Common Mig Welding Mistakes – Avoidance and Quality

There is a lot that can go wrong with Mig welding. The common mistakes associated with this type of welding and how to get it right are all mentioned below. If those mistakes are taken care of, Mig welding will be easy to do. 

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Welding is an awesome skill. Not all can be able to weld and persistently stick to this career. That is why when your welders perform this kind of task, make sure they are well versed about it for their own safety and better work productivity.

For Mig welding, there is a lot that can go wrong with this type of welding. The frequent mistakes associated with Mig welding and how to get it right are all mentioned below by VMST – a veteran provider of welding manpower. 

COMMON MIG WELDING MISTAKES

• The parts to be welded have to be very clean. Dirt and paint should not be there when the parts are being welded. This is a general mistake made by a rookie welder. If the parts and the surface to be welded aren’t clean, the weld won’t be proper and a bad weld will be the consequence. 

• While Mig welding, you need use the right type of gas. Some people may tend to use cheap variety of gas. It will be cheap to just use carbon dioxide, but a mixture of gases will generate the desired result and good welding. 

• If the polarity is wrong, the weld bead that is created won’t look good. 

• The sizes of contact tip should be right. 

• The speed shouldn’t be too slow or too fast.

• During welding, the wind should be blocked and should lead to proper shielding.

• If the welding is really cool on a big piece of material, proper welding won’t take place. 

• The sizes of welding machine should be right. A very small machine for a very large material won’t do the work properly. 

• The components of wire feeders – for example, contact tips, liner and other parts should be properly maintained to give the desired result of proper welding.

• The filler material should have the right tensile strength. If this is not correctly matched, the result won’t be right. 

• When welding up a joint, some welders leave too large or uneven of the gap in between two panels that they’re joining. You may want a really small gap on some joints, but in most cases, there will be next-to-no gap between the panels when welding. Too large of a gap, then you will have trouble with the bead burning away the panel edges and enlarging the gap. 

So it’s necessary to follow some rules to get Mig welding right. 

HOW TO GET MIG WELDING RIGHT

1. Cleanliness is the King – There are times you can’t always get your work area surgically clean when Mig welding. Still, you should take every step possible to do it if you expect a clean, strong weld. Your work area should be free of all grease, rust and coatings. This can be done with a wire wheel or a grinder.

2. Set up Mig welding machine properly - It has 3 settings: voltage, wire speed feed, and shielding gas flow rate. On the interior panel of Mig welder, there will be the chart that will give you the correct setting for different materials according to their thickness. The shield gas flow rate should be protected from surrounding air. 

3. Check your polarity settings – If you’re welding with the solid wire, set your machine to the reverse polarity (DCEP – Direct current electrode positive). But if you’re welding with flux core Mig wires, you may want to use the DCEN setting (Direct current electrode negative). You should also experiment a little on some scrap metal. Indeed, you should definitely practice on scrap metal if you are not sure which setting is right!

4. Check your ground - You welder is poorly or inconsistently welding, even after you tested your settings on some scrap metal? A chance is that you have a poor ground. Besides having as clean of a work area as possible, you need a clean surface to ground your machine. If you don’t have a good spot to clamp to, then tack weld a stud or a bolt to your work area to get a good continuous ground.  

5. Check your gas – To make a clean weld, the weld puddle needs purifying whilst it is being formed. This is where the shielding gas is brought into play. It is one of other essential keys to producing a clean weld. Make sure you have a sufficient amount of gas coming out of nozzles when welding; the amount needed can vary by the conditions that you’re welding (try to be out of such direct moving air as wind, fans, etc.) and the surfaces that you’re welding on. Mig welding can be done with machines only using flux core Mig wire though, you’re suggested to choose a Mig welder which is versatile enough to use gas as well. Welding with shielding gas is the best way to create the cleanest weld with little-to-no cleanup. 

6. Use the proper welding technique - The welding technique for all welding types is the same. People use the weave technique with a side to side motion, or the whipping technique with a back to forth motion, a circular motion. Whatever technique is used, the wire stickout shouldn’t exceed three-fourth of an inch. Otherwise, the shielding gas won’t be able to do the work properly.

7. Stickout has influence - When setting up your machine, you need make sure that you have your contact tip sticking out the right amount for the welding type you are doing. The rule of thumb is that the welding tip has less than ½" of stickout. You can get away with a bit more if you’re welding on the thinner sheet metal (body panels, etc.). Still, you need stick in that range for just about all applications. Always check your stickout each time before welding.

