If using a MIG you may find better results with solid wire and a shielding gas. Flux core is ideal for outdoor environment that would otherwise remove an argon/co2 shielding gas due to wind. (think farm repairs) If you're serious about your patch panels, get a welder with shielding gas. It will give you nicer welds with less splatter. If you're fixing a farm implement, who cares...
My suggestion for your welder setup in using the MIG (with shielding gas) is to FIRST AND FOREMOST set the heat for a full penetration weld when doing only one weld dot at a time. Then, if you have issue with blowout (on solid panel, not from the pitted rusty stuff) try increasing the wire feed speed. To explain, if you have enough heat for full penetration weld and not enough filler going in, it will burn away the parent metal. SO first, set heat, second, adjust feed speed to eliminate blowout, and fine tune from there. Oh yeah, sheet metal is a different animal. If you're gonna use a MIG, you may want to weld only one dot at a time, not a full weld pass. A full weld pass attempt with the MIG is about a guaranteed blowout as the panel heats up.
Last edited by MPandC; 07/18/2017 4:30 AM.
