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Trucker
12-23-2002 19:16:26
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Re: Advice on welder in reply to BillWV, 12-22-2002 09:59:09
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Myself I like welding thin stuff with a mig.Stick and torch will both do it,and you can get real small 6011 rod,but if you weld occasionally with a torch you probobly dont have the practice to weld thin stuff very good.With a mig,once you get onto welding with it,you can weld a lot faster and with less warp.Thats just me,I never welded much with a torch,and a lot with a mig.I prefer a 7018 rod to weld with a stick,but 6011 works if you do it right,and a torch can weld aluminum,where its likely going to be thicker metal you are trying to weld if its aluminum,which means it would be easier to weld thick aluminum(and not buy the mig liner,argon gas)with the torch,and thin steel with the mig.A lot depends on what it looks like to you when you get done.I know from my own experience that I can make a good weld with a mig,but if I used a torch on thin stuff,it might be stuck together good,but it would be a warped looking mess.I can use 7018 rod on a Lincoln buzz box,and make a good weld,but I can weld it a lot faster with a mig,up to about 1/4 inch thick.Once you get past that thickness you need to do a lot of other stuff like v it out,or use a root weld and grind out the slag,depending on how strong you want it.If you get a good mig,and like to run it,you might not use the buzz box much,mostly because its faster,and it works better on the high carbon steel that most machinery is made out of nowdays.Also you dont have to worry about rods going bad,or which ones to use.The drawback is it costs more at first,tanks and wire arent cheap,but they last a long time.Mostly its up to you,and what you want to do with it.Having not had a 400 dollar mig,I dont know what they will do,but for 7 or 8 hundred if you shop around you can find a mig that can do about everything.Myself I think you need one that runs on 220 volts or you are wasting your money.Thats up to you too,as you might not want it unless its real portable.The main thing is to get a mig you can turn down low,and use .023 wire for thin metal,and can turn up high and use .035 wire for thick metal.While a lot of migs are good for one or the other,I havent seen a lot that worked good on both.Copper coils make for a smoother weld too.I have a HTP mig I like real well.It didnt cost a fortune,and you can use it on thick or thin metal,and it has copper coils.Just my opinion.
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