Weld Wire

Can I weld rod iron using only argon gas? what type of wire should I use?Do I need 02?

Got it in a yard sale really cheap and im a nube at this. Going to try and make a steel iron rod gate for my back yard.

Thanks ..

Yes it can be done, but pure argon is not very well suited for MIG welding steel. Pure Ar produces a low-energy arc which has rather poor “cleaning” action, due to the extreme chemical inertness of argon. With pure argon, you have to be worried about poor penetration and poor fusion of the weld to the base metal.

I recommend 75Ar + 25%CO2, this is a good low-cost mix for your purposes. Also, 85%Ar + 15%CO2 is a good mix which generally produces better quality welds and a smoother arc, but the cleaning action is not as great, especially if you’re working with steel that has minor rust or mill scale. Note: steel with heavy mill scale or rust should always be ground down to shiny metal before welding.

With Argon/ carbon dioxide mixes, ER70S-4 welding wire should be used. In my opinion ESAB/Alloy Rods makes the best quality wire.

Another option is pure CO2 which is rock-bottom dirt cheap (you get what you pay for.) ER70S-6 wire should always be used with pure CO2.

The disadvantage with CO2 is there is a very narrow “window” of voltage and wire feed speed settings where the arc will be stable and produce acceptable welds. If you do not set the volts and WFS properly in a narrow range you end up with an unstable arc, welds that look terrible, and tons of spatter. I can’t remember exactly what those settings are just now. I’d have to look it up in one of my welding books. If I was in your shop I could do it by listening to the arc.

The size of the wire you need depends on the diameter of your wire guides, contact tip, and the size of the groove on your pinch rollers.

If you use a wire that’s too large, it simply won’t go through the tip or the guides. If it’s too small, the rollers won’t grip it properly and you can end up with any number of annoying problems as well. For example a wire that’s too small for the contact tip might cause the wire to arc and then fuse to the *inside* of the tip! (IMO it’s a good time for shouting obscenities when this happens.)

I’d recommend taking your welder over to a welding supply store, they can tell you how big your rollers, tip, and wire guides are, and they can tell you what size wire you need. (the most common size is 0.035 in.)

Good luck.

100 Amp Arc Welding Machine Welder Helmet Brush Wire $88.95

Clarke Flux Cored Gasless Mig Welding Wire 0.9mm 450g $13.26

Firepower 1440-0210 ER70S-6 Mild Steel Welding Mig Wire $26.93

Firepower 1440-0240 ER5356 MIG Aluminum Welding Wire $18.91

Welding Wire for Lincoln LN25 Wire Feeder – 5/64″ Innershield Cored Electrode $34.26

LINCOLN WELDING WIRE 12.5 LB SPOOL 1/16″ DIA. LA-100 $49.99

Western AW-430 RH Argon Inert Gas hose Coupling,MIG wire,TIG welding #C-126 $4.60

Harbor Freight MIG welder 4mm hose to argon adaptor,wire welding, HF-4mm-Argon $18.70

2 ER70S-6 Mild Steel Mig Welding Wire 11 lbs .030 $24.99

2 ER70S-6 Mild Steel Mig Welding Wire .035 11lbs Free Ship $36.99

2 ER70S-6 Mild Steel Mig Welding Wire .030 11lb Free Ship $36.99

Inco-Weld C-276 Nickle Tig Filler Wire .125″ x 36″ 10 Pounds NC276-125-10TS $229.97

ER70S6 1lb spool .024 Welding wire $3.00

Firepower ER70S-6 Mild Steel Welding Wire .035″ 11 lbs. $33.51

ALUMINUM WELDING WIRE ER 5356 15 LB Spool .0625″ / 1/16″ Chainmail / Chain Mail $79.99

1/8 Welding Wire ER316 **FREE SHIPPING** M3444 $349.00

ALUMINUM WELDING WIRE ER 5356 15 LB Spool .0625″ / 1/16″ Chainmail / Chain Mail $79.99

Harris 3/64″ Aluminum ER5356 welding wire 1lb roll $9.99

Copper Coated Mig Welding Wire .90mm 12″ spool $40.00

Flux Wire Welder Mig-100 Welding Machine Automotive New $169.95

10 Pounds of Unibraze 5356 .047″ diameter Aluminum Welding Wire $109.99

Hastalloy-X TIG Weld Filler Rod Wire 0.045″ X 16″ Lot 18 Nickel Based Alloy Weld $12.00

Hastalloy-X TIG Weld Filler Rod Wire 0.045″ X 18″ Lot 20 Nickel Based Alloy Weld $15.00

Harris MIG Welding Wire E70S6 .045 Full Skid $2,079.00

Inconel 718 TIG Weld Filler Rod Wire 1/16″ X 17″ AMS 5832 Lot 20 Nickel Base $14.00

Inconel 718 TIG Weld Filler Rod Wire 1/16″ X 19″ AMS 5832 Lot 27 Nickel Base $22.50

TWECO MIG WELDER WELDING GUN LINER 45-3545-15 1450-1103 .035 .045 WIRE FEED $9.99

Spot Welding Nozzles (2), 5/8″, For Wire Welders, New $11.98

CP-Ti TIG Weld Filler Rod Wire 1/16″ X 18″ Lot 21 Titanium AMS 4951 $31.50

MIG WELDING WIRE .035 CARBON STEEL ER70S-6 33 POUNDS $60.00

Titanium Welding Wire .024″ Approx: 11.5 Pounds $345.00

Titanium Welding Wire .024″ Approx 11.72 lbs $375.00

NEW LINCOLN WELDING WIRE OUTERSHIELD 70 3/32 2.4MM 50LB $70.00

Lincoln weld pak 100 hd wire welder NICE NO RESERVE!!!! $135.00

Radnor .035″ ER70S-6, P/3 S-6 MIG Welding Wire 64004182 $79.99

Aluminum welding wire, 20# roll $50.00

Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 180 HD Wire Feed Welder NO RESERVE!!!!!!! $365.00

Miller 3035 SPOOLGUN NEW IN BOX ALUMINUM WELDING WOW WIRE FEEDER $410.88

HOBART EM13K3 5/32-4mm Welding Wire 60 pound spool aws a5.17 $25.00

ESAB OK TUBROD 14.00S 5/32-4mm Welding Wire 25 KG spool aws a5.17 MADE IN SWEDEN $25.00

Magnesium Welding Wire MIL-R-6944 AZ61A 7 pound spool FOR MAG SHEET $70.00

2 gauge welding copper wire 2 – 20′ lengths with connectors at both ends.. scrap $50.00

2 gauge welding copper wire 2 – 20′ lengths with connectors at both ends $50.00

2 INWELD ALUMINUM WELDING WIRE 0.30 1 LB SPOOLS New $9.99

FIREPOWER Mig Welding Wire 1440G0235, Grainger 6YY17 $24.00

ALUMINUM WELDING WIRE ER 5356 15 LB Spool .0625″ / 1/16″ Chainmail / Chain Mail $79.99

GAS SHIELDED-SOLID CORE WELDING WIRE $7.95

Flux Wire Welder Mig 131 Dual Operate CO2 Gas or No Gas Welding Machine ETL $209.99

COMBO Flux Wire Welder Mig 131 Dual CO2 Gas or No Gas Welding Machine + HELMET $289.99

COMBO Kit Flux Wire Mig 131 Dual CO2 Gas – No Gas Welding Machine + Skull Helmet $289.99