[TR] FW: [6pack] Floorpan replacement and Rust repair quote...
Michael Porter
mdporter at dfn.com
Wed Jun 10 17:04:13 MDT 2015
On 6/10/2015 3:24 PM, Andrew Uprichard wrote:
>
> Hopefully a typo, but what you need is a MIG welder, not TIG.
>
>
TIG is slow, but, properly done, will produce a bead far superior to MIG
welding and will likely put less heat overall into the metal, reducing
the amount of distortion and the amount of finishing required, and it's
the near-perfect process for tacking in patch panels before final
welding. TIG also has the benefit of using pretty much the same hand
skills as oxy-acetylene welding, so if one starts on that process in a
welding class, it's much easier to get the hang of TIG. Moreover, the
control available through the foot pedal makes an enormous difference in
weld quality.
MIG is faster, a little cheaper, but quite splattery and noisy and takes
a fair amount of practice to achieve optimum weld penetration. Today, I
think of MIG as a production process, mainly, and for joining in places
requiring little cosmetic finishing.
One can buy cheap MIG machines with limited speed control, so the
equipment can be had fairly cheaply, but the results very often aren't
that good. A high-end MIG machine suitable for skilled amateur use,
though, is not that much cheaper than an inverter-based TIG welder good
for 160-200 A or so, with the added benefit that most TIG machines are
fairly easily convertible to AC or DC stick welding with an electrode
holder change. Providing that the machine has suitable high-frequency
AC, TIG also does a superior job on sheet aluminum. Additionally, if
one doesn't have a spot-welding attachment, one can do solid substitutes
for spot-welded flanges by drilling holes in one flange and using rose
beads. More time-consuming, but quite strong, and difficult to do with
MIG (unless one cuts slots in the flange).
In terms you'll understand, TIG is a scalpel. MIG is a hatchet. I
don't say this as an amateur. For a number of years, I built prototype
machines, air handling equipment and the like, and probably couldn't
have done much of it without TIG. For the amateur who's not concerned
with production speed, mastering TIG is a valuable skill, one that pays
real dividends over MIG.
Cheers.
--
Michael Porter
Roswell, NM
Never let anyone drive you crazy when you know it's within walking distance....
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