16 replies to this topic

[skiz]

Is a arc welder suitable for welding on new sills and floor pans? I was thinking of getting something like a sip weldmate 140. Or should i get a mig welder instead?

[Ethel]

Go for mig. difficult enough to arc weld thin sheet even when not working upside down.

[skiz]

Go for mig. difficult enough to arc weld thin sheet even when not working upside down.

ok thanks, would i need a gas mig or would a gasless do the job?

[mk3 Cooper S]

Gasless should be fine.
That's all I use these days.

[frankiebateman]

But gas mig's have been proven to weld better

[mk3 Cooper S]

I've had both.
If you get the metal clean and clamped together well it doesn't make any difference to my welding.

The gas gas is only the inert shield which is coated on the wire on the gasless.

Show us some of your welding with the gas mig then.

[blue redtop]

i dont know why dut i get a better finish with a gass welder,
i wouldnt buy a gass less, just my thoughts.

[Shifty]

I've had both.
If you get the metal clean and clamped together well it doesn't make any difference to my welding.

The gas gas is only the inert shield which is coated on the wire on the gasless.

Show us some of your welding with the gas mig then.

Thats probably very true!!!!

[skiz]

Thanks for the responses. Would something like a clarke 85en or 100e do the job?

[Brams96]

I see everyone saying MIG welding is better but what about TIG? If you've ever watched anything like 'American Chopper' on TV they use TIG all the time.

Has anyone got used TIG before and what are the dis/advantages of it??

[mxneil]

I see everyone saying MIG welding is better but what about TIG? If you've ever watched anything like 'American Chopper' on TV they use TIG all the time.

Has anyone got used TIG before and what are the dis/advantages of it??

I use a tig welder at work for stainless pipes.
TIG is great but is similar to gas wleding, it produces a lot of heat (more than MIG) so panel warping is more of a problem, you have to weld slowly so would take longer than MIG also TIG welding requires the metal to be spotless or the weld will become contamiated, and it does take a while to learn to weld with TIG and they are very expensive to buy and require Argon. On the other side if you can weld with one they produce a very tidy weld.


And on the subject of MIG's it has to be a gas MIG with argon every time http://www.theminifo...ault/genius.gif

[robh]

Thanks for the responses. Would something like a clarke 85en or 100e do the job?

2d worth

Gas less Mig is forgiving, with gas you need to keep the torch close to the job, with gas less you get a lot more mess and it takes a little longer to clean up.

I have used both, on a cheap MIG I think there will be little difference in the results.

On a professional MIG with gas you can tune everything to perfection and produce small neat welds, I don't think your going to spend thousands on your MIG.

Clean everything, rust doesn't weld. Keep the joint gaps tight, tack and check the job is still where it was when you started.

BUT enjoy it, there is nothing more satisfying than fitting a panel, welding it up neatly and looking at a good job at the end.

Rob

[Scotauto]

Haynes has a welding manual which is quite interesting although not really an in depth guide to welding. It does however explain the different types of welding in reasonable detail. Use a mig for all the standard work but if you want to make fancy stainless bits a Tig with Argon is great, however more control and is required. Usually you can only hold the gun with one hand and feed wire with the other. For this to be neat and with good welding penetration you need to be comfortable, this isn't so easy while bending in around a mini body. As already said Tig creates more heat which makes it unsuitable for long panels like door bottoms because the heat will just mess up the form of the door. It takes a lot longer to weld with a Tig. If you practice with a mig you can get pretty good results although the weld pool will be slightly larger. A big advantage of mig is that you can hold the gun with two hands while steadying yourself on a part of the car. This makes you much more stabil. I would highly recommend that you buy the best mig you can afford, perhaps second hand, as there is a different in the quality of weld you can get. The good machines are much smoother at feeding the wire and the power cycle is much higher, meaning the power is much more constant. Good luck with it all.

[skiz]

I've just purchased a clarke 100 e. Should do the job, just need to have a pratice now

[R1mini]

I do find the gasless less neat in appearance compared to using a shielding gas like Cougar5, but once painted, stonechiped or whatever, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. On my machine at least there is noticably more spatter which can make it very unpleasant especially overhead welding

Cheers
David