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-...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

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

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