Thought I would give argoshield a try as everyone raves about it so, how much argoshield is a "whisper" ?

regulator quarter / half / three quarters open ?

I run a sealy 130A mig welder, normally with 0.6mm wire

Try between 8 to 12 ltrs a minit if u got a reg with ltr markings

thanks,
I do have a regulator so we'll give it a try

i used 0.6.... for rusty fiats..lol

0.8.. brill for new metal......... oh yes..and argoshield !!!!

Do you have a flow meter on your regulator? It does make life more predictable!

If you don't want to pay serious money for a real one, then most welding shops will sell you a little plastic tube with a ball in it. You hold this over the end of the torch, squeeze the trigger and it will show you the gas flow rate.

Dead cheap (around £2-ish)

David

Wow, I have read that aprox. 14 l/min should be correct flow rate. Maybe it's only for CO2? Maybe I should try to weld with 10l/min with argon mix (80% argon)?

I use around 8 l/min, which works for me. I might turn it up if there's a breeze coming through the garage door.

DJ

I'd agree with David, on a still day 8 is fine. If it's windy and the CO2 can blow away then up it a bit.

If the rate is too high then the gas can 'blow through' the weld pool and you can get a weld that has the look (and strength) of an Aero bar!

HTH,

James

i always have mine on full, probably why i get thru it so fast! windy garage though, so i'm allowed. The few times i turned it down it wasnt enough. Basically, whatever works. It'll be obvious if its wrong.

Between 8 and 12 is usual for 5% mix. Too much gas causes turbulence and actually doesn't shield the weld causing brittle or porous welds.

yours, Pete.

Thanks folks, I do have flow meter on the regulator so I will start at 8 ltr/m then adjust from there. But you got me thinking. Should I be using 0.8 wire ? I have got on just fine with 0.6 up to now. It's what the welder came fitted with so I just kept buying the same ?

if it aint broke, dont fix it!!

Thanks Joel

I guess the more you find out the more you think. So to a degree the less you know the less you have to think... if you get my drift.

0.6 works for me, I'll keep using it.

I use 0.6, you can run 0.6 hot, but cannot use 0.8 cold!

Wow.... ARGOSHIELD, should have tried this a long time ago. I'll still use CO2 for general welding that does not need to look tidy. But the argoshield welds are smooth, even and good looking. I was also quite surprised at the penetration of the weld using Argo. I test welded some tube using the "MAX" "2" setting I would normally use with CO2. Using the same settings with Argo it blew holes in the tube. Had to turn it down to "MIN" "2" to get a decent weld. A bit more practice and I may be a convert.

i find on the lower settings, it goes a bit slow and doesnt seem to sink in as well (penetration), so i have both power ones on full, and turn the wire speed up to avoid holes forming. does run a bit on vertical welds but just gotta be careful i guess! i currently use the .8 wire, usually works ok for me. all i usually vary is the wire speed, to low it blows holes, too high it sputters and bangs.

Too low you lose the arc and end up melting your tip and wire together cos you get too close, too fast and the wire will hit the metal without arcing and push your hand backwards if your feed is strong enough. Some welders automatically increase power with feed speed taking some of the control away from you so you may have to go to the next setting down if you like the wire faster.

yours, Pete.