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Wire for 3/8" w/ MIG

750 views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  Bigger Valves 
#1 ·
I'm getting my brand spanking new hobart 210 in the mail soon and i need to buy some wire for my sas project. I have some 3/8" material to dial it in on and i just wanted to get a head start on this project cos i'm not blessed w/ a lot of time. Which wire should i buy (.35 or .30). I'll be using standard 50/50 gas. I'm open to ANY suggestion at this point cos i have only about 1/2 of welding class under my belt. :shaking:

2 experianced welders helping me w/ it so i'm not just jumping into something i can't handle. :D
 
#4 ·
50/50 standard? I thought 80/20 was standard, I`m going to an 80/15 (i think) so I can spray transfer better. (Not sure if you have enough power in yours to spray)

I have had good luck with .035 for 3/8" Plate and have used about 20lbs of wire welding 3/8 in the last couple months.

.030 is to small for 3/8 IMHO.
 
#5 ·
yeah i thought that initially too, but when i went to the local welding supply he told me that 50/50 was the standard. i felt like i didn't know what i was talking about :( and didn't try to argue. i know that a greater CO2 to Argon ratio equals better weld penetration so i might not go w/ the "standard". anyway, thanks for the input.
 
#6 ·
umm 75/25 is what you use on carbon steel. And use .035, save the .030 for 110v machines. when we use hard wire, its .035 and that from 16ga on up. if we go with bigger wire its a flux wire. or a dual shield wire.
 
#7 ·
Standard gas mix for mild steel is 75/25...at least that's what I've always seen and used. Back when I was in School, they used straight CO2 because it was cheeper I guess, it had more splatter and in theory didn't have the same penetration, but it got the job done I guess. I'd go for .035 wire also, because your welder has the power for it.
 
#8 ·
actullay co2 will get better PEN but spatters alot more,i use 98/2 ( 98% argon 2% OXY ) for spray but have also done it with steel mix, a little lower on the PEN but alot cheaper. you could also get a spool of duel sheald core wire, and run that on co2 or steel mix, i like .045 for my core wire and .035 for hard wire. my machine is a miller matic 250 and i used it to weld on cutting edges on buckets and for steel erection along with offraod parts to, jason.
 
#9 ·
Todd W said:
50/50 standard? I thought 80/20 was standard, I`m going to an 80/15 (i think) so I can spray transfer better. (Not sure if you have enough power in yours to spray)

I have had good luck with .035 for 3/8" Plate and have used about 20lbs of wire welding 3/8 in the last couple months.

.030 is to small for 3/8 IMHO.

75/25 is really "standard". You're going to have a heck of a time spraying with 80/15. That's not a very high energy gas and it's going to take a whole lot of voltage to achieve spray transfer so I hope you have a very nice and very big machine. You get a very nice and easy to attain spray arc with a 92/8 or maybe even going to 98 Ar 2 O2.
 
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