8. Proper joint construction – Take time to put together an even, tight gapped joint. Doing so will better the final appearance and the strength of the job. The proper joint prep can be panel holding system, intergrip panel clamps, welding clamp plier set.  

A good welding helmet helps with your final weld quality.

9. Use auto-dimming helmet – Static darkness welding helmet works ok if you’re in a really well light area or if you’re good at flipping down your helmet and striking an arc in quick motion at the same time. Still, with today's advancements in the welding accessories, it isn’t necessary anymore. Now you can find cost-efficient, quality auto dim welding helmets quite easily. Being comfortable when welding helps you better your weld quality and allows you to see your work area properly before, during and after you weld.

10. The angle matters – The tip angle when welding can also really important. Ideally, you should be straight on when you’re doing quick spot or plugging welds, whilst keeping roughly a 10 degree angle when welding with the pulling or pushing method is satisfactory.  

11. Choose the correct wire size - ‘Bigger is better’ doesn’t always hold true in this case. It is also dependent on the welding type you’re doing and the surface you’re welding on. If you’re mostly working with such thin metal as body panels of a car, you would want to use .023 solid core wire. That will allow you to keep down the temps as opposed to using a much thicker wire. And in case you didn’t know, too much heat is equal to metal warpage. Keep in mind though, if you’re doing chassis or suspension work that the metal is substantially thicker, you would want to use .30 or .35 solid core wire. This will ask for 110 machines to run at the higher end of voltage spectrum. 

12. Be safe - There are lots of hazards of welding, lots of them are pretty obvious, whilst others can be easily overlooked. Make sure you wear the proper attire when welding. That means long pants, leather welding gloves, welding jacket, closed toe shoes. Dressing properly can save you from being seriously burnt from the intense heat and light generated when welding. Also, keep in mind that you need keep your work area safe. Rather, cover or remove all flammable objects from the work area, and allow for proper ventilation from any fumes that can be generated when welding. 

13. Give regular Mig maintenance - One of easiest ways to make your Mig gun run more seamlessly is to replace the liner. A wire, oftentimes, will start to jam or at least run less smooth than before. Still, if you keep some liners handy, you will be prepared to get a new one when you need it. The loss of weld quality, loss of time on task, and the like make some investment in a new liner worth it. Also, take time to clean out spatter for the Mig gun and replace the torch tip when necessary. When you can keep a steady flow of electrode into weld puddle, Mig welding works best. 

There are lots of things that can go wrong while Mig welding though, by putting these tips into practice, you will be able to avoid some of most common mistakes that come up while Mig welding. 

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Top 12 Disadvantages of Mig Welding that You Should Know

Mig welding is a widely used arc welding process. Like other processes, it has disadvantages aside from advantages. Know well about its downsides to avoid mistakes with this process and improve weld quality and productivity.

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Top 16 Advantages of Mig Welding that You Should Know

Despite its paybacks, Mig welding has some drawbacks that you should grasp well.

1. Sensitivity to contaminants

Mig welding process can only deal with low-to-moderate levels of surface contaminants like mill scale, rust, oil, dirt and paint. All those have potential to cause such problems as incomplete fusion, porosity, poor bead appearance, and even cracking.

2. Sensitivity to wind 

The shielding gas used for this process can be easily blown away when welding takes place outdoor. Even inside, a fan or a wind draft of 5 mph can be enough to induce porosity in welding.

3. Limited positions

High heat input of a Mig welder and fluidity of welding puddle aren’t suited to overhead or vertical welding. Whilst some welders never think of welding in one of those positions, take this factor into account when deciding whether to buy a Mig welder to ensure it can accomplish all of the tasks planned for it.

4. Lack of fusion 

Owing to the ability to weld at low currents, Mig welding has the potential for incomplete fusion welding defect when operating in short-circuit mode. Ensure you always apply the proper procedure for the thickness of material you’re welding. 

5. Portability problem

Moving the welding equipment mayn’t be that difficult though, you also have to deal with the high pressure cylinders containing the shielding gas. Proper care must be taken.

6. Open arc process 

Like most welding processes, Mig welding is an open arc process. Proper care must be taken to shield the welder and by-standers from harmful UV rays.

7. Fast cooling rates

The welded metal will cool at higher rates because they are not covered with slag when the weld is completed.

8. Shielding gas

It can take time to replace the shielding gas bottles, and they can get in the way whilst welding.

9. Time for metal preparation

Before you weld with a Mig welder, the material has to be free of dirt or rust for a good weld got and safety’s sake.

