How To Tig Weld Sheet Metal Without Warping

We ve heard all of the tricks in the book but none of them completely stop the warping.

How to tig weld sheet metal without warping. I did use some sort of backup at the seams to prevent burn through but did not expect that to control warping. Learn some techniques from fabricators bodie stroud and josh. The more metal inserted into a joint the more susceptible it is to distortion. The best two electrodes for welding auto body sheet metal is either ceriated tungsten or thoriated tungsten.

If you re welding thinner materials like automotive sheet metal it is more critical that you keep the heat to a minimum when welding. The weld wants to shrink as it cools to room temperature but is restrained from doing so by the adjacent cold base metal. Mattm warped metal when welding is a constant struggle we all deal with regardless of thickness of the material. When welding steel this weld bead is laid down at around 2 500 f 1 370c.

Tig welding is preferred where practical because it is neater and cleaner than mig welding which introduces new material into the weld joint. Ditch a 1 8 inch tungsten electrode for something much smaller like 1 16 inch tungsten. When welding thin metal the main objective is to avoid warping burn through and excessive heat affected zones while still ensuring the weld has enough mechanical strength for the application. Yes it is challenging.

The fact is that no matter how good or careful you are metal will warp when you re welding on sheet metal. To prevent warping it is important to get the the pieces clamped into position and make many many tacks. When mig welding sheet metal it is important to set the proper parameters to prevent warping and burn through or else it will create excess heat and easily blowholes on the metal. How to weld auto body sheet metal with a tig welder.

October 4 2019 by. This restraint creates high residual tensile stress that causes the weld to act like a stretched rubber band with the workpiece holding the ends figure 1 for this reason when the clamps that hold the workpiece are removed the base metal is allowed to move or spring. Then as the bead cools and solidifies it contracts but by this time the metal pieces are fused together. Tig welding is an excellent example of the less is more premise producing strength without adding mass and mess.

I had to tig long seams in sheet metal quite a few times making my muller flasks furnace parts etc. Arc welding mig and tig entails fusing a filler metal with the materials being joined. Successfully tig welding sheet metal requires properly controlling heat and preventing warpage. That heat spreads out making the metal expand.

Top ways to keep metal from warping when welding. Only reduce or control it.