How to Weld with Wire Feed MIG Welding

Do you want to learn how to weld with wire feed with bare wire MIG and c25 gas or gasless flux core?

Most every mig welding machine is also capable of doing flux core welding so further down the page, there is also video for self shielded flux core welding.

learn more about the MIG 180 at weldmonger.com

Know the fundamentals on how to weld with wire -  A good understanding of the MIG process will help you troubleshoot when something goes wrong.

So watch the video above and you should have a good foundation to start learning how to weld with wire feed welders.

A mig welding machine converts raw electricity into a constant voltage welding current.  Shielding gas (often C25 for bare wire mig) protects the molten puddle while is solidifies. When you pull the trigger on a mig gun, welding wire is fed thru a cable and out the tip of the gun where it creates the arc. 3 things happen all at once when you pull the trigger.

1. the welding current starts
2. the gas flow starts
3. the wire feeder starts

Make sure you have a secure Ground - use a grinder if you need to to clamp the ground on an area that is fresh bright clean metal.  Clamping the ground clamp to an area that has mill scale, paint, or rust, often causes an intermittent loss of current and your arc will stutter.

Keep your nozzle and contact tip in good shape - Spatter collects on the inside of the mig nozzle and eventually will clog and affect the gas flow.

Mig pliers like these stronghand pliers are a super convenient way to clean out your mig nozzle and also serve as wire snips and pliers.

Snip your wire before every restart -  this is a great habit to get into

Use the right Gas - C25 is the most common for short circuit mig welding.

C25 gas is a mix of 75% argon and 25% Co2.  C25 is also called 75/25.

Pure Co2 is also an option but C25 is more versatile

Pure argon just won't work well on carbon steel. 

Use the right gas flow rate - Set the flow meter to around 25cfh and adjust. Not all flowmeters are calibrated accurately so if you start to get porosity, increase the flow rate. Flow rates are also determined by the inside diameter  of the mig nozzle so larger mig nozzles might require more gas flow.

Use the right mig wire - ER70S6 is the most common and works fine for most applications. ER70s6 Mig wire comes in different sizes but .030" is a versatile size if you sometimes weld really thin metal like auto body panels.

.023" is best for really thin metals and .035" is a great size for general fabrication

Flux Core Welding 

Video on setting up and getting started with self shielded flux core welding