MIG welding is a great way to create quality welds — and it’s the most used welding method in the United States by far!
As a professional welder, understanding the relationship between Argon and MIG welding can be confusing at times.
Both argon and shielding gas plays a fundamental role in shielding the molten weld puddle from the atmosphere.
The question I’m going to answer today is, can you MIG weld with 100 argon? There might be some good reasons why you would want to, but before I dive into the details about that, let’s get a little background information out of the way.
Can You MIG Weld With 100 Argon?
Yes. It’s possible to use Argon as a shielding gas when you’re MIG welding, only in the case if you have pure argon. However, it does not provide you with ideal results. The only challenge you’ll face is that you’ll have to make sure your equipment is compatible with the gas.
The chemical composition of the gas mixture affects how quickly the metal melts and how well it flows into place.
Argon gas has a lower molecular weight than nitrogen or helium, so it helps create a stronger weld.
The only drawback is that argon is more expensive than other gases, so it may not be cost-effective for large jobs where there are multiple welds being made in one place at once (such as when you’re working on cars).
Reasons to Use 100% Argon for MIG Welding
Pure Argon gives you the freedom to work without stopping.
If you’re a welder and you’re ever running out of gas, you know how frustrating it can be. Not only are you losing time and money on your job, but it’s also just annoying—you’re stuck waiting around for someone to bring more gas or for a gas supplier to reopen.
And then there’s the fact that sometimes they don’t have pure argon!
With Pure Argon, that’s never an issue. You can stop worrying about running out of gas and focus on what matters: your project.
Pure argon gas is an excellent alternative to traditional welding gases, such as acetylene or propane. Argon is a noble gas that’s nontoxic, chemically inert, and does not readily react with other substances.
This means that it won’t contaminate your welds or make them harder to see, which can be a problem with some other welding gases.
Because pure argon is nonflammable and inert, you don’t have to worry about running out of gas in the middle of a workday or having your supplier close at hand. You can just keep working with confidence!
In most welding projects, I do not face any issues while using 100% argon.
Which Characteristics Makes 100% Argon Different?
Argon is the third most abundant element in our atmosphere, after nitrogen and oxygen. A colorless, odorless gas, it is largely inert. Argon’s inertness makes it a perfect candidate for use in MIG welding.
MIG welding uses an electric arc between the metal being welded and the electrode to melt the metal. The metal is melted and drawn through the arc, where it solidifies into place on the substrate.
Argon gas is used as an inert shielding gas to protect the molten weld pool from oxygen and nitrogen in the air that would oxidize it and cause porosity (air bubbles) in your welds.
The most important thing about Argon gas for MIG welding is that it does not react with other elements, so it will not cause any unwanted chemical reactions or damage to your welds.
This means that when you’re using 100% Argon for MIG welding, I assure you that you can expect cleaner, more consistent results than ever before!
Can you MIG Weld Stainless Steel with Argon Gas?
No, you cannot use 100% argon shielding gas to MIG weld stainless steel, and I didn’t recommend it.
Argon is a noble gas, meaning it’s not chemically reactive. When you use argon gas as a shielding gas, it doesn’t interact with the stainless steel and can’t be used to weld it.
The reason for this is that argon is an unreactive gas and won’t react with anything else in the weld area. That means no metal oxides are formed on the arc or around the weld area, which means no metal contamination from those oxides will occur.
This also means that no gases are emitted from these oxides during welding because they aren’t being produced!
This leaves us with less filler material needed, less clean-up time needed after each weld pass, and less chance of having your weld cracking or breaking apart later on down the road because there’s too much carbon buildup in your base metal.
Why MIG Weld with Argon?
Argon gas is the most popular shielding gas for MIG welding. It’s typically used in applications where the material is sensitive to oxygen, such as in stainless steel or aluminum. Argon gas provides better welds and is less expensive than CO2 shielding gas.
Argon has a lower density than Oxygen, which means it doesn’t have as much mass to protect you from harmful UV-A and UV-B rays; however, it’s still more protective than CO2 (which is more dense).
