When I went to Hobart 20 years ago we learned short circuit with straight CO2. I have passed many weld test with it and it makes a strong weld. I find the puddle to dig deeper and freeze faster with 100% CO2 thus making it a great choice for full pen open root welding. I am spoiled by having a proportioning gas mixer. 50% argon 50% CO2 saves some coins and does a nice job. Bob shows the most important welding skill he is adaptable. Adaptability is so important because every place you weld will expect you work to their WPS. If they tell you to stand on your head and gargle M&Ms and don't break a single candy shell then you better be able to, if you want the job! A gas mixer is a big investment but it pays for its self in time.
What happens when a woman isn’t lied to and she chooses a career she can excel in using the gifts she’s been given. Thank you for the knowledge transfer!
I have read that stick 6011 uses an organic cellulose coating made from sawdust. Without a doubt Bob can weld everything but the crack of dawn or a broken heart!
15 years ago i was working for division of Panasonic that made refrigerator compressors. We used automated mig welders with 0.065 wire and CO2 gas. The gas came in on 18 wheelers and was stored in a tank about 40 ft tall. We used a lot of CO2.
Love your videos!. Only gas we use on steel is CO2. Friends say our welds aren't as pretty as with Argon mixtures.. They aren't. But.. when you go back and look at what the penetration differences are... And CO2 will work fairly well on dirty metal. Case in point.. big bale feeders, manure spreaders, livestock panels... We don't repair new ones.. most of that type of material is so rusted and rotted.... Best thing is good old ES70 and CO2. Same combination works well on cast too.... You can even weld mild to cast and have it stay together! (I know, I know... The books and the smart guys say it won't work... LoL.. it does work!
Hey Mr Moffatt, repurposed welder here, coming from retail management I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge in a way I can understand. I am in Anchorage and we are using CO2 straight because it is cheap, the instructor said if you can weld with CO2 you will be able to weld with 75/25.
Just to clarify things here, welding with only CO2 is called MAG welding. When MIG welding you use an inert gas. CO2 is not an inert gas. These gases are inert: helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr) och xenon (Xe).
I ran it years ago in a structural steel fab shop on heavy iron. It was hard to go from 75/25 to pure CO2. Once you learn how to work it it seems to have the highest deposition rate and makes a very heavy rippled weld, which many codes don't allow.
We use straight Co2 with dual shield and I hate it. Mixed gas is so much smoother. Also the other benefit of Co2 is it is liquid so for mobile welding you can carry a lot more gas in the same size bottle.
C25 is cleaner but it makes a more brittle weld that's why if you look on the data information on the packages it's with straight co2 that's what they really should be ran with i also don't like the spatter
I've been using straight co2 for about 4 years on exhaust tubing, sheet metal and roll cage mount plates. The cost savings crazy! I use a keg cylinder. it? 20 bucks to fill and lasts 3/4 times as long as the same size c25 or tri-mix.
1 lb of CO2 gives 8.7 cf of gas. So the 20lb tank of CO2 will give approx the same amount of gas as a 172cf tank (chest height, skinny tank) of 75/25 at about $80 depending on your supplier.
like weld com stated "turn up the voltage to high and it becomes unstable "it is ok for some applications one thing i noticed switching from c10 to co2 is having to control the arc length more precisely. if it gets to long with c02 it starts to make lots of b bs
The weld's looking pretty good there. Been laying down ER70 with straight C02 for 30 yrs, works great for me up to 3/8, push, drag, in contortionist the spatter hurts a bit.
Thank you for this video. You were already welding as a tradesmen when I was still in High School welding class.Your videos are par excellance. Safety first. Off gassing captured in a ventillation system. I cannot begin to tell you in the value of that. As a kid using lead based solder for my little RC car projects and ignorantly breathing acid core fumes. Trying to solder join brass rod into a chassis. Yet I had asked my Father to buy me the then new, plastic model glue that was safe. Again, I enjoy your videos, Sir.
In Thailand, the standard gas for mig welding is straight CO2 to the point that mig welding is referred to as CO2 welding (and tig is argon welding, while stick welding is "joss stick" welding). It's pretty hard to find a gas supplier that stocks mixed gasses, it's mostly by order and much more expensive than straight gasses. The only mix that's stocked by some places is 80-20 argon CO2, and only in very small quantities.
@@andrewdoesyt7787 I have no idea why you're asking me of all people, but generally for tig you always use 100% argon with all metals, except for dc (ac uses argon) aluminum welding, which traditionally uses helium.
@@andrewdoesyt7787 The tungsten rod would be ruined as mentioned on Wokepedia. GTAW fuses the most metals, but GMAW uses the most shielding gases, including SF6.
Hay Bob. Gary from CT here. This has nothing to do with the topic but more with my selfish need to know. Well, I finally got my Esab 235 up and running. Man, what a mess I made of my first weld in 30 years! I gotta get some pictures out to ya so you can be embarrassed along with me! One thing I did was the wrong polarity. After that discovery, I don't know why my welds still look like crap. Anyway, I'll shoot some pics out to you shortly. Oh ya, my first project was welding my new "Tap & Slot" table together. Shure hope I didn't screw it up.
Except for aluminum, I've only run CO2, all the old information showed it had better penetration....some say it just isn't as pretty. I see a few comments about your exhaust fan.... With CO2, even a slight breeze can screw up your weld. When having to drag the welder outside the shop doors, I've found you need to block any wind. Either with your body, or hand held close to the end of the gun....
Can you also discuss about pros and cons of fluxcored dual shield using straight CO2 and it's limitations. It will help us alot for a hobbiest like me.
One disadvantage with fluxed-core is that you get more fumes or more porosity. Sometimes you have trouble controlling the arc. My 6013 electrode could penetrate better and provide more control of the arc.
