jeepguy553

Quick question...I think I already know where most of you will stand on this but I want to get some opinions anyway.
I have a HF Dual MIG 151 220VAC machine (not the best I know but it works for me) and I am planning to start a bumper fab soon. I have a nearly full tank of 75/25 mix. My bumper will be made of the 3/16" plate that I have on-hand. My wire choices are 0.035" flux core or 0.030" solid. Which do you guys think would be the best for this project? I know the flux will probably give better penetration. Do you guys think that the solid wire and gas could give similar results with the heat cranked all the way up and the wire speed slowed down a bit?
(flame suit on...)

surefire

I run 75/25 with .025 wire on my Lincoln 140 amp
As for penetration you should have no problem burning together 1/4" plate with a 220v welder
I work primarily with 3/16 plate and .250 wall tubing for my projects and I've tested my welds extensively.
I personally prefer the smaller wire and gas vs flux core and as a plus it makes for a much nicer weld
Hope this helps

jeepguy553

Absolutely it helps! That's exactly what I, needed to hear. Thanks!

mstrofpuppets

I use .030 with my hobart 140 with 75/25 and it puts down some good welds. Thought I would throw that in there.

jeepguy553

This is what I wanted to hear from you guys. I hate grinding welds down so they look good. Sounds like I'll be using the solid wire for this one.

River Runner

if you (set) the hard wire and it buzzes like it should you will have no problems, and a little to no undercut in the base metal resulting in a better looking finished product

OverlandJKU

I always bevel the edges of the plate when approaching max thickness. It can really help with making strong welds. I also think you should be fine with your welder..

Ringer

Running straight CO2 will give you a deeper burn than a 75/25 mix. The downside is it wouldn't be as clean of a weld. Be sure to grind and notch all welds prior to welding, and run multiple passes if necessary. For 3/16, I would use your .030 solid core.

Willybugman

Bump on the beveling...I use .030 solid with my 175/220 and it has great results. Play with a few scraps and perfect you settings before burning the project.

surefire

When your building your bumper you'll be doing primarily corner joints
It's not good practice to bevel a corner joint because you'll just end up getting burn through
As long as you butt the joint corner to corner without overlap you'll save yourself alot of time and grinding
You only need to bevel butt joints and "t" joints When dealing with thicker material
There's a really good website that you can check out for tips and tricks
this guy knows his shit weldingtipsandtricks.com