10. Difficulty getting into tight places

The gun is hard to get into tight places.

11. The equipment is pretty complex

The equipment is rather complex, since this process require a direct current source, a constant source, flow of gas, and continuously moving wire electrode. Also, electrodes are available in various sizes and made from numerous metal types to match the welding application.

12. Learning curve associated with Mig welding

As the actual technique employed is different from conventional welding practices, there is learning curve related to Mig welding, even for veteran welders. For instance, Mig welders need push the welding puddle along the seam and away from them.

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Top 16 Advantages of Mig Welding that You Should Know

Those advantages of Mig welding can reason why this process is most widely used process in many countries.

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Top 12 Disadvantages of Mig Welding that You Should Know

Mig welding advantages and disadvantages are commonly determined by kind of Mig welder as well as the nature of the job. Before discussing the upsides and downsides to this process, it’s important to first clarify which Mig welder to use and where it will be used.

Mig welders comes in 1-Phase, 3-Phase and combination 1 and 3-Phase. 1-Phase Mig welders typically have a 115 or 230 VAC, and are used in farms and ranches, home garages, body shops, general repairs, small maintenance work, art work, light fabrications.

Meanwhile, combination 1 and 3-Phase Mig welders give a bit more flexibility for welding. They can finish well the same things as the 1-Phase Mig welder while they are also employed for light manufacturing and fabrication.

Once you know you will be doing the kind of work requiring a Mig welder, you will be able to assess its advantages and disadvantages. Many welding workers would argue that the upsides far outweigh the downsides.

1. Higher productivity

Many welders enjoy higher productivity as a result of time saved by not having to change constantly rods or chip away slag, and not having to repeatedly brush the weld. They are able to work cleaner and faster.

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2. Low cost equipment

You just need invest less than $600 in a welding machine from such reputable manufacturers as Lincoln Electric or ITW. Adding some dollar for shielding gas and Mig wire, you are welding for $700 or less.

3. Low cost consumables

Out of all the processes, consumables for Mig welding cost the least. Mig wire from a large box store is less than $3 per pound, and from a local industrial distributor is closer to $2 per pound.

4. High deposition rates

Especially when compared to stick welding. With Mig welding process, the deposition rates are around 10 pounds per hour (deposited weld metal).

5. Low hydrogen deposits

Unlike stick electrodes and flux-cored wires, solid doesn’t pick up moisture. That’s why it deposits welds consistently with low diffusible levels of hydrogen.

6. Can weld just about every metals

Just by changing the filler wire and sometimes the shielding gas, you can weld stainless steel, carbon steel, nickel alloys, aluminum.

7. Low levels of spatter

Low spatter can be attained by selecting right mode of metal transfer. Pulse, and spray welding can bring this benefit.

8. Unlimited thickness

Mig welding process can be used to weld light gage material and even unlimited thickness by using multiple passes. There need higher amperage and appropriate joint configuration to weld.

9. Easy to learn

Mig welding is easier to learn than stick welding or Tig welding. It takes just a few hours for welders to learn how to Mig weld, and some instructors claim that they can offer basic training in 20 minutes - with most of the time spent on cleaning the weld.

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10. Clean and efficient

Since Mig welding uses a shielding gas for the arc protection, very few alloying elements are lost as metal transfers across the arc. There isn’t slag to remove, which is common for stick welding. Also, just very little weld spatter is produced. Following a brief clean-up, Mig welders can be back on the job thanks to minimal clean-up required.

11. High electrode efficiencies

Mig process gives efficiencies of 93-97%. That means when buying 100 pounds of Mig wire, you can deposit 93-97 pounds of weld metal. Such processes as stick welding has electrode efficiencies of about 65%. This is because of loss from spatter, slag and not consuming the entire electrode.

12. Input voltages

With electric service, you can weld. Smaller machines can operate on 115 volt input. Those machines are limited to around ¼” weld thickness. Some of newer industrial machines can run anywhere from 208 – 575 input voltage on single or 3-phase circuits. Also, Mig welding machines often can run off of the portable generators.

13. Simple and good welds

Mig welding gives better visibility of weld pool. This process is simple, and auto-feed wire offers better control. With Mig welding, it is not hard to produce a great-looking weld.

14. Versatile

Versatility of Mig welding is undeniable. Mig can weld various metals and alloys, whilst operating in various ways – for example, semi, and fully automatic. Mig welding is helpful for many home welding projects. It’s also used by numerous industries. This technique is used for copper, aluminum, mild steel, stainless steel, magnesium, nickel, and lots of their alloys, and iron and most of its alloys. 

