Welding equipment?

[mugen_ctr]

Sup ppl, seriously thinking of buying some welding equipment as i hate leaving the car at the exhaust shop and them charging me and arm and leg for some basic welding >_<

Need some basic info on it......

Tig Or Mig?

Will a unit like this be enough for a back yard job?

Yes i realiaze its a cheap model, but its not my profession, so im only looking for a unit that can butt weld exhaust tubing to flanges and maybe a bit more like brackets and so forth.....

Is amp range is sufficient for welding tubes and flanges 8-10mm thick? and to welding 3-6mm brackets?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-200A-MMA-ARC-INVERTER-WELDER-STICK-TIG-WELDING-MACHINE-/220967041144?pt=AU_Welding&hash=item3372a97878#ht_2322wt_1396

[JDM EP3]

TIG welders are used for stainless steel only. The other thing is welding is not as easy as you may think. Its easy to burn a hole in the stuff your trying to weld if you dont know what you are doing or set the current high enough to stick the weld on good.

[mocchi]

whats your budget?

understand that with tig, there are alot of things you gotta buy
tungsten, gas, filler, cups, helmet, gloves, brushes, buttload of acetone
and of course metal plate as base to work on.

buy best welding helmet you can get

60% @ 200amp duty cycle, you need to research if thats good enough for your needs

[mocchi]

TIG welders are used for stainless steel only. The other thing is welding is not as easy as you may think. Its easy to burn a hole in the stuff your trying to weld if you dont know what you are doing or set the current high enough to stick the weld on good.

thats wrong.

tig weld can be used to weld anything.
as long as your welder has the capacity (ac/dc).

that ebay welder youre looking at can only weld mild steel and ss and other things that can be weld using DC polarity.
you cannot weld aluminium using DC polarity.

[JDM EP3]

thats wrong.

tig weld can be used to weld anything.
as long as your welder has the capacity (ac/dc).

that ebay welder youre looking at can only weld mild steel and ss and other things that can be weld using DC polarity.
you cannot weld aluminium using DC polarity.

Ok then I had it the other way around, MIG cant weld SS

[Bludger]

in4moreinputfromothers.

[mugen_ctr]

cheers guys...

Budget around 300 - 350, since ill only b doing small jobs, so is this relative good budget wise for a back yard?

The main materials ill be looking at is mostly mild steel and SS, so i guess this does the job lol

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, which is what im planing to do really soon... Before i commit to buying, gonna do quick course on basic welding at uni, so at least its a stepping stone :D

As for other necessity, still tryna weigh up wats more user friendly, tig or mig welder lol, But as for helmet design, ive used a auto darkening before, but id assume there hella expensive, how do the basic ones go?

[Bludger]

cheers guys...

Budget around 300 - 350, since ill only b doing small jobs, so is this relative good budget wise for a back yard?

The main materials ill be looking at is mostly mild steel and SS, so i guess this does the job lol

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, which is what im planing to do really soon... Before i commit to buying, gonna do quick course on basic welding at uni, so at least its a stepping stone :D

As for other necessity, i still need the rest of the equipment, But as for helmet design, ive used a auto darkening before, but id assume there hella expensive, how do the basic ones go?
update with welding course info after you do it.

[EKVTIR-T]

update with welding instructional classes after you do it.

[u mad?]

why dont you do the coarse first THEN decide what welder is most suitable for you.

[slingsy]

Ok then I had it the other way around, MIG cant weld SS

Just buy a Cigweld stick/tig great bang for buck. If you are serious and like an easy time welding spend a few hundred on Speedglas or Miller helmet, if not buy a Cigweld automatic shield.. I personally don't trust and no name b/s shields as you get what you pay for meaning the cheap one has a couple millisecond slower response time which means more time your eyes are exposed to the arc. I started using a flip down $20 shield they are good, but not so much when there's someone welding next to you.

Nope.
Here are the basics of what welding machines can weld given the right gas and wire/filler rod etc.

Most commonly;

Stick: M/S, S/S
Mig: Al, M/S, S/S

In order to weld stainless steel with a Mig decently you will need.
- "Stainshield" gas or equivalent. Comes in a few different types depending on your uses, I.E light, universal or heavy. This is the BOC label for a gas which basically has the addition of Helium to the regular Argon/Co2/+/-Oxygen mixture for "Argoshield" There are other company's that will have suitable gasses but BOC aren't to expensive and they are usually standard in shielding gasses.
- Stainless steel Mig wire to a grade that best suits your needs.
- A separate liner if you plan to do M/S work

To weld Aluminuim you need.
- Straight Argon
- Plastic liner in the gun lead.
- Aluminium Mig wire.
- A shitload or contact tips if you don't have a quality machine.

M/S
- "Argoshield" once again for the type of work you will be doing. light
(up to around 3mm) universal (everything else) and heavy (not necessary) to clear things up the light will weld all thicknesses but at a certain thickness adequate penetration will cease this is where the universal and heavy come into play.
- M/S Mig wire

Tig: Everything.

