Mig with Argon?

[caltom]

I just got a new mig welder, a Hobart 180, and have been doing a little stuff with it around the shop. I've stick welded for years and I have to say I do like the ease of this mig stuff.

Anyway a feller at work, who does a fair bit of welding of his own and got me to get my own mig, says he uses straight Argon on his mig so that he doesn't have to keep different gases around to switch between welding aluminum or steel.

Now I know mig is suposed to be CO2 or C25 on steel, but he says he just uses argon and his weld puddle is more diamond shaped than round with argon but that it works fine. It is an attractive idea if it really works.

Has anybody else heard this? Any of you mig gurus tried it? how did it work out and what did you have to adjust to make it work (faster or slower feed rate, higher or lower flow rate etc..)???

[James D. Clark]

I have no experience using 100% argon, but there are threads on this site about it. Quoteing one of them; "Argon will not give you satisfactory results on steel. You will get a weld bead that is narrow with a high crown that doesn't flow in well at the edge. It will have the appearance of being ran too cold. For the small mig machines on light gauge metal you will get much better results using an argon/CO2 mix the most common being 75% Ar 25% CO2.

Hope that helps.

[VooDooMan]

I 2nd on james's post perfect mix for the metal!

[Rocky D]

You will be in globular transfer with straight argon and it will come out messy. Lots of spatter. Use the C25 for steel and the Argon for aluminum. Do it right.

[aircraft]

Anyway a feller at work, who does a fair bit of welding of his own and got me to get my own mig, says he uses straight Argon on his mig so that he doesn't have to keep different gases around to switch between welding aluminum or steel.

The feller at work is brain dead.

[Rocky D]

I guess it shows that just because ya got a welder...don't mean you're a weldor!

[Tankee]

I am the type of guy that will question things and try "hair brained ideas" from time to time and I have found out a couple of very important facts over the years.

First is that weldor style is subjective to a certain extent. What works for for guy and is text book welding may not work for the other. They both have very distinct styles but both welds are quality.

Second is that somone else smarter than I has come up with proper Gas to Procedure specs.