How To Weld 18 Ga Sheet Metal

Limit your heat input.

How to weld 18 ga sheet metal.

18 gauge sheetmetal panel thank you for the quick response. A good heat setting for 1 8 6011 rods on thin material is about 80 90 amps. For 3 32 7018 s it s about the same. However if you are dealing with materials that are 18 gauge or thicker one should be able to use 030 inch welding wire.

It is recommended that a welder should use 023 or 024 inch wire for light gauge sheet metal work. Can the harbor freight hf 125 flux core welder do sheet metal. It s recommended to use a 023 or 024 inch wire for most light gauge sheet metal work. Keep the stick out short stickout of your mig wire is important when welding any type of metal but especially sheet.

When the material is 18 gauge and thicker you may be able to use a 030 inch wire. Use thin wire one big mistake we see with beginners is using welding wire that is too thick for the metal they re welding. While replacing body panels overheating and warping thin sheet metal is common. For thinner gauge sheet metal like 18 or 20 gauge we suggest 023 6mm wire in your mig welder.

First tack your entire welded area. Say if you are welding an 18 gauge stainless steel sheet that is 2 2 feet in size to repair the side of your tank start by creating a weld that is 1inch long then skip 6 inches and then create a 1 inch long weld. Avoid warping the sheet metal. Just grab a piece of sheet metal to get the heat set correctly and go to town.

Weld a short stitch then beat on the weld backed with dolly while it cools to keep from shrinking. Tack in a few places apart from each other and wait until the panel is cool to the touch. Everyone is different but those settings will get you in the right ballpark to weld sheet metal. If you are using oa hammer welding is best.

As a rule when mig welding sheet metal never use a body filler metal that is thicker than the base metal. Then tack between the two previous tacks. To weld mild steel choose an american welding society classification wire such as er70s 6 which has a weld puddle that wets out nicely. If your welding wire is too thick it will take more heat to melt the wire than the substrate and can make it even more prone to blowing holes in the panel.

This sheet was 18 gauge. Place the welding tip wire at the gap and tack weld several small spots spacing them evenly apart. Then use short stitch welds to grow the tacks. Short stitches around the periphery.

I was able to do it. That is tack in all spots to hold things in place. Continue the same way along the sides of the piece of sheet metal.