welding info please??

[treequip]

to answer the question bluntly - buy a mig. always the simly option

 

but you gotta take stuff into consideration 1 being is the metal is clean or dirty? if its dirty from rust, is there enough metal to get away grinding it away?

 

you also need to make sure the metal your welding is what you think it is. 3 most common will be mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium?

 

mig is perfect for steel, as for stainless steel and aluminium you would need a tig welder. you can weld stainless steel if you get wire/gas for your mig though.

 

people go spend hundreds on a welder thinking 'hey, im a hands on guy, ive seen it done before, il give this mig welding a go' only to realise they are trying to weld aluminium

 

 

You can weld ally with a mig, you just need a spool drive gun and the right gas.

[p-hardy]

when it comes to DIY though its not a realistic option really. u need to be prepared with money and a lot of knowledge

[WeeDee]

Those that dont should, those that dont get a bad weld

 

Those that get a bad weld probably know why - they've probably been told plenty of times.

[Pedroski]

Auto-darkening visor really is an essential in that it makes life so much easier. Decent one can be had for under £60. For heavy chassis work then I'd stick to arc welding. It's nice and easy to fill the groove properly and there's no feckin' about with wire and gas. The consumable electrodes are much much better than they were years ago when I first did welding. And you can get a really decent arc/HF TIG welder for a the price of a MIG. HF TIG welding is brilliant, and unless you're doing ally then you only need a DC one which is much cheaper than a good AC one. If you can solder and coordinate two hands properly then you should have much trouble TIG welding.

[Matthew Storrs]

good responses, thanks. I won't have a problem telling the difference between metals etc and anyway 99% Of the time it will be steel. Two questions. is Mig Ok for galvanised metals and also is it capable of welding hardened metals such as Hardox 400 etc?

[treequip]

good responses, thanks. I won't have a problem telling the difference between metals etc and anyway 99% Of the time it will be steel. Two questions. is Mig Ok for galvanised metals and also is it capable of welding hardened metals such as Hardox 400 etc?

 

Hardox will mig well

 

Galv wont, it will go bubbly and spark like mad, the fumes will also make you sick as a dog, grind the zinc off before welding and you will be OK but the weld will corrode if you don’t paint it

[treequip]

Those that get a bad weld probably know why - they've probably been told plenty of times.

 

Ha ha ha

 

They should listen to others or stand on the naughty step so as not to pass bad habits on to others:laugh1:

[WeeDee]

Ha ha ha

 

They should listen to others or stand on the naughty step so as not to pass bad habits on to others:laugh1:

 

Too true.

[niftysteve]

You can weld ally with a mig, you just need a spool drive gun and the right gas.

 

stainless will mig too but the weld goes rusty but ok if your are really stuck and need the item fixing

[Matthew Storrs]

Hardox will mig well

 

Galv wont, it will go bubbly and spark like mad, the fumes will also make you sick as a dog, grind the zinc off before welding and you will be OK but the weld will corrode if you don’t paint it

 

Cheers Treequip, handy advice, looking at the Oxford migmaker 240, slightly over my budget, whats the difference between single phase & three phase? the Oxford 270 is being offered at the same price in either option.