Developing a solid mig welding technique may take a little practice. And although MIG welding is one of the most commonly used and highly popular welding methods in the industry there is still a rather steep learning curve before you can really master it.

Although practicing with some scrap material in a workshop to appreciate the basics is something that I would suggest for any welding method this is especially true for MIG welding. To begin with a decent starting thickness would be 1.5mm this will allow you to experiment with different power settings and varying levels of torque but is allow thick enough so that you wont pose a major danger to yourself or cause massive holes in the material and have a totally abortive experiment.

Remember patience diligence and attention are all crucial to mig welding technique! With MIG welding regardless of the metal used (caveat to this is if you are using aluminum take particular care to ensure that you clean it thoroughly) make sure to prep the metal before use by firmly cleaning it. The reason for this is twofold one a material with a dirty surface is much much more difficult to weld and manipulate and secondly any impurities within the material will spoil the final product resulting in brittleness and cracks emerging as well as weakening the final product.

Forget the cool guy look one handed welding is possible but the level of control that two hands can offer cannot be overstated for good mig welding technique. You will also find things a lot easier if you rest your arm against something solid be it your work bench chassis or whatever. As to the actual torch itself the best angle is roughly 20 degrees with the shroud angled forward.

Please make sure that you dont hold the torch too far away from the metal a crude but still very effective way of knowing that it is sufficiently close is that you will end up banging the shroud against the metal which you are welding. Another common mistake which is not the sole domain of novices (yes even experts goof up as well!) is moving the torch too fast. If you do end up being too quick with the torch then all you will end up with very thin slices of metal which happen to be rather awkward to weld together.

The best way to prevent going too fast with the torch is to make use of a sideways motion (solid mig welding technique) and odd as it may sound try to push the torch rather than pull it this will give you a greater degree of control over the dispersal of the heat. This in turn will allow for a more efficient finish overall keeping it neater and more structured as well as being good for creating patterns and designs as well.

You will also find that it is a far easier to lay weld and generally control a sheet of metal than it is to join them so even if you use this even as a starting point for you to learn your skills.

More mig welding techniques and projects are available in a mini welding course at http://www.wcwelding.com/weldingtips.html. Or you can read up on mig welding technique and tips here: http://www.wcwelding.com/migweldingtips.html.

Tags: patience cracks steep learning curve impurities caveat aluminum diligence torque chassis two hands work bench torch brittleness

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