For M/S
- Straight Argon
- M/S filler rod

S/S
- Straight Argon
- Stainless filler wire usually at a grade slightly lower than the grade of parent metal depending.

Al
- A/C compatible machine
- Straight Argon
- Aluminium filler rod

With Mig or Tig you are going to have a get BOC gas account and rent a bottle.

Hope this novel helped someone..

[mocchi]

good welding helmets cost like 300bucks
like those 3M auto darkening ones are great
its got lag too so it doesnt go bright straight away after arc dies

but main issue you'll get with that cheap tig is the after arc shielding time
because after arc dies, you need to keep shielding metal with inert gas until it no longer hot enough to oxidize with normal air

how long? depends on metal thickness/amp used

[slingsy]

good welding helmets cost like 300bucks
like those 3M auto darkening ones are great
its got lag too so it doesnt go bright straight away after arc dies

but main issue you'll get with that cheap tig is the after arc shielding time
because after arc dies, you need to keep shielding metal with inert gas until it no longer hot enough to oxidize with normal air

how long? depends on metal thickness/amp used

Yeap Speedglas made by 3m, the delay is very handy.. I still occasionally get slight eye strain with the delay set on longest on very hot runs. Pretty much top notch for welding shield brands.

If you get a Tig torch with just a start button try to buy another one with a little threaded gas switch on the hand piece with allows gas to flow when you turn it on, continuously until you turn it off at variable flow rates depending on how loose/tight and switch is. The price range isn't really enough for a good machine that has post flow settings and they aren't necessary if you get the hand piece that I was talking about.
(Coming from EX food grade stainless workshop employee)

[mocchi]

Yeap Speedglas made by 3m, the delay is very handy.. I still occasionally get slight eye strain with the delay set on longest on very hot runs. Pretty much top notch for welding shield brands.

If you get a Tig torch with just a start button try to buy another one with a little threaded gas switch on the hand piece with allows gas to flow when you turn it on, continuously until you turn it off at variable flow rates depending on how loose/tight and switch is. The price range isn't really enough for a good machine that has post flow settings and they aren't necessary if you get the hand piece that I was talking about.
(Coming from EX food grade stainless workshop employee)

i got that manual hand piece cos the good welder just too exxy lol
mugen_ctr, also put in budget of $100+ for pure argon for the big tank
which you will finish in first week of constant practice
oh fcuk, not to mention argon regulator $40+

so probably expect about $1g all up
for proper gear.

but tig is nice, its clean and looks nice when you weld ss

[slingsy]

i got that manual hand piece cos the good welder just too exxy lol
mugen_ctr, also put in budget of $100+ for pure argon for the big tank
which you will finish in first week of constant practice
oh fcuk, not to mention argon regulator $40+

so probably expect about $1g all up
for proper gear.

but tig is nice, its clean and looks nice when you weld ss


haha the list goes on.. will be pricey but to OP you will get your moneys worth out of it.. except consumables. Forget to tell your friends.. you will be welding everything they bring.......... :P at a small cost if they are proper mates.

You may not be that far into it yet but if you want to Tig s/s and m/s don't forget the 2% Thoriated tungstens (red end)

[mugen_ctr]

ouch! welding aint no cheap thing lol.... But its something ive always wanted to do for ages since finish yr 12... so i might start building up the equipment slowly over period of few months... whilst learning to weld at uni...

But defs plenty of helpful tips... thanks guys!

[mocchi]

haha the list goes on.. will be pricey but to OP you will get your moneys worth out of it.. except consumables. Forget to tell your friends.. you will be welding everything they bring.......... :P at a small cost if they are proper mates.

You may not be that far into it yet but if you want to Tig s/s and m/s don't forget the 2% Thoriated tungstens (red end)

they say thoriated is radioactive when you grind it but idk really.
i use lanthanated 2% from ebay, not sure abt purity but it works

or mugen_ctr can pm me for some work done namsayin

or CB Paint & Panel, he does welding jobs too.

[mugen_ctr]

they say thoriated is radioactive when you grind it but idk really.
i use lanthanated 2% from ebay, not sure abt purity but it works

or mugen_ctr can pm me for some work done namsayin

or CB Paint & Panel, he does welding jobs too.

will do man, ive got a design already drawn up, but not sure if its do able or not lol.... but will pm u later on to see if u can or cant or even possible hahaha

cheers man

[slingsy]

they say thoriated is radioactive when you grind it but idk really.
i use lanthanated 2% from ebay, not sure abt purity but it works

or mugen_ctr can pm me for some work done namsayin

or CB Paint & Panel, he does welding jobs too.

Yeah lathenated is fine but I dunno about eBay quality, i've read lots if places are going to lathenated now. would be good enough.
If you are worried just don't breath in the particles when grinding it sharp, use a dust mask or something, but seriously sheet metal fabricators have been sharpening thoriated tungsten for their whole lives and nothing bad has come from it unless you are breathing in the particles every time in large amounts, it's just like the extremists that think your pillows are gunna kill you after they are 2 months old. But in saying that if you are worried just stay away from thoriated tungstens as it contains thorium which is radioactive.