new to mig welding, good welder tips advice please

[Turbostevo]

I have tried both and personally prefer tig, metal should be cleaned back to a point where it is weldable (if that is a suitable term?) anyway! I agree tig is better suited to exhausts.

[mikesmith181]

mig seems to be more suitabe to me as with tig you have to feed the wire yourself right? at the minute the only thing i need it for is to fabricate a boost pipe so mig would be easier i'm guessing?

[Turbostevo]

Tig would be best suited for that sort of job mate, it's not something you want to be doing as a learner anyway! It will be very easy to blow a hole, excess penetration, loose spatter inside the pipe if you can't grind it down internally, list goes on buddy. That's my opinion and I'm a welding inspector/scrutineer for a big NDT company so I know what I'm talking about. Also what material are you fabricating the boost pipe from?

[mikesmith181]

I'll be getting a kit off ebay and cutting and welding the bends so i imagine it will be steel. surely with alot of practice before hand on a similar thickness steel will give me an idea?

[Turbostevo]

You can get 2m of pipe for about 20 quid at a motor factors, that would be the best to practice on. Lowest power with a fairly low wire speed. You'll get the hang of it mate

[mikesmith181]

yeah i got some of that too, so would mig be the besst one for me? i will probably use it for other stuff too, its just i can only think of the boost pipe at the minute lol

[Turbostevo]

I personally think a TIG set up would be better, it's totally down to you mate. If you know anybody with either set up go and have a play and see what your comfy with.

[Gary_808]

See now I'm different, mig welding a thin walled boost pipe I'd have the setting quite high and trigger weld all the way round. (A series of spot welds laid about half way over each other for the ones that don't know) trying to do a bead isn't really going to happen and you'll end up having the power/feed (being a beginner)so low to prevent burning through that'll it'll be weak. Just my opinion.

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[Giles]

Pentration is something you want to make sure of too. Especially if you weld something 'important'.

Welds can look nice, but just be superficial.

Practise, practise, practise.


The mig welding forum is a very good place with some very good guides on setting welders up etc.
But then you need to practise what you've read.

[mikesmith181]

I personally think a TIG set up would be better, it's totally down to you mate. If you know anybody with either set up go and have a play and see what your comfy with.

Unfortunately i dont know any with either, so i guess i'll just have to mull it over and see which i think would be easier for me, i imagine like you say tig would be better as there's no flying splatter so wont land on anything delicate, paint or glass or such, but i have absolutely no experience with this, on the other hand mig i have a hand free to hold stuff together to get a spot on it first, and i have tried that before, with not much luck granted, but i didn't have a clue about the settings and how to position the torch so i might have a better result now i have a slight understanding to all the settings. a mig 150 turbo is about right if i decide on mig welding, whats a good model tig welder to look for?

Pentration is something you want to make sure of too. Especially if you weld something 'important'.

Welds can look nice, but just be superficial.

Practise, practise, practise.


The mig welding forum is a very good place with some very good guides on setting welders up etc.
But then you need to practise what you've read.

I think one of the first posts was the mig welding forum and i did find it very helpful with the pictures and video clips, just need to decide which will suit me more.

[mikesmith181]

just been looking at tig welders and i've seen this one Clarke AT150 150amp ARC TIG Inverter Welder - Machine Mart is this a full kit or will i need to buy other stuff too and is it a suitable machine?

[thedondy]

for tig welding with that machine you wil also need a set of tig leads like this... Tig Welding Torch - The Welders Warehouse- Welding Supplies
argon gas, regulator, tig welding wire ect.

[mikesmith181]

i thought that would be the case, i've just found this one on ebay eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace will this one be more suitable?

[mikesmith181]

anyone any advice on the above tig welder?

[Melv]

**** sake you pair. Give it a rest or just bum each other and be done with it.

[Turbostevo]

I'm the giver : )

[thedondy]

seems very cheap but its all there

[mikesmith181]

thanks buddy, think thats what i'll be getting on payday and doing a bit of practise lol