It has been several years since I used pure Co2 with regular .030 mig wire, but when I did , it was with an older Miller CC.CV unit where you had an adjustment for impedence and slope on it! I set it for about 300 inches per minute wire speed,, voltage around 35, slope aroune E, can't remember impedance # of hand. Set the gas flow around 20 CFM I was welding cast flanges to 14 gauge aluminized sheet metal and it flowed in like butter!. No spatter or any excessive over weld you had to grind off!
Small world Bob, when you said you worked at Heater Technology in the 70's in Ponca City that rang a bell. I lived in Ponca City & area for 40 years and went by HT quiet often. A lot has changed there since the 70's and in just the last 8 years since we moved away to TX. Enjoyed your video presentation as well.
I really think the vent was the problem with the porosity on the last weld. I wish you would have run one more outside corner without the vent so close if at all just to be sure one way or the other. What do you consider to be the starting thickness of "the heavy stuff" where you would swap gas to C25 or keep the co2 and switch to fluxcore? Thanks!
I have only used co2 for welding until two years ago where i changed to what we call feromix which is 75% argon 25% co2. You can make a nice weld there is only more splater
in trade school we were taught that mig welding with pure c02 was best for repair work on dirty, rusty, oily steel that you could not properly clean up before welding. yes, the welds don't look pretty and on dirty material you do get a lot of spatter and slag, but it will give you a strong weld. of course, in those days stick welding was used most of the time under those conditions, but if you didn't have a stick welder and only had a mig, that was the best way to go. in my home garage i only have a mig welder and use 75/25 steel mix most of the time, but i do have co2 tanks and a c02 flowmeter if i need it, and i do use it sometimes.
I've done my share of MIG with straight CO2. In some ways I like it better than C25. For my own personal use I run C15. Much less spatter than C25, nicer arc, and you can spray with it. It's not as hot, but I don't generally MIG weld anything really heavy so it's not a big deal.
I'm a 20 year welder lots of straight c02 Mig welding if you decide to use 100% c02 it is cost effective but you will need a flow regulator at the point the gas line meets the feeder box . I have tried without one it's not recommended the gas is like propane very cold in liquid form and expands rapidly 535:1
Need to take a test for a job, have to run a fillet weld on a T joint in the vertical position downhill. Gas is 100% co2, wire is .40 (1mm) on 6mm material (about 1/4”) any tips or suggestions? Nether the weld specialist nor I can seem to get proper fusion.
It (CO2) may be a bit ruff as you say but it is still not as ruff as flux core, yuk, and the cost as well as availability is important. I use to weld flux core many years ago in heavy structural steel fabrication and it was good for that. But if you want pretty welds, as I always do, I don't use flux core unless forced to due to conditions. Yet these days flux core is good for the home non pro type hobby welder.
Yes CO2 does give you deeper penetration, but more spatter. C25 (25% CO2/75% argon) was developed for production welding to cut down on spatter removal on finished parts, when the arc is setup right their is virtually no spatter to remove. Also C25 has a cooler arc than 100% CO2, so less chance of burn through on thin sheet. But if you are doing structural welding on heavy beams and plate, then CO2 is the way to go. Deep penetration is what you need here, and the heavy spatter is not a problem since it's not going to be painted and sent out like a snowblower. As I understand it the way CO2 works is that it has high arc resistance and the arc splits the CO2 molecule and for a split second it becomes CO (carbon monoxide) it then relishes this extra energy to the puddle and recombines again as CO2. In stick welding the 6010 or 6011(the AC version of the 6010) the flux coating is cellulose which produces a CO2/CO atmosphere as shielding.
@@hunterbodell1129 read your question. I have been welding as a living for over 50 yrs and have found spatter depends on , wire quality or brand, cleanliness of the steel, cold or hot rolled, type of gas used and most of all the settings on the welder and welding style (push or pull) I use straight co2 for flux core weld and C25 for mig wire. Use whatever works best for you, experiment and have fun with with different techniques
I’m still learning but what I can’t work out is what side of the puddle am I too watch, the front or rear? I’m learning to try and weld any direction being right handed but I find sometimes it’s easier if I drag or push depending but other say only drag gassles and etc. thanks
It doesn't really make a difference. Pushing lays a flatter bead. Dragging penetrates a little more. Pushing is preferred but the will be times when you have to drag. I tend to look all around the puddle. Watching where I'm going as well as trying to control bead size
A small heads up- if you use an "auto set" machine, the parameters on the machine are for a 75/25 mix and won't run properly on 100% CO2. I like CO2 when i need deeper penetration than can be achieved with a 75/25. Thanks for the good videos!
I used to use it for car body work years ago with a 100amp transformer sealey mighty mig The wire feeder broke some years back, I've just bought an inverter mig 200amp using 25/75 and I'm sure the Old set up was easier More controllable didn't blow holes so easily and if you did, it was easier to fill them, the only downside was the spatter, am I remembering it wrong?
Ok, I know this comment is late to the party! I spent several years working at a common name muffler shop. They always used Co2, not a mix. I believe this was largely due to cost and the fact that most people don't look under their car to admire the welds on pipe hangers. The tanks were typically 80cf-120cf and seem to last forever....even with 6 day/week usage.
I’m a hobbyist welder, I want to make a winch plate, and super strong tube bumper for my truck, and I do have a CO2 bottle do you think that kinda stuff is good for CO2? I want to avoid spending the few hundred on a new argon mix bottle and fill
Im glad youdid this i have been looking for a video showing this i build derby cars and try to keep the cost down and im waning to switch from gassless flux to running this stright co2
straight CO2 works just fine for me. Building a street rod now, good penetration w/.030 and CO2. You get a little spatter, no biggy. No where near what arc is! the wire speed and current will effect the spatter too. Clean metal is a must! No rust!
