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Facts On MIG
Welding Gases.

 



Salemanship and MIG gas Selection?

"On the subject of welding gases, a MIG weld lie told
often enough will eventually become the welding truth"



For Ed's MIG gas mixes without salesmanship, scroll down.

www.weldreality.com.


Visit all the MIG and flux cored weld programs at this site.




FOR MANY WELD SHOPS, MIG GAS SELECTION IS RARELY MIG WELD REALITY.

MIG GAS SELECTION IN MANY FACILITIES HAS BEEN INFLUENCED TOO MUCH BY THE MAJOR GAS COMPANIES AND HOW THEY PLAY THEIR MIG GAS MARKETING GAME. Ed Craig 1990:

Whenever you see a new "three" part gas mix for MIG welding carbon and stainless steels, you know the gas manufacturing marketing boys are doing their thing with the introduction of another, useless MIG gas mix.

This is MIG Weld Gas Reality: In a thirty minute practical weld demonstration, I could demonstrate that all the over priced, global three part gas mixes used for MIG welding carbon steels and stainless applications, will provide no practical weld quality, metallurgical or weld production benefits.




I was a key contributor and committee member for the AWS A5.32 MIG / TIG Shielding Gas specifications. A good portion of my efforts at the AWS gas spec meetings was trying to minimize the salesmanship and marketing hype that some of the AWS industrial gas committee members wanted to introduce into the AWS Gas spec. I was not completely successful, however over time I did eliminate an enormous amount of flatulence and product bias from the AWS gas specifications.

 

Weld consumers take note: From industrial gas confusion
comes the opportunity for increased gas profits.

The greatest product sales hype in the global weld industry
is found in companies that manufacture and market welding gases


I should know a little about process / product ignorance and sales hype, I worked in the industrial gas business as a marketing, training or product manager for Praxair (Linde), Liquid Carbonic, Air Gas, and AGA.

Note: Some of the gas information on this web site is taken from my MIG and flux cored weld process control books or training resources.




Immerse a low cost commodity in lies, ignorance, sales
hype and confusion and you will attain a higher price.

The MIG Weld Gas Test:

 



STAINLESS MIG GAS MIXES
AND WELD REALITY:

2000: In the last three decades the biggest selling gas mix in North America for MIG, stainless gage applications, has been a tri-mix containing 90 helium - 7.5 argon and 2.5% CO2.This costly Helium tri-mix was unnecessary for thin gauge applications and the cause of many welding issues. In contrast to the helium three part mix, a less costly two part mix, argon with 2 to 3% CO2, developed by Ed in the nineteen eighties, has always provided more weld benefits.

 

ED'S 98% Ar - 2% CO2. A GAS MIX FOR STAINLESS AND DUPLEX APPLICATIONS.



During the nineteen eighties I carried out extensive, stainless MIG gas welding research. When I examined the common denominators of the weld issues that occurred with MIG short circuit, on stainless sheet metal welds, three issues were prominent.

Weld issue 1 "distortion"
Weld issue 2 "oxidation"
Weld issue 3 "burn through"

The common denominator of the three issues is "heat" and yet at that time in the eighties for more than two decades the North American weld industry had been using the Helum Tri Mix, the world's hottest gas mix. The Helium Tri- Mix developed by Union Carbide, contained 90% He - 7.5% Ar - 2.5% CO2.

It's logical with this high energy gas that if you need to reduce the weld heat you reduce the helium. With extensive research, I eventually found that the real solution to the heat related weld issueswas to take all the helium out of the mix leaving me with argon 2.5% CO2. I knew the 1/2% CO2 made little difference so I ended up with the gas mix, Argon - 2% CO2.


The argon 2% CO2 mix is ideal for all stainles short circuit welds < 0.080. Over 0.080 these welds should be made with the same gas using pulsed or spray transfer. This mix also was a logical choice for duplex steels which came later. I kept the CO2 range at 2 to 4% CO2. Keeping the CO2 content under 5% minimizess the opportunity for carbon pick up in the stainless welds.

 

 

Ed's Gas Mix. Stainless / Duplex
Short Circuit Weld Benefits:


In contrast to the higher energy, higher voltages required from the 90% helium 7.5 Ar - 2.5% CO2 Tri-mix, the much lower cost and more gas in the cylinder, argon - 2% CO2 mix will when short circuit or pulsed welding thin gage stainless;

[a] reduce weld burn through potential,
[b] reduce weld distortion potential,
[c] reduce weld oxidation potential,
[d] reduce the potential for all forms of weld cracking.
[e] reduce volt requirements results in less stainless weld fumes,
[f] reduce volt requirements, improves the operator comfort.

I then turned my attention to welding the thicker stainless applications typically MIG welded with the common 98% Ar - 2% Oxygen mix.

 



Stainless / Duplex. Spray - Pulsed.