Welding Wire

[ccracin]

I wanted to get some thoughts on Silicon Bronze Mig wire. We are doing alot of sheet metal work right now. I have a Lincoln MIG welder and thought about using this type of wire. I had done some reading up on it and it seems alot of folks like it for doing 16ga. and thinner. I got a roll today and started playing. Any recommendations on using it? It does not seem to burn in quite as well as standard wire. Any and all thoughts appreciated. Thanks.

Mods, if this should be in another section feel free to move it. Thanks.

[ccracin]

All these fabricators and no opinions or information! Can a brother get some help? :(

[Blake Foster]

we use it for different applications with sheet metal like the oil pans and headers. but all TIG process. didn't know you could get it for MIG
it works great with the TIG

[Autokraft]

Ya we use silicone bronze all the time on sheetmetal as well using a Tig. Never knew they had it for a Mig:rolleyes:

[coolwelder62]

WHY!! would you want to mig weld w/ it. I think weld qualtiy would be horible.I would try plusing w/ a mig if you want nice looking welds on thin materials.

[ccracin]

Thanks guys. I have been playing around with it. I think the trouble I have is that I am thinking the base steel sheet metal should melt as with a typical weld. I don't think that can happen here. This is almost brazing using a mig to short circuit and feed the wire. I have had decent luck with half the voltage and twice the wire speed that I would use to weld with carbon steel wire. Any other input would be great. I wish I had the coin for a TIG! Oh, well learn by doing!

[GregWeld]

Chad! Post up a picture or your bird poop!


:rofl: :rofl:

[ccracin]

WHY!! would you want to mig weld w/ it. I think weld qualtiy would be horible.I would try plusing w/ a mig if you want nice looking welds on thin materials.

My MIG does not have the pulsing feature. I have been doing pretty well with short 1/4" or so tacks with the correct settings. I had just been doing some reading on Metalmeet and ran across some mention about TIG and MIG welding with Silicon Bronze. The benefits are suppose to be less heat applied, lower distortion, and much easier to metal finish. I am NOT an overly skilled welder. Not bad, but not GOOD either. So, any thing I can do to reduce distortion and finish easier I have to explore. I have an expert welder at my disposal, but for non-structural stuff I hate to have to wait for his schedule. Plus, I love to learn new stuff. I'll try to get some pictures of the results as I move along.

[ccracin]

Chad! Post up a picture or your bird poop!


:rofl: :rofl:

If you don't have anything nice to say!!!!!!!!!!! Actually, how did you know? :lol: I had some pretty nice goobers at first. I'm getting there. We'll see if where I get to is where I want to go.

Don't tell me you don't have anything to say on the subject! I really think there is hope for this. Pick up a spool and head to the "Shed" it's R&D time! :bow:

[GregWeld]

I've never even TIG'd with the stuff...

I had to go research to see if you were out of your mind when you said you were MIG'n with it!

My first question would be -- if it's more like "brazing" -- about it's strength and cracking etc.

[ccracin]

I am definitely out of my mind, but that is for a different thread. Here is what got me started. This is by Ron Covell.
http://metalshapers.org/101/covell/covell-silbronze.shtml
It absolutely does not have the strength that carbon steel does. As with all things, I believe in the correct application it would have some advantages. I would not use it on anything structural. But, for some body mods I think it would do a nice job. IE. Filling door handles holes, parking light holes, smoothing firewall, etc. I also read that body shops are moving this direction when welding high boron sheet metals. This material is heat treated and supposedly using the silicon bronze reduces the heat input and does not affect the material properties as much as carbon steel filler. I'll get some pictures shortly of what I am doing. :thumbsup:

[tom091074]

Here is a site I found that might help. I have not tried it yet but I'm looking forward to the challege. Good luck.

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/brazing.htm

[GregWeld]

If my welding looked like that -- I'd switch to glue.

[ccracin]

Thanks for the link Tom. As Greg implied, that wasn't what I expected from a "Welding" site. In the time since I started this thread, we stepped up to a TIG machine. I gotta say, I may never have looked at this route if we had a TIG sooner. I did use some of the silicon bronze wire in the MIG and have to say, the results were much the same as in the link. I do think it has it's place. i want to play with the TIG and Silicon Bronze filler. I think that will have some definite benefits. We will see. I just have very little time for messing around right now. :cheers:

[Big-Head]

If my welding looked like that -- I'd switch to glue.

:rofl:

[GregWeld]

Chad --

I've been using some silicone bronze rod for TIG on the firewall and inner fenders on my BIL's '69 Camaro... this is non structural "flattening" panel from DSE.... and I've been filling some small holes this way as well. Takes very little heat but frankly - I really prefer welding this stuff - even if it takes a bit o'bondo to flatten. I'm afraid of it cracking... even though it's welding - not brazing - it still doesn't seem like it's very strong. We'll see. The good news is he can't demand a refund (what do you want for free? Your money back?) and he can't fire me. It does grind off super easy!

[GriffithMetal]

Silicon-bronze is great in non-structural welds. You shouldn't be really melting the parent material when using it. It's good for fillet welds and lap welds. I have heard of problems with body fillers not sticking but that could have been some misidentified brazing. I like to use it to fill in areas that will be powdercoated. It can also be used around header flanges to add some strength to the joint. Mig welding with it always seemed to produce an ugly weld. Oh and it's expensive!
This is Ron Covell's take on the subject. http://metalshapers.org/101/covell/covell-silbronze.shtml