15. Faster welding speed

The continuously fed wire would keep both hands free for Mig welding, which enhances welding speed, weld quality, and overall control.

16. Can be used in thin materials

Mig welding process can be quite easily used on thin materials if properly set. GTAW can be used on thin materials, too, but in such cases as Auto Body, Mig welding wins hands down.

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Mig Welding Basics that Your Welders Must Master (Part 1)

Below are important Mig welding basics that welders must grasp as tightly as possible.

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Mig welding is the most popularly used of the arc welding processes, suited for everything from small fabrications, repairs to large structures, shipbuilding, and robotic welding. Mig can be applied in a wide range of materials and thicknesses. Importantly, your Mig welders grasp those Mig welding basics to serve well their work, and refine their skills in this widely used welding process to produce more qualified welds and further their career. 

What is Mig welding?

Mig (Metal Inert Gas) is also referred to as GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding). This is the most widely welding process in the world for various reasons. It is fast, cost effective and welders can be easily trained to create quality work.

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Gas or flux

The welding process creates extreme amounts of heat that breakdown chemicals in the air into smaller molecules. Those substances then can contaminate the weld. 

The process generates a small electromagnetic field, which can also contaminate the weld. Weld contamination may (not) be visible to naked eye after the weld is finished. That’s why the weld can fail or show failure signs at a later time. Welders have 2 options to control contamination – use a flux core wire or use gas.

Using gas requires welders first source a welding supply or gas supply house for proper mix of gas provided, which is commonly a mix of CO2 and Argon for Mig welding carbon steel (also, mild steel).

Flux core welding wire includes a shielding substance for weld protection. Better portability is the advantage here, because there is no heavy gas rank to drag around with the welder. The disadvantage is the mess, since flux core welding often leave more spatter.  

Mig welding on mild steel and on aluminum

Mig welding can be applied for most types of metals – steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. Still, welding aluminum is far from similar to welding mild steel, as aluminum is different from steel. Then when welding aluminum, welders have to use other settings and other parameters. For instance, as aluminum has lower melting temperature than mild steel, welders should use a higher local heat input but faster welding speed than with steel for good fusion and penetration. The welding sets would automatically adjust welding parameters, then the welder can focus on the welding operation, movement of welding gun and weld pool.

The machined-controlled parameters are, for instance, wire feed speed, arc voltage, gas consumption, wire diameter. Still, even if they are machine controlled, welders have to feed them into machine before starting to weld. During the welding process, the welding set can adjust relationship between those parameters. If they are set correctly, welders just have to focus on length of stick-out, angle of welding gun and welding speed. Then in many ways, Mig welding process is easier than metal arc welding.

Mig welding can be used with numerous metals, but there are some differences that welders should beware. Mig welding on mild steel and aluminum is a good example. The biggest differences between those 2 welding methods are choosing shielding gas and levels of ampere and voltages. Also, of course, the method used for metal transfer. Types of transfer can be listed as spray arc transfer, pulsed transfer, and dip transfer (also, short arc).

The spray arc transfer has higher arc voltage and amperage that short arc transfer. It is typically used on materials of different properties and thicknesses.

Shielding gas is chosen depending on metals to be welded. When welding aluminum, welders often use a mixture of argon and helium, or argon. Meanwhile, welding steel needs CO2. 

One problem with welding aluminum is to be able to see whether the weld you are doing will be right. Often, this problem can be handled by watching the welding pool. You can see from the material penetration, and from the weld flow, whether the welded joint is Ok or not. You can see whether the amperage and voltage levels are set right, or if the amperage is too low. That is something you can learn from experience.

One of most significant factors when welding is the current level. Without the current right, welders can make mistakes when Mig welding aluminum than when welding with coated electrodes. It is also important to clean the prepared joints. They can be cleaned with stainless steel wire brush, cleaning fluid. The fluid is, indeed, alcohol. It smells terrible. Still, welders can use welding masks with fresh air supply and use them when cleaning and welding. 

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Safety first

Mig welding has very specific safety issues as compared with other processes. Following is basic safety equipment needed:

• Welding helmet with the shade 10 or 11 lens reliant on the voltage welded with for eye protection from UV radiation.

• Safety glasses to protect welder’s eyes from sparks as well as flying spatter from cleaning the weld.

• Leather gloves to insulate the welder from electric shock and burns from sparks and heat. In some cases, welding gloves come with a reflective coating to tackle the head of welding heavy plate.