For this reason, Argon is a better choice of shielding gases for MIG welding when working with metals that are vulnerable to corrosion or oxidation, like stainless steel, aluminum, and nickel alloys (such as Inconel).
Can You MIG Weld With a Flow Rate of 20 to 30 CFH?
The flow rate of argon required to effectively weld depends on the size of the weld. A low flow rate is good for thin materials, while a high flow rate is better suited for thick materials.
If you’re welding with a high heat input (for example, 1/16″ material), your flow rate should be relatively high (around 20 to 30 CFH).
Conversely, if you’re dealing with a low heat input (such as 1/8″ or 3/32″), then your argon flow should be lower than that at only 10 to 15 CFH.
This is because higher temperatures mean greater thermal conductivity in materials like steel and aluminum; these metals need less cooling during welding operations than do those made from copper or brass, which are more thermally conductive on their own.
Also See: Wire feed on MIG welder not working
Tips to MIG Weld Steel by Using 100% Argon
MIG welding steel by using 100% argon is a great way to make your welds as strong as possible. Here’s what you need to know:
| No. | Tips | Description |
| 1 | Appropriate Filler Metal | Use a filler metal that has a higher percentage of nickel than the base metal. Nickel helps the weld retain its strength at high temperatures, and it also helps prevent hydrogen embrittlement, which can make steel brittle when welded. |
| 2 | Use CO2 Free Gas | If possible, use a shielding gas that’s free of carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 will cause cracks to form in the weld area, which can weaken the finished product. This is especially important when welding metals with low carbon content like stainless steel or aluminum because these materials are more prone to cracking than other steels. |
| 3 | Preheating | Preheat your workpiece so that it’s at least 100 degrees Celsius before you start welding on it; this will help prevent cracking during the process by allowing metal expansion due to heating without causing stress fractures from cooling too quickly afterward! |
| 4 | Use 100% Argon | It’s also important to know that 100% Argon can produce good welds when going for a TIG method or with various kinds of base metals. |
| 5 | Use Various Base Metals | Some base metals that you might want to use are Aluminum, titanium, magnesium, nickel, and copper. |
Why is TIG Method Most Effective in Weld Steel by Using 100% Argon?
Argon is an inert gas that doesn’t react with the metal you’re trying to weld. It’s used in most TIG welding processes because it has high thermal conductivity, which means it can transfer heat quickly and efficiently.
When you’re welding steel, you need high thermal conductivity so that the arc doesn’t start to break down before it gets hot enough to melt the weld puddle.
Argon also has a low ionization potential, which means that it’s not going to cause any sparks when you strike your tungsten electrode against your surface.
This helps keep the arc stable, so you can focus on getting a clean weld without worrying about anything else.
How Carbon Dioxide & Argon Gas Mixture Works Effective to MIG Weld Steel?
When you’re MIG welding steel, there are a few different gas blends that can be used for the best results. If you have a lot of Argon in your blend, it will help to lower the weld bead’s penetration rate and increase its arc stability.
This means that if you’re welding thin material, or if you’re trying to prevent porosity in your base metal, then using 75% Argon and 25% CO2 is going to be your best bet.
If you want to use tri gas mixtures like 90% helium, 8% argon, and 2% CO2 (which is often recommended for stainless steel), then this will work well for thicker materials as well.
However, if you’re working with thinner materials (less than 1/8″), then I recommend going for the 75/25 blend instead.
The reason for this is that Argon will get pulled into the weld puddle, which reduces penetration and causes porosity in the weld metal.
By adding CO2 to the mix, it forms a slag that covers up any porosity that might be present in your weld metal.
Different Gas Used for MIG Welding
When you’re looking for a MIG welder, you’ll need to consider the gases that are used during the welding process.
Different gases can be used with different metals, so it’s important to know what kind of metal you’ll be welding. Here are some of the most common gases used for MIG welding:
1. CO2:
This is one of the most common gases used for MIG welding, and it’s often used with stainless steel.
It has a low tendency to create gas porosity, which means it won’t leave holes in your weld as easily as some other kinds of gases do. CO2 also doesn’t cause sparks when you’re working with it, making it safer to use around flammable materials like wood or plastics.
