light gague welding help....please

[valleytinworks]

i am trying to weld 26g steel to 14g steel and don't want to burn thru the metal, i have tried spot welding but i need a low tech solution.....

[monte55]

Need more info. What type of joint and what welding equipment do you have?

[valleytinworks]

i dont have anything that works, what i am essentially looking for is a spot weld, however it has to be done using a handheld spot welder and every one that i have or have tried is blowing thru the 26 g steel, so i am thinking of the millermatic 140.....

[HMW]

Wow 26ga is thin, have you tried tig. Had good luck welding thick to thin with a MIG by pulsing the trigger manually, sorta like spot welding.

[fun4now]

i have never tried spot welding but the MM140 should take care of the problem for you. gust concentrate the bead on the 14gage and just let it wash up onto the 26 gage. even if you have it set perfect and its welding well don't try to go farther then about 1/2" at a time or its going to burn threw as heat builds up. also be shore to skip around to keep worpage to a minimum. C-25 and .023 wire should work fine for 26 gage to 14 gage with the MM140. all i run in my MM135 is .023-5 unless its flux core. and its worked well on some very thin stuff.

[monte55]

You still haven't said what kind of joint. If it doesn't have to be flush, put holes in the light metal and spud weld with mig. Welding the edge is not easy on light stuff.

[cat]

is it something you could just rivet together?
cat

[fun4now]

if its an overlapping joint you could probly just burn threw the 26gage into the 14 and let it wash out to hold the 26 gage maybe??

[jwsrep]

Valley,
If you answer Monte's question we could be of more help.

[Jolly Roger]

On something that light you might consider overlapping it and using pop rivets. Answering Monte's post would be wise if you want real answers.