What kind of wire are you running here and why do you make the pattern? Is the pattern required to run .035? I'm asking because I'm trying to improve my welds running my .030 with 75/25 and I don't use a pattern.
Newbies at my work occasionally do better work. Ideally you don't want that convex profile that he was so proud of. The weld should be as close to flat as possible
mojunk19 for horizontal welds its personal preference. Pushing will usually give a slightly wider flatter bead. Personally I produce better welds that have passed xray by pushing. Bob also uses a slight whipping action which I've never bothered with, but I do sometimes use a looping weaving action
Bob what's up with the beads on that plate? I must have missed that part of the episode? I've heard conflicting stories on CO2.. That it's a hotter arc, good for pushing small machines on heavier stuff (like helium on aluminum) and some say the colder gas cools the arc/weld making it good for ..something..? What's the skinny?
I've been doing a lot of auto body sheet metal welding, exhaust pipes, stuff like that and switched from C25 to straight CO2 a few years back, my experience is that the weld on CO2 doesn't wet in the same way as C25 and for a given material thickness i find need to run a higher voltage and a bit lower wire speed. I can definitely weld thinner material without blowing through than I could with C25. CO2 has a smaller sweet spot than C25 but when you get it dialled in it works great.
I have a small mig for basic farm repairs and hobbies plus sculpture building I run C25 but could I get away with just CO2?? Also even though they are large they have aluminum CO2 tanks at my local growers supply store is that the same CO2 if the valve is the same?? Thanks
I saw that on an older Mig Mondays episode with the other guy ( can't think of his name). He had a higher end ESAB machine with user adjustable inductance. He said most machines were factory set around 35 or 40. He turned it down to 0 and the arc seemed softer and the bead flatter, then he turned it up to like 85 and the arc was sharper with tighter bead ripples. It wasn't a big difference but I think he did say you could fine tune it and take out a lot of the spatter with CO2.
Very interesting. I’m not a welder but I was thinking about getting unit that I can do small stuff with for a hobby. I see you use an exhaust to pull the gas and smoke away from you. You’re the only one I’ve seen so far that uses the exhaust. I would be interested in using one too because I really don’t want to breath that stuff in. Would an exhaust fan used to pull heat out of a garage be good enough for this purpose?
My shop has me trying to weld 5/8 plate with 0.35 soild wire.. 100% c02.. I noticed I can never get that thing dialed always crazy splatter, as you said unstable, raspy as he'll an gloppy... running around 24-28 volts played with wire speed with no results... after watching this I'm going to say they need c25... or ditch it all together an run 0.45 Flux with the 100% c02
Hi Bob got a quick question for you. I have a MIG welder and am looking at some shielding gas. I was thinking of going with CO2. I see where the gas suppliers offer two versions of CO2 one with a siphon tube and the other just gas without the tube. The siphon seems to be to transfer liquid CO2 to another container example paintball. Is the cylinder without the siphon the one used for MIG shielding with CO2 using a CO2 regulator?
So when I started welding in the coal mines as a contractor that’s all everyone ran I have done mold boards and corner shanks on a 993k with it had no issue
Hey Mr Moffatt, I've come across a full bottle of Nitrogen. Can you use that as a shielding gas? Ive not yet bought shielding gasses; would a supplier be interested in swapping tanks or can the tank be refilled w a shielding gas? I know nothing of this stuff. I appreciate any info!
Depends on the materials, process and application. Nitrogen in conjunction with other industrial gases are used as shielding gas with certain processes with certain materials. Occasionally Nitrogen is used as a purge or back-purge gas. Nitrogen is also used as a dry gas with plasma cutting and certain heat treat processes. I suggest contacting your local welding gas suppliers for guidance on your specific project needs.
patw52pb1 thanks for the info! I have an entry level mig welder. I haven't bought the shielding gas yet, and have yet to try it out. I'm THAT new!! I have some flux core, maybe I should try that first. Anyway, I'll definitely give a local place a call and see what they wanna do.
Nitrogen is NOT used for welding steel! The point of the different kinds of shielding is to keep the Nitrogen OUT! People always think of the Oxygen, which is also a problem, but the MIG wire has deoxidizers in it. There's no denitrogenizers (?) or even a word for that!
Yes, bigger welding machies sometimes have low voltage output (i.e. 42V AC) for powering the heater. But regulators freeze up only when the flow and duty cycle is quite high. It's rarely an issue in typical workshop. Also it depends on ambient temperature.
CO2 regulators with electric heaters or with just a heat-exchanger (a few coils of copper tubing) are common now. The electric one might be convenient since some power supplies have an electric outlet on them. I use this b/c I have small CO2 tanks (as in beverage service) and am withdrawing at a probably too high rate. A conventional regulator will turn into a ball of snow, and maybe be blocked inside by some dry ice that's formed.
Good morning! when is MIG is inerte gas, in this case Argor or Helium, and all the rest : Oxigen, Co2, Nitrogen or mix gases with argón or helium is Active gas (MAG)
Bob, I remember doing mig welds using straight CO2 in a manufacturing environment 40 years ago. There were both 040 hard wire and 060? Dual shield. There were no stitch/step motion just drag and weaves. Material thicknesses from 1/8 to stack ups over 1". What is the purpose of the stitch motion?
Very much a hobbyist welder. Just found this channel and i was wondering if you would ever do a comparison of the new Vulcan MigMax 215 from Harbor Freight vs. a name brand. Is it worth the money? Thank you I appreciate any info and sorry if this is not where I should be posting this question.
We just got in some of the new Vulcan machine to play around with. Haven't got a chance to use them yet, but we're in the process. Hit that subscribe button and you'll get notified when the video comes out.
