purchase MIG vs TIG?

[Piper]

Hi

I have done a fair amount of oxy acet welding and brazing and am now looking for purchasing either a mig or tig setup. The main purpose is for applying skins to doors, fine work etc. I figure I can use my torches for heavier jobs. My skill level is pretty go although I have never used either mig or tig. My questions are: with a gas mig set up will I be pleased with the weld joint rather than going to the expensed of the tig set up? I know that mig with flux wire can be a bit rough and splattery but assuming that my techinque is good is it reasonable to think I can do but joints with gas mig and be able to grind the joint smooth enough for door skins?

I am in Canada and Home depot sells a Lincoln weld pak 175 for $699 which doesn't include the bottle but does have the regulator. What do you think about this welder?

Thank for any help.

Piper

 

[brianpgriset]

Hi

I have done a fair amount of oxy acet welding and brazing and am now looking for purchasing either a mig or tig setup. The main purpose is for applying skins to doors, fine work etc. I figure I can use my torches for heavier jobs. My skill level is pretty go although I have never used either mig or tig. My questions are: with a gas mig set up will I be pleased with the weld joint rather than going to the expensed of the tig set up? I know that mig with flux wire can be a bit rough and splattery but assuming that my techinque is good is it reasonable to think I can do but joints with gas mig and be able to grind the joint smooth enough for door skins?

I am in Canada and Home depot sells a Lincoln weld pak 175 for $699 which doesn't include the bottle but does have the regulator. What do you think about this welder?

Thank for any help.

Piper

GMAW (more commonly known as MIG) welding is a great option for sheetmetal repair, you just have to know proper technique. Running a continuous bead will distort a panel badly, regardless of the process. What you need to do is "stich" weld in thin pannels or anything that distorts easliy. **** welding sheetmetal will be hard with any process, BUT as long as your fit-up is good you shouldn't have any problems. I've dont **** welding joints for my bug for different patches with a Lincoln PRO-MIG 175 (the same as what you mentioned). With some grinding, smooth, and planishing you can get a straight, clean, smooth surface, but prep is 99% of the work.

Another thing to consider is the weldment metal. If you planning on doing anything other than mild steel, forget the MIG. TIG welders (AC/DC capable) do alum, stainless, copper, etc... just about any weldable metal. MIG is ideal only for mild steel. Personally for a first welder, MIG would be my choice. Even if you do end up with a TIG welder, youll be glad you have the MIG around. Great fo quicker work, tacking things together, etc. Every complete shop should have a MIG welder IMHO.

As for the welder you mention, like I said, I have the same one, It is a quality unit. As long as you go with the big three (Miller, Lincoln, Hobart) you should be fine. Now as far as price, you should be able to find a better deal than that. Ebay has Pro-Mig's NIB going for $400 to $500 daily. Also check some online welding stores. The new Hobart Handler 187 is supposed to be a real honey of a welder, and will do 22 gage to 1/4" thick material. Shop around online and I'll bet you find some better deals. You can save a few more bucks if you go with something in the 140 amp class, like a Lincoln PRO-MIG 135 or Hobart Handler 140. These run off household voltage (110VAC) and are limited to about 3/16" thickness in one pass but will still do thin stuff well.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

I have used my Lincoln ProMig 135 extensively in automotive and general welding use. I have been very pleased with it. If I recall correctly, the 175 is a 220Volt machine that has higher power output and will thus weld thicker steel.

Since you already have a torch set up to weld thicker steel, you might consider the 135, which will weld any sheet metal you need to weld AND be more portable, as you can plug it in to any 120V receptical. Also, it's cheaper which would let you perhaps afford a nice welding cart, midsized mixed gas tank, and autodarkening welding helmet.

The autodarkening helmet is very useful to the novice mig welder, because you can see what you are doing so much better. This probably isn't nearly as important to the expert welder, but is a Godsend for us pikers.

Good Luck!

Phil

 

[D-Cal]

Price units at your local Praxair or specialty welding shops. Don't buy the units from HD. Typically they only have a few discrete voltage settings, which is rarely enough adjustment.

I was surprised to find that the price at my local Praxair store was better than anything Ebay could offer, unit was new in a box, and the guy helping me was a 25 year welder who knew his ****. I went with the Miller because the wire feed rate is higher. Very happy with the 175. I have done many projects including building a 5x10 trailer from plans.

 

[Piper]

Woops, I should mention that the $699 is a Canadian price. For those Cannucks out there, Mastercraft (Canadian Tire) has a small Lincoln on sale this week with a grider to boot. Any thoughts on this one? It's a 110 volt smaller unit.

Thanks


Piper

 

[Stuart in MN]

Price units at your local Praxair or specialty welding shops. Don't buy the units from HD. Typically they only have a few discrete voltage settings, which is rarely enough adjustment.

I was surprised to find that the price at my local Praxair store was better than anything Ebay could offer, unit was new in a box, and the guy helping me was a 25 year welder who knew his ****. I went with the Miller because the wire feed rate is higher. Very happy with the 175. I have done many projects including building a 5x10 trailer from plans.

Good points about buying a welder locally. Remember, you'll be buying wire, refilling bottles, etc. as time goes on so you may as well establish a good relationship with a local shop.

