opinions on welds

[ACE HIGH]

"
"MIG welding is the most difficult of all manual processes to master"


This quote comes from Richard Finch's book Performance welding,Motorbooks Powertech series.I agree entirely,because most MIG welders reach a certain basic level and do not improve much.I suggest that anyone that is serious about improving their MIG welding purchase this book ,written by a hot rod and aircraft enthusiast.

MIG welding is complex and quite a science and before you change wire speeds ,diameters ,gases etc one needs a basic understanding of what is happening,this book explains it well and I highly recommend it if you wish to improve your welding with MIG.

Anyone reading this who is a competent Manual Arc welder (stick) would be much better off using arc welding on these light tubes,faster (it would take longer to get one refill bottle than remove the slag on the entire chassis),the welders and consumables are cheap and the finished job will be better.In fact the lost interest on a MIG welder would pay for all the manual arc welding rods,grinding discs and hacksaw blades needed for the job.
David

[RAYLEE29]

Just read the above,
In my opinion and with respect
I feel that mig welding is the easiest form of weldind known to man (or woman)
in my time ive gas welded silver soldered stick tig carbon arc brazed and mig welded so a pretty good spread
anyone considering using stick to weld theyre chassis best of luck
but i would say mig is best and easiest
tig is good but slow and possibilty of more distortion
stick forget it
awaiting flak with baited breath
Ray

[Bonzo]

That is certainly the modern school of thought

You are a brave soul Ray

Such a pitty that it will fall onto deaf ears

[RAYLEE29]

What eh pardon lol
Ray

[mr henderson]

I'm not aware of any full time professional chassis builders who use anything other than MIG. I''m not saying that they don't, just that I'm not aware of them. And I see a lot of different chassis.

I worked for a motorsport engineering firm who only had tig sets, everything was tig welded from wishbones to sexy fabricated uprights and chassis in either normal every day steel or the tricky chromoly stuff.

[les g]

Originally Posted by ACE HIGH

"
"MIG welding is the most difficult of all manual processes to master"


This quote comes from Richard Finch's book Performance welding,Motorbooks Powertech series.I agree entirely,because most MIG welders reach a certain basic level and do not improve much.I suggest that anyone that is serious about improving their MIG welding purchase this book ,written by a hot rod and aircraft enthusiast.

MIG welding is complex and quite a science and before you change wire speeds ,diameters ,gases etc one needs a basic understanding of what is happening,this book explains it well and I highly recommend it if you wish to improve your welding with MIG.

Anyone reading this who is a competent Manual Arc welder (stick) would be much better off using arc welding on these light tubes,faster (it would take longer to get one refill bottle than remove the slag on the entire chassis),the welders and consumables are cheap and the finished job will be better.In fact the lost interest on a MIG welder would pay for all the manual arc welding rods,grinding discs and hacksaw blades needed for the job.
David

can i just say what a load of bollocks
who ever wrote that is a cretin.....................
if you want to weld 16 gauge erw the easiest must be a mig welder
if you want to weld a bollard to the deck of a tugboat in the docks or a pipeline outdoors
a girt big 3 phase stick welder oil cooled is the boy for that job
thats the truth i,ve these jobs
cheers les g
and i,ll get Ronnie and Minimad would back that statement 100% bin there done and got the burns to prove it

[minimad]

Originally Posted by les g

can i just say what a load of bollocks
who ever wrote that is a cretin.....................
if you want to weld 16 gauge erw the easiest must be a mig welder
if you want to weld a bollard to the deck of a tugboat in the docks or a pipeline outdoors
a girt big 3 phase stick welder oil cooled is the boy for that job
thats the truth i,ve these jobs
cheers les g
and i,ll get Ronnie and Minimad would back that statement 100% bin there done and got the burns to prove it

100% backed there matey but pulsed mig for welding 50mm ali plate like what i have to do when i go back on Monday
oops nearly forgot 0.8 for the chassis

[ACE HIGH]

Well we will agree to disagree,only I wont be insulting.I also have considerable experience including (retired now) all position low hydrogen welding 1/2 inch plate (Lloyds)Oil rig, and plenty of mass production MIG welding including 5/8 plate.The book's author is a consultant to NASA.Its the leading statement I am attributing to him (no more.)

There are at least 4 types of MIG welding,and there is not much point in comparing wire speed/diameters/heat ranges etc unless the welders are identical.Not a good idea to take advice from a mate who may have a B.O.C,Miller,or Lincoln welder when your own welder may be a "big box" shop welder from who knows what company who last year made give away radios for weetbix packets,(or vice versa.Thats a general comment ,I am not pointing the finger at anyone.The science is more complex than one realises.


My preference for arc welding is that most of your young guys are probably pretty short on money and rather than spend a lot of money on a high maintainance MIG or TIG welder if they are allready"up to speed' on Arc welding they can improve their welding and save a fortune in expenses,plus as a bonus any good arc welders can make a lot of money all over the world'.
Also they can if they wish build themselves a Yacht or Motorboat later on,(as I have done.)I dont dispute the fact that pretty well all engineering busineses and for many varied reasons,(all good)use MIG,I am saying dont write off arc(stick) welding.

Finally,and this will get you going,most of the MIG welding I have seen on sites and elsewhere is in my opinion not up to standard,mainly being overwelded and lacking penetration.For anyone who is confused by any of this I recommend Richard Finch's Book ,lots of good info on all types of welding.
I have certainly learned plenty myself.I do not claim to be an expert on the subject,I believe that it is good for all on these forums to have constructive informed 'robust"discussion.David

[ACE HIGH]

learned plenty from Richard's book I should have written.David