Try to get a clip & honest review of that Vulcan Omni220MP before the sale goes off at harbor freight on the 30th! I'm looking to get an MP welder, if it's not rubbish, I'm in... especially with the 1 year trial.
I must have missed the part where you stated the CO2 flow rate and how changing it affects the weld. Please comment on if/how you change the flow for different joint types. Thanks for this as I only have a choice of flux core, solid wire with CO2, or flux core with CO2. ALSO DO YOU CHANGE POLARITY WITH THE DIFFERENT COMBOS/
They've been over this a dozen times, but just in case: The Innershield and the Outershield Wire use different polarity! You only have to change polarity for self-shielded ("gasless") wire!
Yes it can, however C25 may not provide the correct shielding, weldment integrity and weldment appearance may suffer on certain materials such as some aluminum, some stainless and more exotic materials such as magnesium, titanium, monel and inconel. On certain processes and materials C25 can have arc stability issues.
Is it OK to Drag the Weld with Co2? - I was always Taught to Push the Weld for Penetration, Ive only ever used Argon/Co2 mix, I might drag the weld on Sheet Metal to avoid Burn through, Thats about it Though! -Cheers👍😉
No no nooo, to avoid burn through, pushing is better than dragging. Like you said in your comment, dragging gets better penetration. I did structural steel for 3 years and now I work with stainless and stainless-to-mild, building train cars, and with either mild or stainless (but even moreso with stainless), if you wanna weld thin stuff, you go hotter and faster, as fast as you can make a decent weld, and push if possible, to avoid burn through or suckback, on thin gauge. Ive welded 3 inch thick mild, and I currently weld as thin as 1.5mm stainless, and pushing FAST is the best option. Go too cold and slow and risk actually putting in too much heat because of your slow travel rate. And if you drag, you'll definitely have it melt out, and you'll have a lovely glob of metal to grind out on the other side, as well as having to tack-tack-tack to fill-in the gap you just created because you dragged
I have always ran CO2 ! I started wire feed welding back in 75 and ended up with my dad's miller 35. I still use it today. I did buy a lincoln 135 about 10 years ago and set that up on 75/25 and I ended up giving it to my brother. A lot less splatter on 25 but less heat as well. Maybe if I got one of those inverter toy welders that everyone uses, I would probably use 25.
I love the way you do your lessons No showing off Just great advice and demonstrations So easy to watch and enjoy.
absolutely, thats why im here.
When I went to Hobart 20 years ago we learned short circuit with straight CO2. I have passed many weld test with it and it makes a strong weld. I find the puddle to dig deeper and freeze faster with 100% CO2 thus making it a great choice for full pen open root welding. I am spoiled by having a proportioning gas mixer. 50% argon 50% CO2 saves some coins and does a nice job. Bob shows the most important welding skill he is adaptable. Adaptability is so important because every place you weld will expect you work to their WPS. If they tell you to stand on your head and gargle M&Ms and don't break a single candy shell then you better be able to, if you want the job! A gas mixer is a big investment but it pays for its self in time.
What happens when a woman isn’t lied to and she chooses a career she can excel in using the gifts she’s been given. Thank you for the knowledge transfer!
@irondiver292 buddy are we talking prostitution? This is the welding channel wtf?
I'm beginning to think Bob could use sawdust as a shielding gas and his welds would still look good.
I have read that stick 6011 uses an organic cellulose coating made from sawdust. Without a doubt Bob can weld everything but the crack of dawn or a broken heart!
😂
15 years ago i was working for division of Panasonic that made refrigerator compressors. We used automated mig welders with 0.065 wire and CO2 gas. The gas came in on 18 wheelers and was stored in a tank about 40 ft tall. We used a lot of CO2.
Love your videos!.
Only gas we use on steel is CO2.
Friends say our welds aren't as pretty as with Argon mixtures..
They aren't. But.. when you go back and look at what the penetration differences are...
And CO2 will work fairly well on dirty metal.
Case in point.. big bale feeders, manure spreaders, livestock panels... We don't repair new ones.. most of that type of material is so rusted and rotted.... Best thing is good old ES70 and CO2.
Same combination works well on cast too.... You can even weld mild to cast and have it stay together!
(I know, I know... The books and the smart guys say it won't work... LoL.. it does work!
Hey Mr Moffatt, repurposed welder here, coming from retail management I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge in a way I can understand. I am in Anchorage and we are using CO2 straight because it is cheap, the instructor said if you can weld with CO2 you will be able to weld with 75/25.
Just to clarify things here, welding with only CO2 is called MAG welding.
When MIG welding you use an inert gas. CO2 is not an inert gas.
These gases are inert: helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr) och xenon (Xe).
GMAW, is that acceptable for you .
@@mitchdenner9743 Sure.
Can u hook up argon and co2 to run in the same hose and make adjustments to what ever your liking or situation
@@theaussie7160 yep, seen a few manifold systems setup so you can control different percentages of gas you want. Custom mixtures .
When we say mig it's understood that it is mig or mag. Nobody calls it mag...nobody.
As a home brewer and someone that welds twice a year, co2 is the obvious choice.
I ran it years ago in a structural steel fab shop on heavy iron. It was hard to go from 75/25 to pure CO2. Once you learn how to work it it seems to have the highest deposition rate and makes a very heavy rippled weld, which many codes don't allow.
We use straight Co2 with dual shield and I hate it. Mixed gas is so much smoother. Also the other benefit of Co2 is it is liquid so for mobile welding you can carry a lot more gas in the same size bottle.
C25 is cleaner but it makes a more brittle weld that's why if you look on the data information on the packages it's with straight co2 that's what they really should be ran with i also don't like the spatter
I've been using straight co2 for about 4 years on exhaust tubing, sheet metal and roll cage mount plates. The cost savings crazy! I use a keg cylinder. it? 20 bucks to fill and lasts 3/4 times as long as the same size c25 or tri-mix.