• Long pants and sleeves made of cotton, leather or fire retardant material to protect the welder’s skin from UV rays as well as hot metals. Good sun block also helps the skin areas without clothing.

• Leather booths to protect the welder’s feet from sparks and molten metals that will fall.

• Good ventilation to get rid of shielding gasses but not take them away from the weld area.

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42 Sample Interview Questions for Mig Welders

Helpful Mig welder interview questions you can refer to get prepared for the interview and find out the best possible people for your company!

There need successful recruiting solutions to find out right people for your company. They not just need to respond well to your requirements for behavioral and technical skills but a good fit to your company culture. Interview round can help you qualify and differentiate candidates. To help you looking out great Mig welders, here are some sample questions that you can refer to come up with good welding interview questions. 

Basic Interview

1. Is money or work more important to you?

2. Have you done this kind of work before?

3. Have you gone above and beyond your duty? If so, please give example.

4. What steps do you follow to learn about a problem before decision making?

5. Can you work effective under pressure? If so, please tell me how you did it?

Job Skills Interview

6. Where did you learn welding skills? At a vocational school, private school, community college, or any other? What skills have you learned? Do you think they will serve well for this position?

7. Do you have any Mig welding certification?

8. Please tell me how to read blueprints? 

9. Are you a careful person? Do you pay attention to detail when welding?

10. How do you understand about electricity?

11. What skills does a Mig welder need have?

12. What essential welding skills do you think are needed to do this position?

Competency Interview

13. Please give an example that best demonstrates your organization skill.

14. What is your reaction when you faced constant time pressure?

15. What techniques and tools do you apply to keep yourself organized?

16. Why did you choose to pursue this career?

17. How do you feel when saying no to a request?

Behavioral Interview

18. Can you work well under pressure?

19. Do you prefer to work on a team or independently?

20. What have learned from mistakes on the job?

21. What kind of personalities have you worked best with? Why?

22. Has anything about people you have worked with irritated you?

Interview about Communication Skills

23. What have you been doing since your last job?

24. What related experience have you had?

25. What do you think this job post involves?

26. What type of working environment do you prefer?

27. What irritates you about other people?

Situational Interview

28. How do you meet a tight deadline?

29. What do you think about traveling for work? Would you be willing to travel for work?

30. What parts of your education do you see as related to this position?

31. Please describe a time that you faced stresses testing your skills.

32. Do you have qualities and skills needed for succeeding in your career?

Interview about Strengths and Weaknesses

33. How have you changed in last 5 years?

34. What are 3 positive traits that you don’t have?

35. How do you see your job relating to the overall goals?

36. Please tell about a time that you successfully dealt with a situation?

37. What do you believe are your key strong points?

Must-Ask Culture Fit Interview

38. Why do you want to work in our company? What are your expectations?

39. Who inspires you? And why?

40. What is your superpower? (Everyone has his/her own superpower. It’s the trait he/ she would pull off in times of difficulties.)

41. What motivates you to go to work every day?

42. How do you rely on others to make you better?

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How to Mig Weld Aluminium Using Spool Gun

Mig weld aluminium using spool gun can sometimes be easy and sometimes can be a big difficulty. Read more here to grasp tips of avoiding soot and other helpful tips, know how to smooth this welding process and create the quality welds that you will be proud of.

Specified below are Mig welding tips and techniques that can work best along the way you weld; rather, the information will help you with Mig welding aluminium using spool gun.

The time you start learning about Mig welding aluminium, to get lots of contact tips is one of first things you should do.

This is more significant than you may think as tips suffering from a burn back due to aluminium melting to the tip are inducing to reuse, but can give you more trouble if you do.

To this end, aluminium isn’t similar to steel. Usually, we work on steel reusing Mig tips, which isn’t a big deal. Still, it’s another story as far as aluminium comes. Aluminium Mig wire is far softer and more prone to wire feeding issues.

It doesn’t mean that we can not re-use them. But it would take some more work to get rid of aluminium, drill out the tip, and ensure the hole is evened out without inhibiting wire feeding. To say nothing about the fact that any burr of tip can result in inconsistent arc or burn-back, which just frustrates the whole affair.

Each of contact tips is about one dollar, and that’s not costly enough to need a loan but also not worth the irritating inconvenience they can bring about from trying to re-use them when you have any burn-back.

So you are suggested to save your burn-back tips in times you have no other alternative or when you have time to re-dress them using a drill, sander, or oxy-fuel tip cleaner.

What induces to black soot when Mig welding aluminium?

