a good "all-around" gas???

[Q_Weldz]

I do welding as a hobby and for general repairs....it wouldn't be very economical for me to have two bottles...one for S/S and one for mild...is there a mix i can get that will work WELL for both?

[miweldmi]

May I also add aluminum. I don't have my MIG yet, but when I do get it I would like to do lots of mild steel and occasionally SS or Aluminum. Is there one gas mix that I could get to do all 3?

[hankj]

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Aluminum needs an inert gas. Argon is the most common.

Stainless and mild steel can both be welded with C-25, but it does not work well with stainless. I use it for the small amount of SS welding that I do, but if I were going to weld a lot of stainless and appaearance was importan, I'd use a tri-mix, as it seems to wet out better.

Hank

[Q_Weldz]

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Aluminum needs an inert gas. Argon is the most common.

Stainless and mild steel can both be welded with C-25, but it does not work well with stainless. I use it for the small amount of SS welding that I do, but if I were going to weld a lot of stainless and appaearance was importan, I'd use a tri-mix, as it seems to wet out better.

Hank

could you explain "wetting" i've seen that term used alot..but never heard it in my experience...i'm assuming that refers to how the weld puddle behaves? Also how does gas mixture ratio affect the apperence of the welds? I'm sorry if these are kinda newb questions...i am new to the MIG world.

[Fat Fab]

I like the the kind that I get after a night of beer gin and boils eggs.

Other than that shielding gases like most things regarding have a limited application.

I use 80cf cylinders one of argon one of co2 and a mix that changes as the work dictates.

TJ

[miweldmi]

Could you get a tank of pure argon and one of pure CO2 and mix them when needed? Like pure argon for aluminum, argon CO2 mix for SS, and pure CO2 for mild steel?

[Some Creep]

Could you get a tank of pure argon and one of pure CO2 and mix them when needed? Like pure argon for aluminum, argon CO2 mix for SS, and pure CO2 for mild steel?

Do a search of the board, someone tried the idea before and there's quite a discussion about how uneconomical an infeasible it is.

[whateg0]

http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/showthread.php?t=27426

[miweldmi]

Didn't realize there were such lengthy discussion on passing gas... :) It would be nice, but doesn't sound feasible.

[Fat Fab]

Could you get a tank of pure argon and one of pure CO2 and mix them when needed? Like pure argon for aluminum, argon CO2 mix for SS, and pure CO2 for mild steel?

I have done it for 25 years simple "Y" valve and your in business.

[Q_Weldz]

come on peeps...keep it on topic...all i'm looking for is a decent mix where i can do mild and stainless comfortably!

[miweldmi]

Apparently no. Looking through Hobart manuals says that mild steel should be done with 100% CO2 or a C25 mixture(75% argon, 25% CO2). SS is a Tri-Mix (90% helium, 7.5% argon, 2.5% CO2). So you best bet was probably the suggestion in post #3 to use C25 for both although he says it will not do "WELL" on SS. I wondered if there was something that would do all three... no because aluminum needs 100% argon. Hence the whole discussion on whether or not you could mix them on the fly to do any type of metal.

[Roger]

Yes you can mix them on the fly using mixer from Smith or other company or home made mixer.

[weldgault]

Yes, you can mix gases yourself, if that is what you want to do. John

[miweldmi]

Some people say you can some people say you can't and direct you to other posts that says it doesn't work. I have looked at the Smith mixers but every real "mixer" seems to be thousands of dollars. So I guess the question was could this be done well with just a y valve and 2 regulators. Other threads have said no.

[SundownIII]

Anybody that tells you that you can mix your own gasses with a simple Y-valve is blowing "smoke".

The process of mixing welding gases is is very complex process. Smith does make mixers for two or three gas mixing. Each mixer is designed for a particular set of gasses. Three of their more popular mixers are for, Argon/CO2, Argon/Helium, Argon/Hydrogen. The mixer can be used for gases other than those they were designed for, but computation of the ratios becomes more complex because you're dealing with the square root of the weight of the gas.

The Smith mixers retail for around #3,300.00 but I've seen them available for around $1,800.00 not including the regulators and hi-pressure hoses.

I have the Smith Model 299-011-1B which was designed for mixing Argon/H2. In order to mix a 95% Argon/5% Oxygen ratio, I set my unit for 82% Argon.

Most hobby welders are far ahead buying their gas premixed, even if it means having a few extra bottles around.

[hankj]

Search for gas mixers on this site and millermotorsports.com .

Some guys have made them. Some claim success with homegrrown rigs; others say a simple "Y" will do.

I do know that "real" mixers have more components than a "Y", like a ixing chamber, etc.

Hank