Alex Schmidt
3 to 4 not 3/4?
1 lb of CO2 gives 8.7 cf of gas. So the 20lb tank of CO2 will give approx the same amount of gas as a 172cf tank (chest height, skinny tank) of 75/25 at about $80 depending on your supplier.
like weld com stated "turn up the voltage to high and it becomes unstable "it is ok for some applications
one thing i noticed switching from c10 to co2 is having to control the arc length more precisely. if it gets to long with c02 it starts to make lots of b bs
The weld's looking pretty good there. Been laying down ER70 with straight C02 for 30 yrs, works great for me up to 3/8, push, drag, in contortionist the spatter hurts a bit.
Thank you for this video. You were already welding as a tradesmen when I was still in High School welding class.Your videos are par excellance. Safety first. Off gassing captured in a ventillation system. I cannot begin to tell you in the value of that. As a kid using lead based solder for my little RC car projects and ignorantly breathing acid core fumes. Trying to solder join brass rod into a chassis. Yet I had asked my Father to buy me the then new, plastic model glue that was safe.
Again, I enjoy your videos, Sir.
"Wow, I should be a welder, that's kinda nice" LOL. Thanks for what you do, sir. You've saved me a lot of time and expense!
I have always used straight c o 2 I do trailer repair have had no problems
In Thailand, the standard gas for mig welding is straight CO2 to the point that mig welding is referred to as CO2 welding (and tig is argon welding, while stick welding is "joss stick" welding). It's pretty hard to find a gas supplier that stocks mixed gasses, it's mostly by order and much more expensive than straight gasses. The only mix that's stocked by some places is 80-20 argon CO2, and only in very small quantities.
Question, if you’re welding carbon steel with TIG, then can you use CO2 as a gas, or would that ruin the tungsten?
@@andrewdoesyt7787 I have no idea why you're asking me of all people, but generally for tig you always use 100% argon with all metals, except for dc (ac uses argon) aluminum welding, which traditionally uses helium.
@@andrewdoesyt7787 The tungsten rod would be ruined as mentioned on Wokepedia. GTAW fuses the most metals, but GMAW uses the most shielding gases, including SF6.
Yes, welding in Thailand is a whole other ballgame.
Hay Bob. Gary from CT here. This has nothing to do with the topic but more with my selfish need to know. Well, I finally got my Esab 235 up and running. Man, what a mess I made of my first weld in 30 years! I gotta get some pictures out to ya so you can be embarrassed along with me! One thing I did was the wrong polarity. After that discovery, I don't know why my welds still look like crap. Anyway, I'll shoot some pics out to you shortly. Oh ya, my first project was welding my new "Tap & Slot" table together. Shure hope I didn't screw it up.
Gary Scoville play whit the settings meavy you ned mor o lees wire or mor o lees volts
Except for aluminum, I've only run CO2, all the old information showed it had better penetration....some say it just isn't as pretty.
I see a few comments about your exhaust fan.... With CO2, even a slight breeze can screw up your weld. When having to drag the welder outside the shop doors, I've found you need to block any wind. Either with your body, or hand held close to the end of the gun....
It's about time we saw this camera guy do some welding !,
Man I sure wish you would come back to UA-cam and make more videos I miss you man
Where did he go?
Got me a tank of co2 and some er70s-6 and now im starting to learn watching your vids.
Can you also discuss about pros and cons of fluxcored dual shield using straight CO2 and it's limitations. It will help us alot for a hobbiest like me.
One disadvantage with fluxed-core is that you get more fumes or more porosity. Sometimes you have trouble controlling the arc.
My 6013 electrode could penetrate better and provide more control of the arc.
Forget the welding ! Just a superb video !
It has been several years since I used pure Co2 with regular .030 mig wire, but when I did , it was with an older Miller CC.CV unit where you had an adjustment for impedence and slope on it! I set it for about 300 inches per minute wire speed,, voltage around 35, slope aroune E, can't remember impedance # of hand. Set the gas flow around 20 CFM I was welding cast flanges to 14 gauge aluminized sheet metal and it flowed in like butter!. No spatter or any excessive over weld you had to grind off!
Man I wish I could
Weld like this guy. I’m learning
I have learned a lot from your videos Bob. As an infrequent hobby welder I am inspired to weld more. Thanks.
Dear uncle Bob, thanks a lot for cut'n'etched shots!
Small world Bob, when you said you worked at Heater Technology in the 70's in Ponca City that rang a bell. I lived in Ponca City & area for 40 years and went by HT quiet often.
A lot has changed there since the 70's and in just the last 8 years since we moved away to TX. Enjoyed your video presentation as well.
can co2 for aquascape be used for mig welding..?
I really think the vent was the problem with the porosity on the last weld. I wish you would have run one more outside corner without the vent so close if at all just to be sure one way or the other. What do you consider to be the starting thickness of "the heavy stuff" where you would swap gas to C25 or keep the co2 and switch to fluxcore? Thanks!
To weld 15 kg of mig roll how much co2 required
I run about that much wire to one 20 pound cylinder.
Hi sir ,
Do you have a demo for setting the co2 gas sir ?
Bob. Could you show is some mitred tubing /welding techniques please?
Land Rover Toolbox Videos We have already.
will co2 fire extinguisher work for gas
If you can get the regulator to screw on it, sure.
Can you use oxygen/ the black bottles as a shield or I suppose that’s exactly what you want to keep out.?
I have only used co2 for welding until two years ago where i changed to what we call feromix which is 75% argon 25% co2.
