Welding Methods for Chassis

[acra]

Thanks for the feedback - it's great to hear it's possible, I'll have to try and find a load of scrap of the right gauge etc I can practice on!

[Bonzo]

If I were given the choice of using either a low power/budget hoby MIG or half decent hoby MMA welder, personaly I would go for using the good ole stick.

I would use 2mm thick chassis tubes, most importantly, use the right electrode for the job ( Some are better suited than others )
Go to a welding supplier that knows what they are talking about & ask them to recommend a good general purpose Rutile welding electrode for the welding of thin material

If the fancy took me, I would use a stick welder in the blink of an eye, that said, I have been trained to do so

[Enoch]

I did mine entirely with sticks. I don't really know why I went down that route. Oh hang on, I remember, it's cos I got a welder for 20 quid
That welder turned out to be crap though so I bought one of the Chinese inverter welders off ebay for about 150 quid. Best money I ever spent. I also bought a decent auto darkening helmet and good quality rods that I keep indoors in the airing cupboard until I need them, they work best when totally dry. My welder is very easily controllable and with practice it gives fantastic results with very deep penetration. I used 2.5mm rods for just about everything except the 1mm thick curved side panels. My welder goes up to about 200 amps from memory, which was plenty big enough to do the rear uprights with ease. Hope that helps.
Enoch.

[acra]

Originally Posted by Enoch

I did mine entirely with sticks. I don't really know why I went down that route. Oh hang on, I remember, it's cos I got a welder for 20 quid
That welder turned out to be crap though so I bought one of the Chinese inverter welders off ebay for about 150 quid. Best money I ever spent. I also bought a decent auto darkening helmet and good quality rods that I keep indoors in the airing cupboard until I need them, they work best when totally dry. My welder is very easily controllable and with practice it gives fantastic results with very deep penetration. I used 2.5mm rods for just about everything except the 1mm thick curved side panels. My welder goes up to about 200 amps from memory, which was plenty big enough to do the rear uprights with ease. Hope that helps.
Enoch.

Ah you were the builder who's diary I'd read
What kind of ampage were you using on the whole - just as a general idea?

Again thanks to all the guys giving feedback - I really love the community here!

[Enoch]

Hi Acra, I found between 90 and 120 amps suited most jobs - that was what it showed on my dial anyway, not sure how accurate that is. I went up to about 130-140 for the rear uprights, I never got anywhere near the limit of my welder. Incidentally my one is also a TIG welder but I have never used it as such.
Enoch (Dave)

[Wynand]

Originally Posted by Enoch

Hi Acra, I found between 90 and 120 amps suited most jobs - that was what it showed on my dial anyway, not sure how accurate that is. I went up to about 130-140 for the rear uprights,.... (Dave)

Actually, the electrode size determine the current to be used.
A rule of thumb method is to multiply the diameter of the electrode with 40 example; 2.5mm (12#) x 40 = 100amps or lets say 3.15mm (10#) x 40 = 125amps.
If you weld vertically, it is best to drop the amperage a bit or use broken arc technique (my preference).

The above method is only applicable to AC or DC arc welding and not mig/tig.

[acra]

Just looking around, seems that screwfix do a reasonable one for £56 that goes up to 130A, or one that does that little bit more at £71 for 160A - the next level up is £128 for a 250A so that's a bit of a step, but worth it if I'll use it!

Seems from what you guys have said that the 160A should be ample for all the tasks I'll need

Have you had any experience with Autodarken Masks? I know I'm looking at a response time as low as possible, with a range of darknesses of 9-13 or something, and Amazon do some for around £50 that look reasonable...

As usual, cheers for the info so far guys!

[TheArf]

Definatley agree with you, £700 for a set that will only used once in a while. The only thing i would say is to buy the best you can afford, which ever route you take, stick or mig, good luck with your build

Arfon