Mig welding Aluminium - Sooty weld (Photo cr: Jody Collier)

Black soot is aluminium oxide, which is bizarre since aluminium oxide is considered white in colour while something related to small particles of soot makes it change the direction of light in a way that it turns out to look black.

The carburettor set too rich also causes soot. And it’s due to inefficient burn.

The inefficient burn can result from inappropriate settings – for example, excessive wire speed. Also, it can be the consequence of insufficient argon shielding from poor torch angle, a leak or inadequate flow at the flow-meter.

Sometimes, it takes certain trial and error to figure the settings that result in a soot-free weld. 

As seen from the video, the man had some issues with the Hobart spool gun.

After some trouble shooting, he figured that the pattern of gas shielding was bad, which causes the black soot.

It adds up after learning so, and he added a scotch brite piece for a diffuser, and things go better as such.

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Gun angle?

A push angle helps a lot when it comes to Mig welding aluminium.

That is mainly because the push angle would place the argon shielding over the arc as well as other hot puddle areas that will be under oxidization if being improperly shielded from the atmosphere.

Still, what if the weld position or position of other objects inhibit the use of a push angle? Then just pull. But rising a bit the gas flow rate sometimes works.

And sooting isn't a big deal all the time. For multi-pass welds, you will want to brush the soot all over with a stainless wire brush.

Why preheat?

Preheating thick aluminium (Photo cr: Jody Collier)

Aluminium is electrically and thermally conductive, which means it quickly scatters heat.

That isn’t a problem in case of Mig welding aluminium 1/8" (3.2mm) - 1/2" ( 25mm) thick. 

Still, a preheat is highly encouraged for truly thick aluminium. A preheat in the range of 200 to 250f can help a lot this case whether you’re Mig or Tig welding aluminium.

What is the best stick-out when Mig welding aluminium?

Short stick-out would be used for short-circuit Mig. Still, spray transfer is applied in case of Mig welding aluminium. A short stick-out this case can burn up the tips whilst a longer stick-out (about 3/4”) would work better for the spray transfer.

What is the best type and size of wire to use?

4043 is preferred over 5356 when it comes to general work. In most cases, 4043 gives better flow and less sooting.

Still, sometimes, 5356 is called for because of anodization of post weld. Or perhaps this wire is defined on a drawing.

What should be the diameter of wire?

A good rule of thumb is to employ the largest diameter of wire.

In this video, the man was employing .035" ( .9mm) wire as it was the largest size of tip he had. 

But for 1/8" (3.2mm) and above, he often likes to use 3/64" (1.2mm). The wire of this diameter appears to be more consistent and robust for general spool gun work.

(Above information and video are taken with credit from Jody Collier.)

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9 Helpful Mig Welding Tips for Brand-New Welders from Pros

Useful Mig welding tips and hints that new welders should take note of...

Pocket tips and hints help out a lot along the process welders do their welds. Both managers and welders expect a quality welds approved by inspectors and without any customer complaints. That’s why helpful tips collection is often highly appreciated. It will be more appreciated if they are from the experienced, skilled and successful persons. Below are some useful Mig welding tips from pros that newbies can get to enrich their welding knowledge and hone their skills.

Try to become a successful welder by persistently learning skills, pocketing tips and working hard.

Mig welding (also, Metal Inert Gas Welding) is considered a welding technique that the filler metal is a supplier of power current and maintains arc. Thanks to inner gas – commonly, Argon, the arc would be shielded from air access. This process would combine two pieces of metal using a consumable wire with an electrode current connected.

1. Keep 1/4” – 3/8 in stick-out all the times. The stick-out acts as the electrode extending from the tip off your contact tube.

2. For thin metal, always apply a smaller diameter. You can employ a larger machine and a larger wire for thicker metals.

3. Always employ an appropriate shielding gas. CO2 commonly makes a good penetration into steel welds. Still, for thin metals, it can be too hot.

4. Only have Argon in use when you work with aluminium.

5. There are 2 typical types of wire when welding on steel. When working with dirty or rusty steel, use the ER70S wire.

6. Most control the weld bead. Always direct the wire toward the weld pool’s leading edge.

7. Always try to point the gun possibly straightest whilst you are welding.

8. If possible, you should weld using both hands, which will enable you to work with the guns kept steady.

9. Always keep your wire dry and clean to avoid any contaminants that can worsen your welds.

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24 Important Facts about Mig Welding

Important facts about Mig welding for your refreshing knowledge of this universal welding process.