You can make a nice weld there is only more splater
I weld for 35 years. I was. Welder class A. I run all kinds of welding. Very good work. Clean and good money. $ 🌶🇲🇽🇺🇸
Excelente demostración Sr ....sus vídeos me ayudan mucho.....saludos
in trade school we were taught that mig welding with pure c02 was best for repair work on dirty, rusty, oily steel that you could not properly clean up before welding. yes, the welds don't look pretty and on dirty material you do get a lot of spatter and slag, but it will give you a strong weld. of course, in those days stick welding was used most of the time under those conditions, but if you didn't have a stick welder and only had a mig, that was the best way to go. in my home garage i only have a mig welder and use 75/25 steel mix most of the time, but i do have co2 tanks and a c02 flowmeter if i need it, and i do use it sometimes.
I've done my share of MIG with straight CO2. In some ways I like it better than C25. For my own personal use I run C15. Much less spatter than C25, nicer arc, and you can spray with it. It's not as hot, but I don't generally MIG weld anything really heavy so it's not a big deal.
Thank you sir for all your free help
I'm a 20 year welder lots of straight c02 Mig welding if you decide to use 100% c02 it is cost effective but you will need a flow regulator at the point the gas line meets the feeder box . I have tried without one it's not recommended the gas is like propane very cold in liquid form and expands rapidly 535:1
Need to take a test for a job, have to run a fillet weld on a T joint in the vertical position downhill. Gas is 100% co2, wire is .40 (1mm) on 6mm material (about 1/4”) any tips or suggestions? Nether the weld specialist nor I can seem to get proper fusion.
"Wow! I should be a welder"... was running this video as background noise and bout had oj come out my nose 💀💀💀
I know why the exhaust fan is there, but turn it off and stop the draft and see if it effects the weld. Could be pulling the gas away too quick
Was thinking the same... you could really see it pulling on the third (outside corner) weld.
It (CO2) may be a bit ruff as you say but it is still not as ruff as flux core, yuk, and the cost as well as availability is important. I use to weld flux core many years ago in heavy structural steel fabrication and it was good for that. But if you want pretty welds, as I always do, I don't use flux core unless forced to due to conditions. Yet these days flux core is good for the home non pro type hobby welder.
I could get prettier welds with SMAW and deeper penetration with a 6013 than with fluxed-core.
I was always told pure CO2 gets you more penetration, meant for heavy stuff. At the end you said the opposite?
Yes CO2 does give you deeper penetration, but more spatter. C25 (25% CO2/75% argon) was developed for production welding to cut down on spatter removal on finished parts, when the arc is setup right their is virtually no spatter to remove. Also C25 has a cooler arc than 100% CO2, so less chance of burn through on thin sheet.
But if you are doing structural welding on heavy beams and plate, then CO2 is the way to go. Deep penetration is what you need here, and the heavy spatter is not a problem since it's not going to be painted and sent out like a snowblower. As I understand it the way CO2 works is that it has high arc resistance and the arc splits the CO2 molecule and for a split second it becomes CO (carbon monoxide) it then relishes this extra energy to the puddle and recombines again as CO2. In stick welding the 6010 or 6011(the AC version of the 6010) the flux coating is cellulose which produces a CO2/CO atmosphere as shielding.
Would co2 be better than nothing for finish welds? Or does it make the weld spatter more?
@@hunterbodell1129 read your question. I have been welding as a living for over 50 yrs and have found spatter depends on , wire quality or brand, cleanliness of the steel, cold or hot rolled, type of gas used and most of all the settings on the welder and welding style (push or pull) I use straight co2 for flux core weld and C25 for mig wire. Use whatever works best for you, experiment and have fun with with different techniques
Another great video and laying down some beautiful welds...
As a percentage, how much cheaper is straight CO2 than C25?
Where I live its €10 difference on a 20L bottle.
Less than 1/2. I was told $30 for co2 and like $80 for the mix for a 30" bottle
I’m still learning but what I can’t work out is what side of the puddle am I too watch, the front or rear? I’m learning to try and weld any direction being right handed but I find sometimes it’s easier if I drag or push depending but other say only drag gassles and etc. thanks
It doesn't really make a difference. Pushing lays a flatter bead. Dragging penetrates a little more. Pushing is preferred but the will be times when you have to drag. I tend to look all around the puddle. Watching where I'm going as well as trying to control bead size
Cold looking welds those first 2
A small heads up- if you use an "auto set" machine, the parameters on the machine are for a 75/25 mix and won't run properly on 100% CO2. I like CO2 when i need deeper penetration than can be achieved with a 75/25. Thanks for the good videos!
Probably need to add a few volts, if you can adjust that, or fool the computer into doing it!
I used to use it for car body work years ago with a 100amp transformer sealey mighty mig
The wire feeder broke some years back, I've just bought an inverter mig 200amp using 25/75 and I'm sure the Old set up was easier More controllable didn't blow holes so easily and if you did, it was easier to fill them, the only downside was the spatter, am I remembering it wrong?
i use co2 all the time on my hobart 187. C25 is really high in my area and i only have a 80lb tank. co2 goes by lb but its same as 80cf c25
I am with James still use streight co2 miller 35 ,just patch around the house now,retired.
I hate welding straight co2 that's all we have in our work. Before the bean counters came in and were too tight fisted, we used to have 75/25.
Welds looking great
Short strong ark, but somehow the finished weld looks nice under his hand. I will try this, just to see the difference:) THX!
Ok, I know this comment is late to the party! I spent several years working at a common name muffler shop. They always used Co2, not a mix. I believe this was largely due to cost and the fact that most people don't look under their car to admire the welds on pipe hangers. The tanks were typically 80cf-120cf and seem to last forever....even with 6 day/week usage.
