dual shield wire

[caribou09]

i have a millermatic 180 just bought .045 liner and drive roller and spool of dual shield wire. i am building a wood burning boiler needs to be waterproof i just tried the dual shield wire today ran about 5 beads have never used dual shield before seems to weld alright .i get a clean slag covering but bead seems to be more puddled looking then "stack of dimes " i am used too .is this normal seems to burn in good using 75/25 argon/co2 any advice appreciated thanks. p.s decided to use dual shield because i was getting too many leaks with solid wire .035

[engnerdan]

Remember you are watching the slag pool not just the metal. I think you most likely need to move a bit slower and you might get better results. Unless the metal is really rusty, regular wire should not have a problem making a water tight bead, just make sure your metal is nice a clean and you have your settings right. You have to watch starts with mig, thats where I have run into problems with liquid tight welds.

-Dan

[caribou09]

thanks i agree my problem with the solid wire was i was not burning it in hot enough .i have this dual shield wire now so i am going to use it now and see how it works .it definitely burns in hotter. i am welding on 1/4 inch steel plate clean no rust other then surface which i have wire brushed off before welding thanks

[Broccoli1]

just turn it up to 11 dood

[diamondback]

One of the main points of the slag cover is to protect the weld from oxidizing as it cools. Dual shield wire by its nature will not have a "stacked dimes" look to it. It freezes to slow. The whole stacked dimes phenomenon comes from a low energy process which is SMAW or stick welding. There are very few instances where the oscilation of the mig puddle is appropriate such as a vertical up and maybe sometimes in the horizontal.

For mig welding stacking dimes will actually make your penetration shallow. It all has to do with the energy equation. Search some threads on here for more information.

[hogan]

caribou09,

What is the wire you are using? Just to add a little to what has already been posted. I'd say to slow down a little. As stated, the stack of dimes is not what you want with dual shield. You don't need to oscillate, just keep your arc at the leading edge of your puddle at about a 15 degree angle.

As far as the GMAW wire is concerned, the issue you are having with leaks, is this due to pin holes or cracks/non fusion? This sounds like a technique issue. If you list your wire, gas, joint configuration, and amp/volt settings I'm sure someone could advise you as to how to make the weld without leaking.

[KB Fabrications]

just turn it up to 11 dood

So.............if dual shield wont work, I quess triple shield is out of the question?

[caribou09]

thanks for all the advice i started welding more with it today i set my amps to 9 and wire feed to 5.5 welding really well i just have to finish and water test will post results thanks again

[DDA52]

What wire are you using?? I have specs for several dual shield wires and every single spec I have says you are running below recommended minimums. The vast majority have the lowest working amperage listed at 170 for .045 wire. They put lower values in there because it is technically in spec. Experience tells me to never go that low with DS wires. They need it hot. And it isn't the amperage they need hot, either. They are a high voltage wire as well. They'll run 3-4 volts higher than regular wires. .035 DS may be in reach, but I dunno. It is barely in reach of the specs for my MM210, so I am not sure how a MM180 would have enough juice.

[aametalmaster]

I think the .045 is a tad big for your machine. I have a MM185 and it loves 035 DS. Perfect welds nice and smooth...Bob