wrought iron fence repair: wire and settings needed.

[Rambozo]

I'm siding with Sean on this, too. I hate all the post weld cleanup of flux core and most stick, so I would try solid wire MIG and something to block the wind as I mentioned before. But the biggest thing I would take away (thought I posted this before, but I guess not) is that with 400+ miles, TAKE EVERYTHING! That's a great thing about the iMIG, it does it all with one machine. You never know what you will run into and you can figure out what gives the results you want. How much clean up also depends on where and how much welding you are doing and what kind of paint is going on after. If you are gonna slap on some nice thick paint, clean up is minimal. If you're just gonna hit it with a rattle can, you will see and feel all the spatter if it's not cleaned good. Good MIG you can pretty much just stop welding, let it cool a little and paint away. Flux core or stick is chip, chip, chip, brush, brush, brush, and maybe even grind or sand here and there. Adds a lot of work if you are welding a lot, and might be in places where that's hard to do.

[johnnymg]

I'm siding with Sean on this, too. I hate all the post weld cleanup of flux core and most stick, so I would try solid wire MIG and something to block the wind as I mentioned before. But the biggest thing I would take away (thought I posted this before, but I guess not) is that with 400+ miles, TAKE EVERYTHING! That's a great thing about the iMIG, it does it all with one machine. You never know what you will run into and you can figure out what gives the results you want. How much clean up also depends on where and how much welding you are doing and what kind of paint is going on after. If you are gonna slap on some nice thick paint, clean up is minimal. If you're just gonna hit it with a rattle can, you will see and feel all the spatter if it's not cleaned good. Good MIG you can pretty much just stop welding, let it cool a little and paint away. Flux core or stick is chip, chip, chip, brush, brush, brush, and maybe even grind or sand here and there. Adds a lot of work if you are welding a lot, and might be in places where that's hard to do.

OK, there's some good input!

Other than the bottle transport I'm OK with the plan to try both "plain" and flux core wire. I may have to bite the bullet and get a C25 bottle at the second location. That would give me some options I don't have right now.

cheers
JohnG

[Rambozo]

Portability is nice.



You can either get a small C25 bottle for that purpose or you can also get a very small CO2 setup that uses paintball cyls that you can have filled at a lot of sporting goods stores and stuff. Not as clean as C25 but super portable. Have a look.

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/...er-210mvp.html

[youngnstudly]

I think it really depends on just how much welding you have to do. If there isn't much and it's all thin wall, I'd try to use the flux core setup, assuming you can get a grinder with a wire wheel into all the spots to quickly clean the slag off. Do you have a ton of short beads to do, or is this more of a minor repair every 15 feet (for example)?

[everlastsupport]

I would always prefer C25, BUT make sure you take the flux core. Also, add a fire extinguisher to your check list and welding blanket.

I've actually sat in a modified refrigerator cardboard box for a wind block (keep an eye for fire)

Maybe some 1/2" painters masking tape and anti-spatter spray if you really think there will be that much spatter. I use a small hobart with flux core all the time and other than a wire wheel, looks fine for paint.

[DaveO]

Since the fence is decorative it's probably close to a power source... is that correct? Just thinking about power, whether you can plug directly into 110v or 220v, or if you'll need an extension cord. I've read here on the forum about the IMIG 200 working well on 110v at the end of a fairly long extension cord, too.

[everlastsupport]

We run our IMIG200 on a generator all the time, so we can be mobile and still get the 220vac.

[johnnymg]

Since the fence is decorative it's probably close to a power source... is that correct? Just thinking about power, whether you can plug directly into 110v or 220v, or if you'll need an extension cord. I've read here on the forum about the IMIG 200 working well on 110v at the end of a fairly long extension cord, too.

The fence is at the back of the property so the nearest power (only a 20A 115V) outlet is about 35' from the fence. Given the thickness of the tubing I suspect this outlet will be sufficient for the job. ??? I also have a 25' 8 gauge extension cord which I would have to make an adapter for.

I need to replace multiple pieces of the fence but we don't have any wind (in the morning) here so I think non-flux wire with C25 would work. I might pick up a small bottle (~40 Cu-ft) rather than transport a bottle. That said, I think I'll try some flux core 0.030 wire to see how if works. Just a newbie here trying to get my welding seat time up.

cheers
JohnG

[jameslo]

What was the final decision?

I've tried the "outdoor MIG" idea. On a day with absolutely no wind and some clean metal, there's a chance it will work. In general, though, it's easier to put socks on a rooster than it is to use MIG outdoors for any period of time.

If the metal is clean enough for MIG, then 6013 on stuff that thin is a good choice. Since it won't be clean, though, 6011 works well. If you haven't used 6011 on 14 - 18 ga stuff, you'll want to practice.

All that said, it's hard to beat flux core in your scenario.

[johnnymg]

What was the final decision?

I've tried the "outdoor MIG" idea. On a day with absolutely no wind and some clean metal, there's a chance it will work. In general, though, it's easier to put socks on a rooster than it is to use MIG outdoors for any period of time.

If the metal is clean enough for MIG, then 6013 on stuff that thin is a good choice. Since it won't be clean, though, 6011 works well. If you haven't used 6011 on 14 - 18 ga stuff, you'll want to practice.

All that said, it's hard to beat flux core in your scenario.

I won't be back to the gate repair until a week from now. I did receive the flux cored wire so I'm going to test this wire in the next few day.