best welding wire ?

[toyodaaddict]

hey guys. I just bought my first mig welder its the Miller 211 autoset . what do you guys recomend for wire (flux core i dont got gas yet) ? is wire wire or is some better than others? and what size .024 .030 .035 ?  I know nothing . ill be welding spring hangers and such on my toyota. Thanks

[crazykooter]

Use .30 wire and honestly I wouldnt bother with flux wire when you have a sweet welder like that.  We use a miller 200 here and I dont think its ever had flux core run thru it.
As for brand of wire ?  I have used a few diff brands and they all seem the same to me.  Now I am not a pro welder.  Heck I dont think I weld that great but the things ive mentioned here have helped my welds look tons better.

[junya92toy]

Get .030 er70s-6, use c02 gas and you will be set. Stick with airgas brand wire, its just lincoln wire.

[Snowtoy]

With flux core you do get more spatter, but if you do all of your welding outside like I do, you don't have much of an option.

Since you don't have any welding experience, do you have any one who can teach you?  If not, you might want to take an adult Ed welding class.  Welding spring hangers isn't exactly the best place for a beginner to start welding.

[toyodaaddict]

With flux core you do get more spatter, but if you do all of your welding outside like I do, you don't have much of an option.

Since you don't have any welding experience, do you have any one who can teach you?  If not, you might want to take an adult Ed welding class.  Welding spring hangers isn't exactly the best place for a beginner to start welding.

I have done a bit of supervised mig welding (30 hours maybe) i was run through the basics and after a couple hours i was turned loose on my own. the guy that was teaching me seid i was doing a real good job.as i had questions he would teach me more. i am a little concerned about welding the spring hangers but taking a class isn't really an option right now. i can lay a decent looking bead and I'm hoping the 211 autoset  will make up for what I'm lacking in skill. i also plan to practice for a couple days before starting on the suspension. do ya think I stand a chance?

[Sparkplug]

Its not hard. You can make it real easy on yourself, and prep the metal real nice beforehand. I use a hobart 210, with hobart flux wire. When it comes to flux wire, i shopped around, and pretty much lookin at 15-20 bucks for 2lbs and 60-80 bucks for 10 lbs spools. Flux is nice, dont go too hot tho, it burns alot hotter than normal wire.

[Snowtoy]

I am not an expert welder, I started out basically the same way you did, so you might be a natural, I know I wasn't and it took a while for me to get good beads, and I can still lay a crappy one if I haven't welded in a while.  Even with lessons I still think it would be best to do some sliders or a rear bumper first, but if you don't have time, at least have the welds on the hangers inspected by the guy who taught you, if you can.  On the trail a broken weld is more of an inconvenience, whereas on the highway it could be fatal.

[junya92toy]

You can run gas outside, just turn up the cfh. And practice, do a t weld, only weld one side, put it in a vise and see how hard it is to break it, do that for flat, horizontal, vertical and overhead.

Take scrap metal, set it up just like you are going to do the finished piece, get the machine set right and the right weld, then do whatever it is you are trying to weld.

[crazykooter]

His autoset takes all the voltage and wire speed out of play so really all he needs to do is plug and play.  Welding outside in the wind can be tough with gas.  I try to shield the wind if I can.

[yota4x4sc]

i like to run .030 its the best for mid range truck welding.. and run the co2 argon mix.. save ur money and dont bother with flux core.. it does not weld for .. u will be disappionted

[junya92toy]

autoset only works in the flat position.

[yota4x4sc]

u can crank the gas up when its windy..thats wat i do when its windy..never had a prob..does waste a ton of gas when u do that though!

[Sparkplug]

Flux wire welds just fine, has more spatter, and produces slag. Tradeoff for being able to no prep metal as much, and can use in a hurricane. I did my whole sas and chev spring swap with flux wire, my welds looks alot better than some ive seen.

[ZanderJay]

You might be going to have a practice and do the weld. You can weld only one side and put it in a vise. Just to check in how hard it is to break it, do it for some process of welding.

[BLACKDOG]

I personally like the .035 wire better than the .030 wire.  Welded with both though, and I think it really comes down to personal preference. 

Do spend the money on good wire though.  Lincoln, Airgas, Hobart, etc. 

I've got the the HF flux core welder, and while it works ok, the wire from HF SUCKS!  (same with rod) 

[k-nutty]

i use .023 and it works just fine. i would deffinatly recommend running gas its easier and takes less prep and looks all around better. but if you are welding with any breez somehow block the wind or it will blow your shilding gas and the welds looks like

[2manytoys]

Everybody has given good advice. I'll throw mine in too. Many years of welding experience.

I keep several types and sizes of wire on hand. I like .023 and mixed gas for sheet metal. (Low heat) You can still use .023 for heavier welding but .030 or .035 is what many prefer.

Flux core is nice for in the wind. I don't have any problems running it. Just have a small amount of slag to brush off. Nothing like stick welding slag. More expensive than solid wire.

Mixed gas is more expensive than CO2 but way less spatter. The weld bead looks different between the two different gasses. CO2 is usually flatter with spatter all around it and mixed usually has little to no spatter and a little taller bead. I usually set my machine differently to compensate.

As far as which wire, as long as the tensile strength is the same, you probably won't notice a difference between brands. Some people might. I buy whatever is the best deal at the time. Name brand of coarse.

If you don't have gas and a regulator yet, just get some flux core and giv'er hell.

When you are ready to get gas, budget for large bottles. Cheaper in the long run and fewer refill trips.

[Sparkplug]

I weld all my stuff with .030 and co2, millermatic 211. I used to use flux, I hate it. Its expensive, welds dirty, jams easy, and ruins liners. CO2 does give more spatter, but it also welds a bit hotter than mixed. .023 should be used for thinner metal, .030 for medium, and .035 for heavier things. Ive successfully bobbed a bed with a 210 welder and .030 flux, just not as easy as thinner solid wire.

I highly reccomend getting gas, i got my c02 cylinder filled with gas for 75 bucks, same exact welder, a miller 211 autoset, I never use the autoset tho.


Gas takes MORE prep than flux, some misleading info in this thread.

[yotaneck13]

i use the lincoln wire home depot sells .030 and fluzcored and i love the way it welds

[THEMAN]

Htp is a online company that had pretty good prices and the wire has good reviews. 2lbs of .30 only $14 or $24 for 10lbs.