I’m a hobbyist welder, I want to make a winch plate, and super strong tube bumper for my truck, and I do have a CO2 bottle do you think that kinda stuff is good for CO2? I want to avoid spending the few hundred on a new argon mix bottle and fill
Im glad youdid this i have been looking for a video showing this i build derby cars and try to keep the cost down and im waning to switch from gassless flux to running this stright co2
Definitely a little cheaper running hard wire and CO2.
straight CO2 works just fine for me. Building a street rod now, good penetration w/.030 and CO2. You get a little spatter, no biggy. No where near what arc is! the wire speed and current will effect the spatter too. Clean metal is a must! No rust!
What kind of wire are you running here and why do you make the pattern? Is the pattern required to run .035?
I'm asking because I'm trying to improve my welds running my .030 with 75/25 and I don't use a pattern.
joshua kuntz Pattern is not necessary.
Just when I thought my welding was getting better I see this guy!!!...........
Newbies at my work occasionally do better work. Ideally you don't want that convex profile that he was so proud of. The weld should be as close to flat as possible
good evening
at what lowest temperature can a full gas cylinder for co2 welding be kept?
greetings
It’s a gas what are you worried about? My shop gets way below 32° normal winter temps when I’m not in it!
Should you weld the inside corner too?
Not needed. When you get the weld bleeding through to the inside like that, it's 100% penetration
@AHill-oi9ct Thanks man. Don't know why I'm not getting replies notifications though.
That would make sense for gasless fluxed-core. CO2 penetrates better.
Question. You were dragging the ark not pushing. I thought slag you drag and shield gas you push. I'm just starting out.
mojunk19 for horizontal welds its personal preference. Pushing will usually give a slightly wider flatter bead. Personally I produce better welds that have passed xray by pushing. Bob also uses a slight whipping action which I've never bothered with, but I do sometimes use a looping weaving action
Bob what's up with the beads on that plate? I must have missed that part of the episode? I've heard conflicting stories on CO2.. That it's a hotter arc, good for pushing small machines on heavier stuff (like helium on aluminum) and some say the colder gas cools the arc/weld making it good for ..something..? What's the skinny?
It is a slightly hotter arc. Cheaper than argon/ co2 blend.
I've been doing a lot of auto body sheet metal welding, exhaust pipes, stuff like that and switched from C25 to straight CO2 a few years back, my experience is that the weld on CO2 doesn't wet in the same way as C25 and for a given material thickness i find need to run a higher voltage and a bit lower wire speed. I can definitely weld thinner material without blowing through than I could with C25. CO2 has a smaller sweet spot than C25 but when you get it dialled in it works great.
I have a small mig for basic farm repairs and hobbies plus sculpture building I run C25 but could I get away with just CO2?? Also even though they are large they have aluminum CO2 tanks at my local growers supply store is that the same CO2 if the valve is the same?? Thanks
Thought co2 was worse on thinner steel as it is best for deaper penetration
could you talk a little bit about how you can dial in the arc with the inductance control for using the Co2 gas
I saw that on an older Mig Mondays episode with the other guy ( can't think of his name). He had a higher end ESAB machine with user adjustable inductance. He said most machines were factory set around 35 or 40. He turned it down to 0 and the arc seemed softer and the bead flatter, then he turned it up to like 85 and the arc was sharper with tighter bead ripples. It wasn't a big difference but I think he did say you could fine tune it and take out a lot of the spatter with CO2.
Thanks for saving me some money...
Ditto for me. I weld with my Everlast mig as a hobby and CO2 looks like the way to go.
You are a legend Bob!
Hi ! And you do it with normal wire ? What kind of metal is it ? Thx.
Very nice technique. Your beads look like art!
Very interesting. I’m not a welder but I was thinking about getting unit that I can do small stuff with for a hobby. I see you use an exhaust to pull the gas and smoke away from you. You’re the only one I’ve seen so far that uses the exhaust. I would be interested in using one too because I really don’t want to breath that stuff in. Would an exhaust fan used to pull heat out of a garage be good enough for this purpose?
Other than being cheap is there any reason to use straight CO2 rather than C25?
That's about it. C-25 is much quieter with less spatter.
Slightly more penetration with straight co2. You also get a lot more cubic feet of gas in a tank with straigh co2 as it is liquified.
My shop has me trying to weld 5/8 plate with 0.35 soild wire.. 100% c02.. I noticed I can never get that thing dialed always crazy splatter, as you said unstable, raspy as he'll an gloppy... running around 24-28 volts played with wire speed with no results... after watching this I'm going to say they need c25... or ditch it all together an run 0.45 Flux with the 100% c02
Do you have any videos on mig with 90/10 gas?
Hi Bob got a quick question for you. I have a MIG welder and am looking at some shielding gas. I was thinking of going with CO2. I see where the gas suppliers offer two versions of CO2 one with a siphon tube and the other just gas without the tube. The siphon seems to be to transfer liquid CO2 to another container example paintball. Is the cylinder without the siphon the one used for MIG shielding with CO2 using a CO2 regulator?
Thanks for adding video... Question... What was your c02 gas set at ?
Thanks for the money savings and enjoyed learning about the history of using just CO2.
So when I started welding in the coal mines as a contractor that’s all everyone ran I have done mold boards and corner shanks on a 993k with it had no issue
I got my first mig back in the 70's & have run straight CO2 ever since. I just spent most of today welding on a race chassis.
Hey Mr Moffatt, I've come across a full bottle of Nitrogen. Can you use that as a shielding gas? Ive not yet bought shielding gasses; would a supplier be interested in swapping tanks or can the tank be refilled w a shielding gas? I know nothing of this stuff. I appreciate any info!
Depends on the materials, process and application.
Nitrogen in conjunction with other industrial gases are used as shielding gas with certain processes with certain materials.