Welding is a hard work. That’s why there needs some relaxing time to refresh yourself after all sweat, even burns you have sacrificed. Below are some facts about Mig welding that will help polish your knowledge and give you some ‘wise’ relaxation. This below list can also used as the note-taking sheet for brand-new welders to remember the key points of Mig welding and all welders to recall basics of this process. Hope you heart it!

• Mig welding is another name of Metal Inert Gas Welding.

• Developed in the 1940s.

• Considered a semi automatic welding process

• First called Gas Metal Arc (also, GMA, Gas Metal Arc Welding). There are some different Mig welding names as a result of types of gas used (Inert gas vs. non-inert gas).

• Mig welders have a handle with a trigger. The trigger controls the wire feed.

• Most used in fabrication shops that come with high production and unlikeness of wind blowing away the gas shielding.

• Employs a consumable wire electrode during the welding process fed from different spool sizes.

• Unlike just about all other welding processes, Mig welding includes one standard polarity type and voltage type. The voltage is direct current (DC). The polarity is DC electrode positive.

• The power source for Mig welding is ‘constant voltage power supply’ while Tig and Arc welding uses ‘constant amperage power supply’.

• Mig wire/ electrode types are associated with types of metal to be welded, type of transfer, abrasive resistance, position to be welded.

• Common Mig welding electrodes are the solid wire of thickness ranged from .023, .030, .035, to .045.

• Requires use of a shielding gas.

For those who may be interested in:

What is Your Definition of Mig Welding?

8 Useful Tips for Mig Welding

• 3 common types of gas for shielding in Mig welding are: Argon, Carbon Dioxide, Helium.

• The shielding gas used needs be a match with the electrode, and base metal.

• 4 transfer types used in Mig welding are short circuit, globular, spray, and pulsed spray.

• Transfer types are associated with metal type, shielding gas, and machine settings.

• Just about every metal can be Mig welded.

• Weld area is critically clean.

• Brings out a uniform, clean weld bead.

• Brings out a weld bead free of slag.

• Maintained by shielding gas.

• Facilitates welding in all positions.

• Produces long welds without repeated starts or stops.

• Requires less clean-up.

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What is Your Definition of Mig Welding?

 Below specify definition of MIG welding along with its pros and cons. Read on and don’t hesitate to leave your viewpoints of this process.

You may also be interested in:

8 Useful Tips for Mig Welding

MIG welding (also, Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)) involves a process that takes advantage of a persistently fed solid electrode, shielding gas from an external supply, and electric power for melting the electrode and depositing this molten material in the welding joint. The equipment employed automatically regulates the electric characteristics of the arc. The welder is required of the only manual control (travel speed, travel direction and gun positioning). As far as appreciate equipment settings come, the power supply will give the needed amperage for melting the electrode at the required rate to maintain the pre-selected arc length (voltage). For instance, a higher stick-out resulted from drawing the torch back from the work piece leads to a decrease in current from the power source. That way maintains the similar electrode heating and returns the arc length to its pre-set condition. The selection of filler metal should be closely associated with the base material to be welded. Regarding MIG welding, the filler metal helps reinforce the completed welding joint aside from conducting current to the arc zone (and melting base metal and electrode as a result).

MIG welding can be employed on various metals, and base metals of numerous different thicknesses. Its successful application is related to the appropriate selection of:

• Electrode (composition, diameter, packaging)
• Shielding gas (type, purity, flow rate)
• Process variables (current, voltage, mode of metal transfer and travel speed)
• Equipment (power supply source, welding gun, wire feeder)

Why Use MIG Welding?

• MIG welding is a high-productivity, low-cost welding process
• It can be used for welding all types of metals and alloys commercially available
• Welding can work in all positions with right selection of equipment and parameters
• Using a persistently fed electrode maintains a high duty cycle and minimizes the defect occurrences
• In-depth weld penetration can be gained, which enables the employment of small weld sizes for equal weld strengths in some applications
• There requires minimal after-weld clean-up as a result of the absence of a slag cover on the weld bead
• Welding speeds and rates of weld metal deposition are higher than those got with stick welding
• Perfect for multi-pass welding (with appropriate filler metal selection)
• Less manual skill is required comparatively to stick welding
• Fume rates come at really low levels as compared to stick welding and flux cored welding
• Compositions and diameters of filler metal are widely selected for welding thick or thin material
• This process is perfect for mechanized welding.
• This process provides enhanced electrode deposition efficiency in comparison with stick welding and FCAW
• Welds of X-ray quality can be produced.

What are Downsides to MIG Welding?

