Need wire that is compariable to 7018 stick rod and which gas to use with it?

[burntside bob]

Need to weld thicker steel on bucket edges.
Have used 7018 stick rod, want to try Mig welding it what wire is similar to 7018?
Can I use straight CO2 gas and not Argon CO2 mix gas with the strong wire?
Will the results with straight CO2 gas be the same as with the Argon/CO2 gas that is the strength and appearance of the weld?

[sturugged]

Are you repairing buckets that have been in service ? MIG may not be the best choice, Flux-cored may be a better solution, depending on the variables. I have recent experience working for a company that rebuilds mining scoop-tram buckets, that are usually at least half inch thick material at the very minimum,and usually much thicker, and have extensive armoring and abrasion resistant plate, and wear bars added. Hardwire Mig is not forgiving for this type of material given the possible contamination given from underground mining operations where sulfur in the ore is present. It gets into all the cracks and even the actual porous structure of the steel itself. Unless you can sandblast or have an infinite supply of grinding wheels you are wasting your time. The best and fastest process is probably dual-shielded flux cored welding. This wire has flux built in like 7018 and uses a gaseous shield, usually by C02 or a argon co2mix. There are numerous options of what brand size and type of gas to use. We use ESAB 710x wire in .045 and 1/16 with 100% C02 with excellent results in all positions using Spray transfer and fast deposition rates. You cant even compare the amount of metal you can put down using fluxcored to the rate of 7018. It is awesome. There are many brands of wire , this particular wire shines the best ,or so we have found. Other wires such as lincolns 71elite or Drahtzung Stien megafil are the next bestin that order. ( sorry for the shameless plug of a brand , but its that good! ) this wire and gas combo actually also surpasses a 70,000 tensile weld as well , and welds AR or QT400 steels very easily with excellent results. Use the proper procedure and you cant go wrong.

End of commercial
Hope this helps!

[MMW]

From my own experience I have used ESAB 7100 ultra with co2 gas on many bucket repairs/rebuilds with good results. I have not checked out the specs with 7018 side by side.

[jpence38]

I will definitely agree with MMW. I have used ESAB 7100 Ultra w/ 100% CO2 for a few years now on my heavy equipment repairs and have had nothing but good to say about it.
It is also very similar to a 7018 in tensile and yield strength. The only thing which differs significantly is the charpy v-notch value. Also, the 7100 is seismic certified if that can apply to you. I don't think you can go wrong with the 7100.
I have never used it, but the 710X wire is also comparable with the 7018.

[aametalmaster]

I run the 710X ESAB .045 wire with CO2. Great wire...Bob

[Portable Welder]

Flux Core is a good process but to answer your question The wire equal to 7018 is ER70-S6, I use to run 75% argon 25% co2 but swithed a couple of years ago and now run a 90/10 gas mix.

[DK1978]

XLR 8 from Hobart runs nice but it is a self shielded wire, for a gas shielded Hobart XL 525 runs great on a mixed gas. They both run excellent out of position and give you great mechanicals

[beamwalker]

072 232 wire no gas needed

[kevin]

as portable welder said, 70-6 is equal, interisting about his decision to switch from c25 to 90/10, i recently did the same thing, it really pays off on the higher end of the amp range