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I started using my Lincoln 125 flux core welder tonight. I decided to try it on some scrap original sheet metal I had laying around. I used 3 washers so I could try tacking and rosette welding. I could really use some tips because I think my weld jobs leave a lot to be desired. I did get what I thought were a couple of nice looking tack welds after being in the garage for an hour. Suggestions? When I charge some camera batteries I'll post some pics.

First off Doug, you're not gonna have a lot of luck welding light gauge sheet metal (18-24 ga) with flux core, especially if you are new to welding. It's really meant for heavier material. Not that you can't do it but it taint gonna look to hot and your gonna be burning thru all the time and doing a lot of grinding.
Mig welders are much more suited to the job of sheet metal repair or Tig if you happen to have access to one of them.
I just noticed that a Mig welding kit K2526-1 is available for your Lincoln 125 machine. . What it consists of is listed at the end of this brochure. A good investment if you’re going to do any sheet metal work on your Chevy truck. http://content.lincolnelectric.com/pdfs/products/literature/e725.pdf
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Doug,

That's good advice. Also there is a website www.weldingweb.com that is dedicated to welding education and sharing ideas.

Good luck,
Dale

I agree with Denny. MIG is the way to go for sheet metal. Less spatter then using flux core. Cleaner welds and less grinding.

Thanks for the advice. I also asked one of the contractors I know here at FT Sam Houston and he said the exact same thing you all said. As soon as I can get that kit I'm doing it!

I bought a cheap Lincoln MIG with gas and I have had good luck with it. The gas is very, very important! I jumped right in and tried replacing the floor pans with a butt weld... screwed those up bad. I had to have a pro do it. Since then, and a lot of practice, I have been able to weld in sheet metal patches with very good results.

I'll definitely keep up with the practice. I don't want to screw up the sheetmetal. I need to practice the grinding also.

If you continue to have problems after you have practiced a lot, check the polarity of the welder. We bought a cheap Hobart, similar to your lincoln, and could not get it to weld smooth. Finally an employee noticed the output cables were wired backwards and when he connected them correctly, it was like a totally different welder. Now we use it all the time for light gage work.

I'll check it again!

Doug,
I have a Lincoln 125 Plus (has gas) that is much better than an older Schumacher flux core I still have from years ago. You can dial in better with a whole lot less splatter. Backing up with a flattened piece of copper pipe will "absorb" some heat and blow less holes. I'm not a great welder so you learn how to grind very quickly........Have fun and good luck
Dan

Thanks. I just have to get the gas kit now. Lowes can order it for me and It will cost $139. Next payday!

you can get argon mix gas regulators pretty cheap on ebay, and gas tanks for $75 at harbor freight.

I will check it out. Thanks!

After trying everything from heat sink putties, dry wall spackle, fiber glass, etc., a shot of compressed air over about an inch or less bead helped with the warping. I'm using an argon/CO2 mix with a lincoln mig.

Does anyone know if there's a brand of regulators other than Lincoln that will work with Lincoln? Aren't welding supplies (fittings etc...) all standardized?

Yes, standardized Doug, any regulator or flow meter should work just fine. If for some odd reason the outlet fitting is non standard your welding supply should have the correct fittings.
DG

Great! Now I'm going to look around before I pay too much.

I bought my MIG welder at Daytona MIG in 1992. Great machine. 140 AMPS at 120V. Did alot of sheetmetal welding. Just have to play around with the settings. I had better luck running a hotter setting and slowing down the wire feed. Gotta run it hot enough to melt the wire. Also, for sheet metal work, only use .023" wire. .030" or .035" is just too thick and will deposit way too much wire (which you'll have to grind off).

I have a 250AMP Airco Heliarc also. That makes 1st class welds on anything, but slow. Definately not for beginners.

I did notice that the MIG conversion kit came with a spool of .023 or .025 wire. I thought it was .025 but I'm not sure now. I'm going to try and get the conversion kit next week. My first project is going to be the passenger door to see if I can do it. Next, I think I'll do a cowl panel or fill in the rust holes that surround the windshield. I will post pics along with wire size as soon as I can. The Army is keeping me busy right now.

What are your plans for the passenger door? If it's to replace rot at the bottom with a new skin...BE VERY CAREFUL! When you weld on the new skin, that area can warp very easily...thus putting a bow on your door.

I have to replace the inner and outer door bottoms. Both are pretty much shot. When I replace the pieces I will space my welds out several inches to avoid excessive heating and warpage. Thanks for the advice and keep it coming. I know I can use it all.

Before I did mine...I took the advice from a fellow bolter and built a simple 1" angle iron frame inside the area of the door for the new sheet metal to rest on. Really worked well! I believe I put a few photos in my webshots showing it.

I saw the frames. I will have to consider that. Thanks.

