Ok, can I MIG Weld 1/2" Thick Flanges with Sched 40 pipe and fittings with a 140-150 amp mig welder? I mean, my exaust flange is 1/2" thick steel and i can borrow my friends mig welder, should i be able to weld the sched. 40 pipe fittings to the flange with a good weld with such a low amp welder? I dont need to penetrate the flange all the way through, just the pipe fittings right?

 

I dont think so.A 135amp welder will only do 3/16ths.Thats less tha a 1/4 inch.If you do 2 passes you should be ok.

 

Most likely it can, I built my kit with a mig. Its not as clean as a TIG but it does get the job done. multiple passes might be needed

 

Don't take this the wrong way. If you're asking this question then do you have enough experience to weld this part correctly? I would suggest at least buying some scrap metal let's say some sched 40 straight and just some CR plate. Practise welding a few together and cut them apart if you like to see what the penetration is like.

If you're using shielding gas you could try moving to a flux core wire. I hate welding with flux core but it does give better penetration. You can also try moving up to the max size wire. I have a Lincoln MIG Pak 15 220V. I think it's a 135a unit and it doesn't have any problem welding sched 40.

I've also got a L175 Squarewave Pro and it too is up to the task as I've welded sched 40 pipe in the past. I don't think that I even used full power but that crappy 9 series torch that comes with it doesn't like it much

-Michael

 

i havent welded too many parts like this dissimilar in thickness, i mean, sched. 40 pipe is prolly 1/4 in or less in thickness and the flange is 1/2" and 1/4" difference is quite sizeable... Im wondering basically are there any tips to make these kind of welds better and get good results?

 

Ive noticed that pre-heating it with a propane torch helps? just my opinion... I just started welding this weekend... so what the ---- do i know

 

With MIG I just try to get the gun very close to the joint I'm welding and point it a little more at the thicker part. As I said get some cheap scrap to practise with first. Also figure out what order you have to weld the parts in so you don't weld yourself in to a corner...

-Michael

 

yeah i think it would do it also, concentrate the puddle more on the 1/2 in stuff, turn up the voltage all the way and turn down wire speed. but be carefule, that thing will warp to ---- and not seal correctly

 

people have said you should bolt your flanges to whatever they're going on (meaning the head or turbo... i guess anything flat and solid would work though) to be sure they don't warp too badly.