I thought that was a little high and then just got busy with other things so I never brought the car in. So I decided to cut out the rot and have my brother weld in the panels, I have to admit its pretty time consuming work to get it fairly right.
We put in about 4 hours for 3 Saturdays so far, and I finished the rear qtrs but we still have to weld in the little holes, and some spots on the floors. We also cut out and welded in two floor pans. Not a professionial job, but everything so far is solid. I figure bondo will smooth out the body and seam sealer and carpet will smooth out the floors. If it means alot to you to have the job done absolutly right, then Id spring for the pro and let him do it, with bondo and primer?
Dec 16, 6. Messages: 6, Likes Received: 0. Dec 17, 7. Messages: 82 Likes Received: 0. Dec 17, 8. Messages: Likes Received: 0. Dec 18, 9. In this article, I am going to explain the fundamental ways of how to weld sheet metal that even professionals can follow.
I have also put together a list of best welders for welding sheet metal so if you want to read it hop in. But there are several ways that one can do it. Experience plays a lot in this case but you also need to know the fundamentals that come with this type of welding.
Namely, heat is the biggest factor when welding thinner material. Adjusting it properly will ensure you get a perfect weld.
Going too much will only cause you to burn through the material. But thicker material, like girders, will require you to turn on the power depending on the panel you are welding. Different types of materials are also subject to distortion. This is the case with thinner ones. Warping can also occur if the heat is too high so the welder needs to adjust properly so the weld has enough mechanical strength for the application. Process selection: In order to avoid the usual problems that come with welding thin metal you should carefully consider the process you are using.
Smaller diameter wire: Consider smaller diameter wire feed. The smaller the wire the less heat you will need to melt it, which consequently reduces the heat you produce on the general surface.
Smaller wire also allows better control and also a greater chance of recovering from mistakes. Electrode polarity : Welding with solid wires will require you to use electrodes of positive polarity. Electrodes positive do produce more heat than electrode negative polarity, but electrode positive does provide better results.
Keep things clean : You should clean the welding area or the patch panel you are using, especially when it comes to aluminum. When exposed to air, an oxide layer will form on aluminum. A stainless steel wire brush or a grinder will do the trick to remove the oxidized layer. GMAW power sources : Always choose the welder with good voltage control. This accounts for good arc starts and stability. Besides heat, one also needs to consider the equipment that they are using and also choose the right method to do it.
However, in some cases, spot welding is also utilized. MIG welding is one of the most appropriate methods used for sheet metal. This method is favorable as it leaves room for beginners to practice and get better. Namely, it leaves you some room for error that can be fixed with experience or by using some tips and tricks. The biggest mistake a welder can make is to blow a hole in the panel.
This can happen due to inexperience or because turning the heat up too high. Either way, there are certain things that a welder needs to be aware of when MIG welding sheet metal. The most obvious advice for a MIG welder is to use the smallest wire diameter as possible. A smaller ire requires less heat to melt and at the same time does not heat the metal as much as you would with a thicker wire. Additionally, using a smaller wire will enable more control over a weld bead and will also allow you to recover from mistakes in an easier way because of the deposition rate.
As a rule, when MIG welding sheet metal, never use a body filler metal that is thicker than the base metal. It is recommended that a welder should use. However, if you are dealing with materials that are gauge or thicker, one should be able to use. As for mild steel, wires such as ER70S-6 are recommended for use as they have a weld buddle that wets out nicely. As for shielding gas, a higher argon-based gas is recommended. The best thing about argon is that it carries less heat than CO2, which further results in less spatter.
But, in the case of L stainless, you will need to incorporate a L wire. Finally, if you are welding sheet metal with solid wires, an electrode positive one is recommended or one with reverse polarity. But keep in mind that thinner material like sheet metal should not be welded with flux-cored wires. These types of wires put more heat on the base metal and can result in distortion and unwanted mistakes.
Using a TIG welders means that one can work on materials of gauge. Using this process enables more than effective work on thin materials as it provides high-precision and high-quality work. But using this method also requires some practice and practice advice in order to understand it. For instance, using smaller electrodes that start easier actually performs a lot better at lower heat levels.
This will prevent you from burning through the material and will also allow you to focus more on the smaller arc area. As far as filler metal goes, the ER70S-2 is the most commonly used type of steel. But if you are not able to acquire this one silicon bronze is a great secondary choice. It is much softer and when applied properly it will reduce the heat to the necessary level for this type of welding.
A rule that we have to follow here is using a filler metal that is thinner than the base metal. Or at least keep the thickness as close as possible.
This is important as it will prevent you from overheating the base metal before you have a chance to join it with the filler metal. Spot welding has been used for sheet metal for a long time now.
It has specifically become a mainstay in the automotive industry where it has been used since the s. It does not require flux nor filler as you only need to apply concentrated short circuit and physical pressure to a spot that is three thicknesses of boy metal in order to join it. You need to do this at the point of the weld in short intervals as you apply to squeeze pressure to the outer surfaces of the weld area and welding electrodes and melt the spot welds into a fusion weld.
However, certain welders do not squeeze the weld area between two electrodes. They would simply apply force and heat to one piece of metal that is grounded through the other piece that needs to be joined.
This method is actually really useful when the weld is is not easy or almost impossible to reach. However, there is a downside to spot welds. When joining a body panel together it is going to be prone to corrosion as it attracts moisture between the joined pieces. The problem is made even worse by the fact that spot welding vaporizers almost all processes that are used for treatment, like galvanizing for instance.
The problem could be resolved by using primers that contain a high concentration of zinc. This will make them more conducive and allow them to carry the welding current much better. It also protects the finished welds with ion from the zinc particles found in the coating after the weld is made. Body patch panels offer a great alternative to replacing the entire body part after rust has invaded a portion of the panel. You might be tempted to just grab a body putty kit from the local auto parts store, slather it on, and just call it a day, but we caution against the use of Bondo for major body work.
As you can see on this Camaro fender, Bondo can come off in chunks over time. This Bondo body work was done in a professional body shop and the owner noticed the putty pitting about 4 years later. For those unfamiliar with this repair method, you place a piece of mesh over the damaged area, fill it in with a putty mixture, and smooth it to conform to the body lines of the car.
This method, even when perfected, is a bandaid and not a true restoration of damage. Patch panels offer a long term fix for metal damage.
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