1. Home
  2. ⏣ General Metalworking
  3. mig v tig welding - a simple question
  4. Page 2

mig v tig welding - a simple question

I've gas welded steel - I've brazed steel, I've silver soldered, and I've stick welded - lots of each. I've done a wee bit of Tig welding and Tig brazing and I think I could get to like it - but I have a couple friends who are SO much better at it who usually offer to do the little stuff where Tig welding is the best way to go - like stainless and aluminum (particularly thin sheet).

I've tried Mig several times, and found it's real easy to make a crappy job, and easier to make a good job using stick for heavy stuff, and tig ot torch for light stuff. Not really sure where Mig fits in the grand scheme of things for me. If a crappy looking weld is good enough, I can do it just as well - if not as fast, with any other method.

Reply to
clare
Loading thread data ...

Really? I don't think so. Try .062 wire on constant current! They say it can't be done but don't you believe it. Been there, done that....... phil k.

Reply to
Phil Kangas

half or 5/8" thick aluminum plate with 062 wire?????

Reply to
clare

Imagine full penn tee and butt joints up to an inch and a half on five foot diameter aluminum winch drums. The root passes were run with smaller wires but the CC guns would completely consume the root pass resulting in really nice clean welds! ;>)}

Reply to
Phil Kangas

How heavy? Our head weldor has done some pretty substantial aluminum using a TIG at 360 Amps and about .125 filler rod, which he fed at about a foot a second.

How substantial? Maybe 2" plate, with about a 1/2" ~ 1" deep groove weld, plus about 1/4" fillet.

Cheers! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

Tig on something that heavy would pretty well DEMAND pre-heating. no??? Same with Mig.

Even with stick it would be a big help, but I'd think stick would be the only way to do it without significant pre-heat???

Reply to
clare

Aluminum stick welding is a waste of time when you have a King Cobra water cooled gun hooked up to a Cobramatic feeder powered by a Lincoln DC-600! Preheat enough to dry the base metal, that's it. Nice to have 350 amps with continuous wire feed. Pull the trigger and run till the spool is empty! No stick or TIG will beat that.......... phil k.

Reply to
Phil Kangas

Now that you mention it, they _did_ preheat, and in a big way - one of those "weed burner" propane torches, that threw about a 3' flame. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

The two things to remember about welding: you need heat, and you need metal to make the joining. And don't breath downwind of the fumes. That's three ... "the three things to remember ..."

Reply to
pyotr filipivich

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.