CO2 can be used with Argon with a mixture of 75 to 25% argon, and the rest is carbon dioxide.
2. Argon:
Argon is another common choice for MIG welding because of its ability to penetrate through metal more easily than other types of gasses.
It can also help eliminate porosity in your welds by filling in any gaps between the pieces being welded together.
However, this gas does have a high rate of ionization which means it can cause sparks if there is any contamination in your equipment or if something goes wrong with your setup.
3. Helium:
Helium is used in gas metal arc welding (GMAW), also known as MIG welding. It is a good shielding gas for mild steel because it does not react with the base metal or the filler metal.
The helium and argon combination is also used in GMAW to give better arc stability and arc control. It means that helium can be used with a combination of 25 to 75%, with Argon containing 75 to 25%.
It is also used in other metal inert gas welding techniques, such as flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) and submerged arc welding (SAW). Helium can be used with many other metals such as copper, stainless steel, nickel, titanium, Aluminum, and more.
I also used helium with the above-mentioned metals for my own welding projects.
4. Oxygen:
Oxygen is the most commonly used gas for MIG welding. It is also commonly referred to as argon-oxygen (Ar/O2) because it is a mixture of Argon and Oxygen.
The amount of Oxygen in this mixture varies depending on the type of metal being welded, but it will always be less than 50% oxygen.
The main benefit of using Oxygen instead of inert gas is that it allows you to use higher voltages while still maintaining a lower overall temperature.
This means that you can achieve stronger welds without having to use as much heat, which can be especially useful when welding thick materials like steel or Aluminum.
Difference Between Argon & CO2 Gas
When it comes to welding, the gases you use are key. Argon is a noble gas, while carbon dioxide is not. This means that argon doesn’t react with other elements or compounds, while carbon dioxide does.
Argon is also heavier than air and will sink to the lowest part of your work area if it isn’t contained properly by a gas shield that keeps it suspended above where you are working on your project.
Carbon dioxide will rise up into your face if there are any leaks in the hood or hoses used to deliver it—which means you’ll need to wear safety glasses when using CO2 instead of Ar/CO2 mix torch setups!
The last difference between these two gases has less to do with how they act around each other than how much money they cost:
Argon costs more than CO2 because it’s harder for us humans (or robots) to pump into our tanks without releasing some gas along with what we need for welding purposes!
Conclusion:
Can you MIG weld with 100 argon? In a nutshell, if you want to reduce weld clean-up time, get the best arc possible and work with good quality filler metal.
Low argon mixes will make a crappy weld that needs a lot of clean-up time. Whether or not it’s worth the extra Argon will depend on many factors, including your skills as a welder, what you are welding, and what you’re welding it to.
So, make a decision after conducting proper research. The above article gave you a better idea to start a MIG welding project with 100% argon shielding gas.
FAQs:
What is 100% argon used for in welding?
100% Argon is the most widely used shielding gas, especially in TIG welding. The high percentage of Argon makes it ideal for use with base materials that contain diluents or moisture like Aluminum and magnesium, as well as materials containing carbon, like stainless steel. Argon helps get rid of Oxygen in the weld puddle, which can cause porosity and cracking in Aluminum, magnesium, and carbon-containing materials.
Can you use 100% argon for TIG welding?
Yes, you can use 100% argon for TIG welding. Argon is a common gas used in TIG welding because it does not react with steel and will not produce excess porosity when used with mild steel materials. It is also less likely to dissolve into the weld metal than Oxygen or helium, so there is less gas washout at the root of the weld and better arc stability.
How much Argon does MIG welding use?
The amount of Argon used for MIG welding depends on the thickness of the metal being welded, but it is typically around 75 to 95%, along with any other gas mixture like CO2, helium, and Oxygen.
What is the best gas for MIG welding mild steel?
For MIG welding, mild steel, Argon (75%), and CO2 (25%) are the most common gas in MIG welding mild steel. There are some other gases available such as helium, acetylene, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, etc.