Occasionally Nitrogen is used as a purge or back-purge gas.
Nitrogen is also used as a dry gas with plasma cutting and certain heat treat processes.
I suggest contacting your local welding gas suppliers for guidance on your specific project needs.
patw52pb1 thanks for the info! I have an entry level mig welder. I haven't bought the shielding gas yet, and have yet to try it out. I'm THAT new!! I have some flux core, maybe I should try that first. Anyway, I'll definitely give a local place a call and see what they wanna do.
Nitrogen is NOT used for welding steel! The point of the different kinds of shielding is to keep the Nitrogen OUT! People always think of the Oxygen, which is also a problem, but the MIG wire has deoxidizers in it. There's no denitrogenizers (?) or even a word for that!
Should i hear co2 flowing with gas valve on and welder off? Coming out of hole on regulator?
No
I use straight co2 on my little lincoln and c25 on my big lincoln.
I to started in the 70's with pure CO2, the regulator back then had to have a heater stop freezing up.
Yes, bigger welding machies sometimes have low voltage output (i.e. 42V AC) for powering the heater. But regulators freeze up only when the flow and duty cycle is quite high. It's rarely an issue in typical workshop. Also it depends on ambient temperature.
CO2 regulators with electric heaters or with just a heat-exchanger (a few coils of copper tubing) are common now. The electric one might be convenient since some power supplies have an electric outlet on them. I use this b/c I have small CO2 tanks (as in beverage service) and am withdrawing at a probably too high rate. A conventional regulator will turn into a ball of snow, and maybe be blocked inside by some dry ice that's formed.
If I hear right, you weld stainless steel with SS wire and CO2 gas??
The root ???? YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE ROOT
We run straight co2 on .052 flux core in the ship yard all day long.
You use dual shield in the open air?? Or are you using it in a shop in the ship yard or inside a ship? Because dual shield sucks when there's a breeze
Not with co2 its alot heavier than mixed gas allowing it to be much greater at shielding even in windy conditions
Why doesn't CO2 disassociate like NO2? MAG is odd.
Harder to break the Carbon Oxygen bond?
Good morning! when is MIG is inerte gas, in this case Argor or Helium, and all the rest : Oxigen, Co2, Nitrogen or mix gases with argón or helium is Active gas (MAG)
Bob, I remember doing mig welds using straight CO2 in a manufacturing environment 40 years ago. There were both 040 hard wire and 060? Dual shield. There were no stitch/step motion just drag and weaves. Material thicknesses from 1/8 to stack ups over 1". What is the purpose of the stitch motion?
Tie in the toes and heels. Kinda like a workaround for a small machine that just isn't capable of dumping heat into the part.
Very much a hobbyist welder. Just found this channel and i was wondering if you would ever do a comparison of the new Vulcan MigMax 215 from Harbor Freight vs. a name brand. Is it worth the money? Thank you I appreciate any info and sorry if this is not where I should be posting this question.
We just got in some of the new Vulcan machine to play around with. Haven't got a chance to use them yet, but we're in the process. Hit that subscribe button and you'll get notified when the video comes out.
Try to get a clip & honest review of that Vulcan Omni220MP before the sale goes off at harbor freight on the 30th! I'm looking to get an MP welder, if it's not rubbish, I'm in... especially with the 1 year trial.
I must have missed the part where you stated the CO2 flow rate and how changing it affects the weld. Please comment on if/how you change the flow for different joint types. Thanks for this as I only have a choice of flux core, solid wire with CO2, or flux core with CO2. ALSO DO YOU CHANGE POLARITY WITH THE DIFFERENT COMBOS/
You don't change the polarity from CO2 to 75/25, but you do change from MIG to Flux Cored. Our flow rate was around 25CFH.
They've been over this a dozen times, but just in case: The Innershield and the Outershield Wire use different polarity! You only have to change polarity for self-shielded ("gasless") wire!
What helmet are using on the camera when filming your weld
is it posibe to run c25 gas on any welding machine. i am using now only co2 and i am trying to swich. does the mix inprove the estetiks of the weld?
Yes
Yes it can, however C25 may not provide the correct shielding, weldment integrity and weldment appearance may suffer on certain materials such as some aluminum, some stainless and more exotic materials such as magnesium, titanium, monel and inconel.
On certain processes and materials C25 can have arc stability issues.
Is it OK to Drag the Weld with Co2? - I was always Taught to Push the Weld for Penetration, Ive only ever used Argon/Co2 mix, I might drag the weld on Sheet Metal to avoid Burn through, Thats about it Though! -Cheers👍😉
No no nooo, to avoid burn through, pushing is better than dragging. Like you said in your comment, dragging gets better penetration. I did structural steel for 3 years and now I work with stainless and stainless-to-mild, building train cars, and with either mild or stainless (but even moreso with stainless), if you wanna weld thin stuff, you go hotter and faster, as fast as you can make a decent weld, and push if possible, to avoid burn through or suckback, on thin gauge. Ive welded 3 inch thick mild, and I currently weld as thin as 1.5mm stainless, and pushing FAST is the best option. Go too cold and slow and risk actually putting in too much heat because of your slow travel rate. And if you drag, you'll definitely have it melt out, and you'll have a lovely glob of metal to grind out on the other side, as well as having to tack-tack-tack to fill-in the gap you just created because you dragged
what are using for Co2 flow rate?
15 - 25 CFH.
I have always ran CO2 ! I started wire feed welding back in 75 and ended up with my dad's miller 35. I still use it today. I did buy a lincoln 135 about 10 years ago and set that up on 75/25 and I ended up giving it to my brother. A lot less splatter on 25 but less heat as well. Maybe if I got one of those inverter toy welders that everyone uses, I would probably use 25.