Using Mig welders can be rewarding, as they are user friendly and work very well when needing to complete a body panel replacement on a Classic Mustang. A wire feed welder with argon gas yields a much smoother weld than welding with flux core wire. Here are some tips for perfecting your Mig welding skills:
- Clean the surface area. Do your best to grind, sand or media blast the areas that will be welded. The cleaner the surface, the smoother the welding will turn out. And, the more time you will save when grinding and cleaning up excess welds after welding.
- When holding the welding tip, weld in a direction which pushes forward, rather than pulling the tip toward you. Welding forward, in a forward motion, ensures that the gas is able to clear the area to be welded of contaminates. This creates a cleaner weld. Pulling the welding tip toward you makes you pull in the opposite direction that the gas is exiting the tip, defeating the purpose of the gas. This technique is difficult to get used to, as it feels more natural to pull toward yourself, but the results are worth the extra effort to learn the correct technique.
- Welds should be smooth and flat. If welds are too high or too thick, they will need to be ground down, which is unnecessary work. If your welds are turning out too high, your wire speed may be a little high. Adjust the speed down to a lower setting.
- Welds should not burn through the metal. If they are, your voltage may be set too high. Adjust it as necessary.
- Practice on a scrap piece of metal to discover the settings that will work best and familiarize yourself with the proper settings.
For more tips on wire feed welding, see our Body Panel Patch Welding Tip post.
