Gasless vs co2/argon welders

[timwilks13]

I have just bought a Clarke 90EN dual gas/gasless welder to make up a solid fast back for my sj. The welder comes with a 4.5kg reel of 0.9mm fluxed wire for gasless welding. I have never used gasless before, but would rather use that wire up before gettin set up with co2. Has anyone used gasless for welding 18 gauge sheet metal with .9mm ? i.e. will it work?

[dan_2k_uk]

It will work but probably wont be as nice to look at or as strong as a gassed mig setup.

Get some scrap and have a play.

[timwilks13]

Ive got a regulator somewhere and a co2 fire extinguisher i used to use if needs be, just would be a waste of 4kg of wire thats all. A mate of mine is scrapping his old Beamer 5 series tomorrow, i think that will make a more than suitable experiment vehicle!

[Jordi]

Always used a gas welder. Gasless was always a bit spitty and seems to burn through a lot easier.

Although i am definately not a welding expert. As a beginner i found gas welders a lot easier to set up and more forgiving on thinner sheet metal.

[ianedwards]

i know gas costs, but you will get a better result every time. Much much better.

Ian

[Edweird]

Gasless is like stick welding isn't it?

Burns through more and you'll need to get yourself a slag hammer to beat off them hoe-bags.

[Matt King]

Gasless fluxed Mig really is a waste of time. Even if you only use it to tack bits up the do it with a decent gas mig you still know when you get near the tacks.

[NylonAdmiral]

For what it's worth, I have a gassed/gassless SIP MIG and have used it in both configs. I also have an arc welder.

After experimenting with both, I have to say that I mostly just run the gasless MIG.

It's easier as you don't need to maintain any large cans of gas and you never run out of gas just before the end of the job as you always do with gassed welding The end quality of the weld really comes down to your skill. Admittedly, I'm not the best welder (far from it in fact) but I take the time to properly prepare everything before welding so the surfaces are clean and brushed back, then test the settings on some scrap before starting the job I want to do. I've been welding "gaslessly" for probably 10 years now and have never had a weld break.

I've welded up bits of an offroad buggy frame from scratch, repaired numerous crappy 80's hatchbacks, welded up friends agricultural tools, welded plenty of bits on the SJ, and the welds have always been strong enough and (in a few cases at least) look pretty tidy.

I wouldn't want to use gasless for welding anything big like lorry axles or a ship, or anything architectural but for maintaining your SJ you should be fine!

Jordi's comments about thinner bits of metal are definitely true though. When gasless, the MIG has a propensity to "burn through" more easily but again, this comes down to a bit of practice. I was gaslessly welding panels on the SJ yesterday and with the right settings, it doesn't burn through.

Whilst you pay more for the gas, gasless wire is also usually around three times as expensive so there are different cost considerations.

Like I say, I have the choice of gassed/gassless MIG or arc and 99% of the time I run gasless MIG with no problems. Hope that helps!

[i_am_me]

gasless is more than strong enough for body work but it is harder to get a nice looking weld with it so if your bothered about how it looks go for gassed.
gasless does tend to spatter more but imo that doesnt really matter.
it all comes down to practice,if you have it set right and you know how to weld well you can get a strong and reasonable looking weld with both gassed and gasless.