 

[trainer]

Woops, I should mention that the $699 is a Canadian price. For those Cannucks out there, Mastercraft (Canadian Tire) has a small Lincoln on sale this week with a grider to boot. Any thoughts on this one? It's a 110 volt smaller unit.

Thanks


Piper

this one?http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/p...older_id=1408474396672983&bmUID=1165034911647

 

[kartracer55]

For sheetmetal Id say just got mig. The biggest drawback to the GTAW process is how slow it is. Youll be there all day trying to weld in floorpans with tig.

Tig is actually very similar to gas welding, with the exception of not being able to adjust the heat in the middle of a bead with gas as you can tig.

You will need an AC/DC tig machine if you want to be able to do aluminum, as well. There are few multi process machines out there that seem liek great options, only they wont do AC tig.

Jim

 

[Piper]

this one?http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/p...older_id=1408474396672983&bmUID=1165034911647

Yep, that's the one. I'm going to go and look at it today. May be ok for now but I could see myself growing out of it even though I have the oxy/acet.

Piper

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I have done a fair amount of oxy acet welding and brazing and am now looking for purchasing either a mig or tig setup. The main purpose is for applying skins to doors, fine work etc. I figure I can use my torches for heavier jobs.r

You will be right at home with the TIG, very similar to gas welding in compairson to MIG or stick. You experience little to no splatter and can do fine work

Buy a TIG/stick unit and you will have the best of all worlds. A TIG setup will set you back $$$$ but you will be much happier with it.

Charles

 

[muddy]

I'll submit that if you intend to be doing projects and welding for a good number of years into the future......and if you can afford it or wait until you can afford it......a Mig welder in the form of a Miller 250 or whatever their current equivalent is would be an ideal way to go.
It has a potentiometer that allows for more precise control over what you are welding...heat and wire speed. You can go with a straight argon or you can go with a mix with carbon dioxide. The Miller 250, with a good flow meter will make you very happy for many years. Unless times have changed,though, I didn't stay with the factory gun for more than a week. Tweco makes a gun for the Miller 250 that feels much thicker and gives you more command over your technique and I would highly recommend that as well.
I bought my Miller 250 and large tank for around 1700.00 fifteen years ago but have no idea where they are at nowadays. Prior to buying it, when working for Penske, we had a Miller 200 in our shop that I had used and it is what prompted me to go that route. It's basically the same model with no potentiometer so less room for adjustment but they have been reliable over the years. Thought I'd throw that out there anyways.......... Keith

 

[PAToyota]

Really, asking MIG or TIG isn't a question. I've got both and use them for different tasks.

If you only could get one, you'd have to decide what it was that you really wanted to do with it. For instance, you can do aluminum with MIG and a spoolgun but it will be a royal pain if you're doing fine work. Likewise, if the beads you are laying are measured in feet rather than inches then TIG is going to get old pretty fast.

So figure out what materials you want to weld, what the physical properties are (size, weight), and how much control you will need over the weld. Then start deciding between MIG and TIG.

 

[krj]

Don't buy that little Mastercraft unit... It is a Campbell Hausfield. Cheap welder. You would be much better off waiting and buying the Lincoln Mig Pak 15 at least. I have a Mig Pak 15 and dont regret it. Perfect for a hobby welder. Ive only been using flux core so far.

 

[Piper]

Well just a follow up to my question. First off, thanks for all the advice. After some careful research and reflection I decided to buy a lincoln electric called the power mig 140 C. This is a 110 welder with infinite voltage control (vs the standard setting 1, 2, 3 etc). I haven't received it yet but am looking forward to it. FYI, here is the link to the welder http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentdatasheet.asp?p=42420

Piper

 

[D-Cal]

Looks like a good unit for sheetmetal work. You will probably be very happy with it.

 

[husky125]

I have both a small MIG for sheet metal and a TIG for other stuff. I have been very happy with the MIG for body work. Make sure you got with a wire designed for body work. I use a produce called "easy grind" that's an 0.023 wire that has a tensile strenght of only 25000 psi. This grinds down very easily without warping the sheet metal.

 

[red vette mike]

Hi

I have done a fair amount of oxy acet welding and brazing and am now looking for purchasing either a mig or tig setup. The main purpose is for applying skins to doors, fine work etc. I figure I can use my torches for heavier jobs. My skill level is pretty go although I have never used either mig or tig. My questions are: with a gas mig set up will I be pleased with the weld joint rather than going to the expensed of the tig set up? I know that mig with flux wire can be a bit rough and splattery but assuming that my techinque is good is it reasonable to think I can do but joints with gas mig and be able to grind the joint smooth enough for door skins?

I am in Canada and Home depot sells a Lincoln weld pak 175 for $699 which doesn't include the bottle but does have the regulator. What do you think about this welder?

Thank for any help.

Piper

Piper: I have just ordered a Hobart "Handler" 180 MIG welder from Northern Equipment. It operates on 230v. This includes the regulator. They have a special on this welder now at $649. This includes free shipping and also includes a $94 welding cart. I like doing business with Northern Equipment (NorthernTool.com).
Good luck.