Tool Reviews

A MIG gun liner is easy to overlook, but it has a direct effect on wire feeding, arc stability, and the number of bird’s nests you clear from the drive…

Shielding gas for MIG welding carbon steel is a trade-off between arc stability, weld appearance, penetration, and cost. For most general-purpose work, 75% argon and 25% carbon dioxide is the…

Spatter is the small droplets of molten metal thrown from a MIG weld. A few flecks are normal; a sudden increase, large BB-sized blobs, or spatter that sticks across the…

When to replace the contact tip and nozzle The contact tip transfers welding current to the wire while letting the wire feed through. The nozzle directs shielding gas around the…

A lap joint puts one piece of metal over another, with the weld usually placed along the edge of the upper piece. It is common in brackets, sheet-metal repairs, ductwork,…

Why Mill Scale Must Come Off Before MIG Welding Mill scale is the dark, hard oxide layer formed when hot-rolled steel cools in air. It looks like clean metal, but…

Rust and dirt do not automatically rule out MIG welding, but they make the result less predictable. A MIG gun feeds wire and shielding gas into a small weld pool;…

Uneven MIG wire feeding usually shows up as a pulsing arc, irregular popping, or wire that alternately stubs into the work and burns back toward the contact tip. The cause…

Why Corners Lose Gas Coverage MIG welding around a corner is less about turning the gun and more about keeping the shielding gas where the arc is working. The corner…

Why Contact Tip Size Matters A MIG contact tip transfers welding current to the wire while allowing the wire to feed through the gun. Its bore must be large enough…