
:toocool:
181

gas less

By a Holden Fan o.O 06/05/08@03:05

i hav just bought a gasless mig from super cheaps auto and i have found it to be good........ so far.

Gasless mig weld quality

By a Holden Fan o.O 11/05/08@09:09

I’ve been thinking of getting a gasless mig set for myself, I understand welding is about settings, technique & practice.

What I would like to know is what the weld quality is like (porosity…) and is a gasless mig suited for steel about 1mm thick & galvanized steel. Can anyone please let me know?

In answer to the comment about fumes in welding, all arc welding emit dangerous fumes, with zinc, nickel, chrome & painted steel being highly dangerous. When welding coated steel you should use a respirator/filter, fume extraction system or even dress the weld surface areas with your grinder with a 60 grade flap dick first to remove the coated surface without removing large amounts of steel. I’ve found the latter to be affective in reducing the fumes and increasing the weld quality.

you are so right

By kranky307 09/07/08@11:13 LetsCruise 3140

It is essential for the metal to be clean for gasless welding, most paint is an insulator, and any electronic welding process needs good earth.

shed

Gasless

By HG400PREM 11/05/08@11:23 Shed LetsCruise 7275 Financial Helper

I've used gas and am now using gasless on the prem. Gas is certainly better/neater/easier. I cant justify the cost of gas per year for what i'm doing thats why I thought I would have a go with gasless.

The only thing I would emphasise with gasless is PRACTICE with it on different settings and wire speeds on scrap panels till you are happy with it. I spent quite awhile playing and fiddling (with the mig) till it was good enough for me.

Yes there is more splatter but it cleans off easy, I have a die grinder with a wire wheel in it to clean the crap off, yes it does weld hotter but i'm very satisfied with the outcome on the prem.

The gasless part

Give it a shot, you may be surprised :)

Cheers,
Shane.
*Hm Email*Wk Email*My Shed*Perth Cruise Album*

gas vs gasless

By a Holden Fan o.O 08/07/08@14:38

Hi.
I'm thinking of buying a gasless for replacing panels on my mini. Will it matter if I use gasless or should I invest in a gas one?

Frankly no

By kranky307 09/07/08@11:08 LetsCruise 3140

It Wont matter,
It wont be as easy as with gas but unless you grind the the panel/weld paper thin you will be right.
Our daily driver has numerous rust sections done gasless and we have no issues of anything cracking and all butt joints.
Having said that there is better ways of welding panels like oxy or tig but cheap they aint....
I too recommend gasless for budget concious restorers who dont need Rolls Royce quality of welds, but want significantly more longevity than the legendary"loaf of bread/newspaper/chicken wire" and Bog jobs of days of old.......
I use my Kemmpi gasless mig on sheetmetal 5 days a week
and never have a call back for weld breakage.

shed

hey guys, I have a Century

By dksob81 16/08/08@22:32

hey guys, I have a Century 90amp mig, I just got it from a friend a couple weeks ago, I am a mechanic and I do some minor welding: exhaust, body panels, etc... Well I have used a gasless set-up before and for welding light steel (body panels) it isn't that great, so I got some gas Stargold C25 sheilding gas (Argon/CO2) - well I changed the polarity of the machine to run with gas, and I am not very impressed, Accoring to the chart on my rig it says to have the voltage setting at 2 (maybe it was 3) and wire speed at 5 for welding .79mm-1.24mm thick steel, I was welding on a .85mm thick piece of sheet metal and I did not get very good penetration the arc was jumping and I could not get it to get a very good puddle, if I had it up to a 4 I would get a good puddle but it would eventually start to burn through. I changed the polarity back and same thing. I am using .030" mig wire (the copper looking wire. Am I missing something, I read alot about using the gas aspect and everyone says it's better especially for thinner metals, whats the deal?

Mate, try this site:

By a Holden Fan o.O 04/09/08@07:32

Mate, try this site: http://www.mig-weldi... I have found it unreal for mig advice.

Rodney.

Cheap ass welders

By a Holden Fan o.O 04/04/13@21:45

Iv yet to see a nice near weld done by a gasless mig welder iv used several makes and models of these so called handyman welders and found then to be down right messy.even the cheaper gas migs are so temperamental I would say if your new to welding and looking at purchasing one these units pay the extra and source a good gas unit

gassless wire in my MIG

By a Holden Fan o.O 07/09/08@11:04

I have a Clarke turbo 150 TE Can i use gassless wire in this machine

gasles mig

By FAT FJ 07/09/08@19:36

iive tried gasless mig welding also, in my opinion its crap.i have a mini regulator witch screws on to a soda stream gas bottle, and welds perfectly,if your migs new or in good nick u should get app. 3 4 hours out of a bottle welding panel steel, u can get the regulators at mitre 10, here in nz so u should be able to get them in ozzie as well, i would think, one of the most common mistakes people do when mig welding is have to much gas flow, and of corse machine set up, soda stream set up is good for doing work at ya mates place due to easy transpotation and also round the farm etc,

Marking thread (N/M)

By Holden fan... 08/09/08@01:47

"Parts for sale"
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(postcode 3380)

has any one ever used the gas

By a Holden Fan o.O 17/08/10@20:24

has any one ever used the gas / gas less migs with the disposable cylinders? just thinking of buying one and wondering how long the gas last's as the cylinders are bout sixty bucks not sure if it would be worth it or just getting rental cylinder.....if any one can help would be much appreciated

regards,
Roger

why cant you simply buy a gas

By a Holden Fan o.O 17/08/10@23:05

why cant you simply buy a gas cilinder appropriate for the product to be used and only pay for recharges? scuba divers do it, anyone who owns a fire extinguisher do it, anyone using LPG bottles do it i think so why cant you do it with the gas for migs? surely it would pay off in the long run to buy a bottle?

gas bottles

By Pugsly 18/08/10@10:58 Shed

only the small LPG cylinders can be bought, the large house ones are rented,
they make you rent them so that they can control the condition of the bottles
if you were to use the mig once or twice a month the bottle could last for years and not be tested or inspected whereas when you are being charged a monthly renal you will use it as fast as you can, and only get the size that you need.

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