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JordyzNova
10-05-09, 06:19 PM
Would this be ok to weld on car panels etc etc?? would it penetrate ok its a 85amp welder?
AlexW
10-05-09, 06:21 PM
Would work on piss thin nova panels, welds would be rubbish though.
mikey14sr
10-05-09, 07:35 PM
gasless is no good for visible bodywork, it tends to stick up and you grind most of the weld away trying to get it looking good.

Use gas, either plain co2 or co2/argon mix. A welding set in the 90-150A range is fine for normal car use (90A can just about cope with 2.5/3mm steel, 150A will handle 4/5mm).
Asa-James
10-05-09, 07:58 PM
how can you have gasless MIG welding? doesnt MIG stand for Metal Inert Gas...?
nova_saloon
10-05-09, 08:24 PM
yeh but gasless ones use a coated wire so you dont need the gas, but it is very messy!
John
10-05-09, 08:35 PM
how can you have gasless MIG welding? doesnt MIG stand for Metal Inert Gas...?

The gas is used to stop oxygen entering the weld pool iirc. i'm sure mine runs argon mix.
Obviously using no gas means crap welds.
mowgli
10-05-09, 09:21 PM
a gasless mig is basically a continuous arc welder.

some people reckon it is better for welding outside, cos the wind blows the gas away anyway...

I'll sit on the fence on this one cos I'm a crap welder
CoolTiger
10-05-09, 09:22 PM
it will be ok just pigeon **** welds
Rich
10-05-09, 09:29 PM
Blows holes alot easier and looks horrible, i wouldnt use gasless for bodywork
auzzy-b
10-05-09, 09:36 PM
what Rich says, youll have porous welds i wouldnt do it
Mike
10-05-09, 10:09 PM
Dont even go there chap. Unless working in immensly windy conditions where you DONT need a structural weld.

Gasless is pap. The gas is simply a sheilding gas that allows you to create a far superior arc, thus creating a far superior "flat" weld, as oppose to a pigeon poop style weld that is left when welding with no sheilding gas.

You want to know anything else about welding whilst im here?
General Baxter
10-05-09, 10:10 PM
bah we did my td conversion with it lol
mowgli
10-05-09, 10:12 PM
bah we did my td conversion with it lol

yeah, but you'd do anything for an excuse to get the grinder out......
Mike
10-05-09, 10:12 PM
bah we did my td conversion with it lol

Yeah that is true, and it was pukka admitaddly lol but since then my gasless rig gave up the ghost lol
Mike
10-05-09, 10:12 PM
yeah, but you'd do anything for an excuse to get the grinder out......

Yeah thats true lol fitting a Diesel chassis leg into a petrol shell lol
16v Nova Kev
10-05-09, 10:13 PM
well i prefer my gassless mig i welded in the rear brace/subframes /exhaust/inner wing/ it all looked ok to me
Mike
10-05-09, 10:14 PM
well i prefer my gassless mig i welded in the rear brace/subframes /exhaust/inner wing/ it all looked ok to me

Theres a difference between looking ok & actually being effiecent though :thumb:
Mike
10-05-09, 10:17 PM
Gas mig welding in an enclosed enviroment with a proper welding mask:

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/mikenova/TWOC%20Rebuild/325.jpg

Not so good, semi enclosed enviroment (drivers door open)

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/mikenova/TWOC%20Rebuild/325-1.jpg

You would struggle muchly to get welds like the first pic with a gasless MiG. Possible comparision with the second pic yes.
16v Nova Kev
10-05-09, 10:17 PM
Theres a difference between looking ok & actually being effiecent though :thumb:

i have heard that but time will tell :thumb:
Mike
10-05-09, 10:19 PM
i have heard that but time will tell :thumb:

Indeed. Get it on its roof then you can answer that lol
Mike
10-05-09, 10:22 PM
On a side note though, welding isnt just ALL gas, its what matierial, what wire, wire feed & speed, gas regulator etc etc many factors play a part in it.

Comes with experience though. Although a wise investment is an Auto Darkening mask, make things massively easier!! But dont skimp on a crap on, as its your eye sight at the end of the day!
16v Nova Kev
10-05-09, 10:26 PM
they auto darkening masks are the muts
Mike
10-05-09, 10:28 PM
they auto darkening masks are the muts

This is why myself & many others own one :thumb:
mikey14sr
11-05-09, 02:42 PM
On a side note though, welding isnt just ALL gas, its what matierial, what wire, wire feed & speed, gas regulator etc etc many factors play a part in it.

Comes with experience though. Although a wise investment is an Auto Darkening mask, make things massively easier!! But dont skimp on a crap one, as its your eye sight at the end of the day!

Very true, though I still use a £10 hand-held mask myself (really annoying though, and now that I don't have a nova I hardly use the welder enough to justify the cost of an auto).

I made a big mistake a couple of years ago and bought a big spool of 0.8mm wire, which on my clarke pro-90 means I have to use it at almost full power to get a nice weld, which is fine when I'm fixing up exhausts but means I tend to get a fair bit of blow-through on single-thickness body panels. Idealy you want to be using 0.6mm wire for up to 3mm thick steel.

Gas settings are a pain if you're using one of those throw-away bottles, I just open the reg as much as it'll go (7 on mine, despite it only being marked 1-6!). If you can afford a contract with a proper supplier for a half-size bottle you can set the flow rate using a proper guage, and you'll get a lot more than an hour out of it before running out!
GRUNT 16V
11-05-09, 03:12 PM
http://buss47.googlepages.com/welder.jpg
THIS IS WHAT MASK I USE !!!!!!!!!!!!lol