I have a Lincoln 140 pro-mig. I have been practicing on scrap sheet metal. Had good luck. Yesterday I tried my hand on a floor panel replacement. All I got was weld balls and a big mess. Any suggestions?

I wish I could give you some advice but I need a lot more practice before I consider handing it out.

Thanks. I was so depressed and believe I am a horrible welder. Now I need to figure out what to do next.

I did turn down the temperature and it worked better. The bead was laying down in places. I also found some of the seams are a litte wide (3/16) which I am not sure if I can fill.

This is under the seat so I am not worried about what it looks like. Just need to finish the patch.

I got a couple of good tacks out of about 50 that I tried. I blew out more metal and made a huge mess where I didn't. I need to convert to gas shielded.

well of course you're a horrible welder Dennis, ya just got the machine recently eh? was your practice on old rusty metal or scraps of new stuff? were your practice pieces hanging in the air like the floor, or laying on a solid surface, like a metal bench or the concrete floor [like a heat sink]? when you moved to the real deal, did you cut back far enough so there's no corroded material left? clean the pieces to clean shiney metal back from the edge a bit? patch and old floor the same thickness?

you just need to play around a bit when you're still learning, if turning down the heat helped, down it more and fiddle with the feed speed too and make sure the gas is feeding properly and there's no wind - practice makes better if not perfect, no point in depression

Bill

Welding is more than just getting the machine setup, it also has a lot to do with preparation. You can't weld rust and your parts have to fit with minimum gap.

You really should take a welding class or have an experienced welder teach you basics.

Hey Squeeze. I was working with good cut metal. And spacers. I was getting a good bead. This patch stuff is a whole new ballgame.

Hey Woody. I hear you. I need to find time. But you are right.

This is under the seat so I thought that I could weld it in. First weld. More practice with this stuff is needed.

Momentary depression sucks. I will keep trying.

I did lay down a couple of good beads though. Which was encouraging. What does lower heat and faster thread do? Or is it slower feed with lower temperature?

Thanks guys

Don't get down. While not a pro, I have spent plenty of hours both mig and arc welding and will be the first to say that welding that thin sheet metal is a whole different ballgame. A lot of things you can just "burn it in there" and call it good. Stitching up those patch panels is no piece of cake. Another tool you may want to locate is a "welding calculator". It is a paper slide ruler sort of thing, I know Miller welding sells them (bought mine on ebay) and you can set the thickness of metal and it will help you with the settings. It at least gives you a starting point w/o as much trial and error.

Thanks Aggie Jon.

I have been told that once I get used to the welder it will come in handy. I just need to keep working with it.

Probably slower speed and lower temperature. I can't set mine lower because the knobs are all the way over to the left and mine still looks bad!

My Lincoln has all the thickness and settings inside the access door for the wire spool.

That is where all my settings are, too. Unfortunately, when I used these settings I was blowing holes and throwing weld balls all over. I think either Bill is right about not being perfectly clean or inexperience was a factor. I will try lower speed and temperature.

It's not as easy as on small pieces of clean/new metal that are cut and/or clamped together. The real world is a tough place

another variable is the speed of your hand, you may be moving too slow

Bill

I've been refreshing my high school metal shop skills doing patch work on my '66, I can weld but definitely not a professional..I have the same welder you do, heres some things I have learned that may help...

Like others have said, old trucks have really dirty, rusty metal...Clean all the areas where a bead is going to go till they are shiny metal, and don't forget to do both sides of the metal, not just the side you see when you are welding. You should be spending way more time prepping than actually welding.

For tricky bits, do a "dry run" first, moving the gun through the weld without any power on so you can get a feel for what you will need to do to line everything up.

Also, make sure you have a good ground as close to the work area as possible...The ground clamp on that machine sucks, I keep meaning to get a better one at the welding place, but in the meantime, make sure you have a nice shiny bare metal to ground to. I also got one of those magnetic ground posts so I usually just grind a bare spot 4" or so from my work area and use that to ground there...It also really does seem to make a difference if you get to far away from the ground...

Finally, don't get impatient. Lots of small, short welds, almost tack welds are your freind. If you blow through, don't worry about it. Move to a different spot, come back later and fill it by a bunch of small bursts around the edges. If an area gets too hot, it blows through easier...

Finally, just relax. If its [censored] you off, take a break and come back later.

You'll get it...all the hassle and agravation is worth it now that I can see a whole new floor instead of the chantilly lace of rust I had before, it feels really good to have done it myself.

I will definitely take this advice. I still have to get a conversion kit and the gas bottle. As soon as I do I'm going to start. I'm pretty patient so I could spend 8 hours in the garage. I will post some pics when I get the chance.

Thank you. I have done almost everything wrong but will retry.

Thanks again.

If you drop down the welding wire size to .023, then you must change the drive roller, liner, and the contact tips on the welder. good luck