15 replies to this topic

[Will]

I'm after buying some sheet metal tomorrow... but where can i get it from? Wickes? B&Q? Anywhere else?

What is the thickness (roughly) of front wings? So i can get an idea of what thickness to buy to practice on.

Thanks! :grin:

[Sam]

Its expensive stuff to practice on!!

[Guess-Works.com]

You'll be very lucky to get it a a DIY store, try looking for sheet metal or fabricators in the Yellow pages..

As for the thickness or gauge, is it 18... not sure..

[Will]

So what would you suggest to practice on?

What gas is the best for MIG welding? Argon and CO2 or just CO2 ?

[miniboo]

think you can just use co2 like they use in pubs for the pumps

[Sam]

CO2 Isn't very good for clean welding. We use Argoshield which seems pretty good

[Jammy]

Yea, I was told to use Argoshield, but my welder won't accept the fixings on the bottles that Argoshield comes in, so I'm stuck with CO2!!

[Guess-Works.com]

I use CO2 no problems... running at about 4 litres per minute, also dont use these disposable bottles as it'll cost you an arm and a leg, find a refillable bottle like the Sealey 1kg bottle ( sommit like this clicky but get it from a local gas supplier, a recharge for a bottle this size is about 7 quid )

An what did I use to start on, any old panel which I had removed from the car... Door skins are great..

[Will]

Well i've got a bottle from jam2005 with the welder but i dont know if there's any in it and the regulator doesnt work well at all so should i just buy a new regulator and have the bottle refilled with argon and CO2 (because thats what it had ion originally.. i think) ????

[stormduck]

I'm using 0.9mm Zintec Sheet which seems to be a good thickness so far. It's just mild steel with an anti rust coating.

[binge]

B&Q sell 4" by 4" sheets of Chequer plater. It is about as thick as a bonnet. But i think its alloy? :erm:

Its like £4 for a big sheet tho.

[Puddings]

A seen as ur in Wakefield ring K Steels in Huddersfield they should have what u want.

[R1mini]

20 Guage is what you want, are you replacing the wing/wings? if so why not practice on them

It's 0.9mm in metric, the zintec plate mention earlier is what I use, 18 guage would only be used for the heavier parts of the chassis sections on a mini

Metal Supermarkets is where I get my stuff

Cheers
David

[marc]

What thickness sheet, in mm, would you use for floors/ bulkhead?

And, i use argon in my welder, got a huge gas cylinder that sits about five foot tall! Plus you can sometimes 'find' the old pub co2 bottles :fear: Mate of mine has a couple for his welders.

[R1mini]

20 guage, .9mm is ideal for patching floors, etc, fairly easy to work and reasonable thickness to weld, a lot of the mini floor area is made from looks like 22 guage so it's even thinner certainly the front bulkhead is very thin

David