• Weld equipment is considered more complex, more costly and less portable compared to stick welding
• It is difficult for the required welding torch to reach into the constricted areas. Plus, the good gas shielding is needed, which makes the torch be quite closer to the weld area.
• The welding arc with its gas shield is necessarily protected from drafts, which may cause the shielding to be blown away from the arc. This doesn’t facilitate the use of this process outdoors unless the protective shields are placed around the working area
• Pretty high levels of radiated heat and light might cause operator’s discomfort, initial resistance to the process
• Burn-through commonly occurs when welding especially thin materials (smaller than 1/16”)
• Pertaining to traditional transfer when welding out of position, rates of weld metal deposition are less than those obtained with flux cored welding
• This process fails to perform well in which base metal contamination is an issue. The base metal is required to be clean and rust-free
• Lacking in fusion defects may induce where process parameters are wrongly set. This is extremely critical when welding base metals are thicker than 1/4”

Are you finishing this read? What is your definition of MIG welding? Your opinions of its pros and cons? 

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8 Useful Tips for Mig Welding

Make use of those tips to better your MIG welds!

While being trained at school, more experienced after practical work, Vietnam welders are also encouraged to draw lessons along the way and utilize welding tips to smooth their work process and perfect their finished products. There are useful tips as related to Mig welding that welders can make best use during their work.

1. Always begin with clean materials

To work with contaminated or dirty materials is the fastest to ruin a weld. Take it a note to always clean up the workpiece you are about to weld and ensure the metal is really clean and contaminate free. Examples of things that can contaminate the weld include rust, corrosion, old paint, grease, oil, or just plain dirt. Better the weld by getting it off.

2. Use the best possible welding wire for Mig welding.

This will pay off in better welds. Then get the best possible wire you can afford. Of course, you can save money buying inferior wire. Sure there is plentiful rubbish out there in the market, but it won’t last long. Your welds will just end up being poor quality and having to be redone later.

For Mig wire, always find the one with nice copper coating, accurate dimensions and without being oversized at any point along its length.

3. When you can, always use an auto darkening welding helmet

You sure will pay a little more, which will make up for the extra time you would earn to grind and redo your work. Rather, it takes some more pay to avoid lag time and have better weld. Using an auto-darkening helmet, you will kill the lag time from when you begin your weld, to when a standard helmet is flipped down into place. That very brief moment of time can make you lose track of your welding path and cause lots of extra worker afterwards because you have to grind, redo your work.

4. Always use the Earth clamp

As the welding process is just like a high voltage electric circuit, any circuit break can induce welding problems. A good clamp with a strong spring just prices around $20, and is worthy of money. One way for eliminating those circuit breaks is using a good Earth clamp, and making ready for the metal underneath by sanding off any corrosion or paint.

Bear in mind that a bad ground is one of the biggest Mig welding problems. Always ensure that your clamp comes with a good, clean ground surface for clamping onto; otherwise, you will be in trouble before you get started.

5. Get a good tip for Mig welding

You need a good Mig welding wire for good weld production. Also, you need quality contact tips. There are many cheap contact tips on the market these days; the internal surface of the tunnel that the wire feeds through can be rough or uneven. That can result in fickle or unstable welding arcs, inconsistent wire feeding, and other problems.

6. When Mig welding, use the right shielding gas

You can use directly CO2 when Mig welding though, a 75% argon and 25% CO2 mixture is rather much standard in the welding industry.

7. Have the Mig welder set to the right polarity

Just remember that when Mig welding, polarity is associated with the type of welding wire you use. If you use bar wire, you will need reverse polarity electrode positive for a good weld. For flux core welding wire, you will need reverse the polarity.

Because Mig welding machine doesn’t include a switch for polarity change, you will have to do this manually.

8. Use a good anti spatter compound

If welding is done with flux core wire, welding spatter is part of the process. Still, you can decrease the spatter for cleaner welds by using a good anti spatter compound like LPS aerosol 02116. Another upside of the LPS compound is that it is water based and non toxic, then unlike some cheaper compounds, it won’t do any extra damage to welder’s health.

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Welder from Vietnam (Vietnam Manpower JSC)

We are Recruitment Company in Vietnam, we supply Vietnamese Workers to Oversea recruitment such as: Multi-Welders, Asphalts, Carpenters, Electricians, Form workers, Fabricators, Pipe Fitters, Masons, Plasterers, Spray Painters, Steel Fixers, Sheet Metal and many more categories. 
Please feel free to contact me hr4@vietnammanpower.co   or visit our website www.vietnamwelder.com for further information and assistance. Best regards and Thanks for your interest!

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