First, let me say I don't weld often enough so I am a lousy welder and I
know that and I know it is because I don't practice enough.
I can weld well enough with a oxy-acetylene torch but not great, so I
got a MIG a few years ago and that has been wonderful, if it is thick
metal, I can weld it no problems, thinner stuff like exhaust systems, I am
finding myself burning holes in the pipe while trying to tack it up and
then filling the holes with oxy-acet. torch. I can't seem to weld thinner
stuff (I know, I know, practice). I either have not enough amps or too
many for the first few welds, then I am ok. One other non-welding detail
is that I have Racedeck plastic floor tiles and I am burning holes in them
with weld splatter because well, I don't know how to weld.
I recently had to build a header for a motor and I told the guy I would
tack it up and he could get it welded elsewhere, he took it to a guy who
has a TIG and all I can say is WOW ! there was no splatter on the headers
(or on the floor) and it looked easy. Very oxy like welding which I am ok
at but instant like a MIG which is important to me as I don't always have a
way to hold things in place when tacking them up.
I went to a welding shop yesterday and looked at a TIG (yikes, $1,600)
and he let me do some coupon welding, it was great, I almost bought it but
when I told him I would get rid of my MIG to offset the cost he said if it
was him, he would keep the MIG along with the TIG. I am willing to spend
the money on the TIG because my reasoning is that I seem to be able to weld
better with it and I don't weld often enough to keep the practice up but
his comment about the MIG made me wonder if I am wasting my money. Is my
reasoning about a TIG being better for someone who does not weld often
enough to stay good at it, correct ? Looking for opinions, if you have a
welder, which one and do you want the other ? if you were looking for one,
why one over the other ? (assuming costs were the same which in this case
they are not).
I do have a fairly large restoration project coming up this spring which
will require lots of rusty panel replacement on a car, my MIG can do it but
maybe TIG is better. I do know TIG is slower (feet/per minute) but that
does not matter to me.
mike
~~~~~ I'd rather be sailing and ~~~ .oooO Oooo. ~~~~~~~~~~~
Mike Rambour ( ) ( )
Bug Writer er...Programmer \ ) ( /
mikey@b2systems.com \_) (_/
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