Wire Size For Welding 20 Ga Sheet Metal

Problems with welding sheet metal.

Wire size for welding 20 ga sheet metal. Wire size amperage range. Try going for a wire of 023 inches when welding sheet metal. Move the torch faster and or reduce the amp setting of the welder and the lower the wire speed. It s recommended to use a 023 or 024 inch wire for most light gauge sheet metal work.

A er70s 6 wire would be most ideal for welding mild steel. When the material is 18 gauge and thicker you may be able to use a 030 inch wire. To weld mild steel choose an american welding society classification wire such as er70s 6 which has a weld puddle that wets out nicely. Using a thinner wire 0 30 instead of 0 35 will also help.

Each wire size offers a substantial operating range and overlap considerably. It is recommended that a welder should use 023 or 024 inch wire for light gauge sheet metal work. However if you are dealing with materials that are 18 gauge or thicker one should be able to use 030 inch welding wire. This may help you standardize on one or 2 wire sizes for most of your work.

If you are burning through the metal you re not moving the torch fast enough and or your welder is set too high. As a rule when mig welding sheet metal never use a body filler metal that is thicker than the base metal. While wire feed welding sheet metal go for short bursts of welding instead of a going on a long bead. For sheet metal i use ine welding wire and it is just as good as their flux cored wire if you want you can grab one here.

So if you are welding 12 gauge mild steel with a thickness of 0 100 you would set the machine at 100 amps. Keep the stick out short stickout of your mig wire is important when welding any type of metal but especially sheet metal. For thinner gauge sheet metal like 18 or 20 gauge we suggest 023 6mm wire in your mig welder. Holding the tip too far from the surface will cause the wire to have to come out too far to touch the metal.