Welding kit, which one?

[Davey]

Having had a browse round these forums I gather there has been some warm debate over whether to use mig or stick welding but don't worry this is not a thread about that. I use MIG for the mild steel welding 'cos that's what I've got and its quick and simple.

My real question is this, I plan to fab my own exhaust headers and collectors in stainless and I was thinking of buying a TIG set (yes I can use one, I spent several years of my life doing specialist fab work) but if I do I'd rather get an AC/DC unit so it can do steel or ally. The other possibility is to get a portapack gas kit which is about the only type of welding I've never mastered.

My thinking is that the gas kit would be more useful around the workshop and with a cutting torch as well is an incredibly useful bit of kit and its a fair bit cheaper.

But I know how to use TIG and can really do some nice work with it whereas to use the gas system will require me to learn a new skill which is a big ask at my age .

So what does anyone else think, gas or TIG? Please don't say both, I'd love to og that way but finances aren't that good even though my business would buy it.

D.

[twinturbo]

TIG is very similar to GAS, just gas useses a burning flame rather than an electic arc.

If you can tig then GAS should be fairly easy to master...

It's 20 years since I last did GAS at school.


BUT.

Tig is much safer and quicker to set up.

TT

[Davey]

Hello again TT, we must be the only two allowed near a compooter today . In general I agree with everything you say except that with gas welding the hot bit is about 10 inches from your hand but with TIG its only a couple of inches. If you have shaky hands like me this is a big issue. I know that SS and ally can be welded perfectly well with gas but I never even managed to master mild steel although I can gas cut to within 0.5mm.

D.

[Bonzo]

If memory serves me right, the gas welding of stainless is not an option.......Can't get a hot enough flame with Oxy/Accet

Then there's the heat distortion that comes from using Gas

AC/DC TIG is the way to go

[mark]

Originally Posted by Bonzo

If memory serves me right, the gas welding of stainless is not an option.......Can't get a hot enough flame with Oxy/Accet

Then there's the heat distortion that comes from using Gas

AC/DC TIG is the way to go

As usual i cant disagree with Ronnie when it comes to fusing metals together!

You can achieve very good results with gas welding but heat distortion can be a real issue

Buy yourself a good tig set if you can stretch to it

[7ishNZ]

ac/dc tig is cheaper to run than gas and the finished result is much better. You will need a foot pedal if you are doing ali...

[Davey]

Originally Posted by 7ishNZ

ac/dc tig is cheaper to run than gas and the finished result is much better. You will need a foot pedal if you are doing ali...

Understand your point but I beg to differ, I've done literally tonnes (and in ally that's a lot ) of ally work with TIG and never used a pedal control, you just move progressively faster.

I confess that I hadn't heard that SS work was not feasible with gas and seeing as that is the major reason for getting kit it looks like TIG is the way to go. Like I said earlier I've done (hundreds of ) Tonnes of stick and MIG work on mild steel (0.8mm up to 35mm thicknesses), (tens of) Tonnes of stainless and ally with MIG and TIG from 0.8 up to 5mm thickness and even some cast iron work with stick but never had enough time/opportunity to master gas welding.

Trouble is the gas kit is cheaper and overall probably more use in my workshop than the TIG set (although this iswhat I'd really prefer along with a plasma cutter ).

D.

[AshG]

if its just to make a stainless exhaust then just chuck a roll of stainless wire in the mig. as long as you are using some kind of argon mix you will be ok. the welds will be a bit brownish but they will go that colour from the exhaust heat anyway.

you can tig ali just fine without a pedal i put the welder on 2t and set the slope out to 4-5seconds. if the pool starts getting too hot then i just take my finger off and it slopes off the power. i have tried to use pulse but i dont get on with it too well. thebest thing you can have on a tig for ali welding is square wave control as it allows you to increase decrease the size of the weld pool vs pool depth

[twinturbo]

have you seen the price of stainless wire!!!

TT

[Davey]

I'd rather use TIG for the stainless work, it just gives a so much better finish. I haven't looked at the price if welding wire, either rolls for the MIG ir rods for the TIG but if every decision was made on cost I'd never do anything more outrageous than put me slippers on.

D.