A few questions for the Tig Pros out there:

Just wondering how much of a jump is there in terms of skill required & time to learn to go from being reasonably competent on the Mig to the same level on Tig?
Also would you say 180A is enough for chassis work or is it worth paying the extra for a 200A or 220A machine?
Is the Pulse facility worth paying extra for ?
cheers

The thing is... once you start tigging stuff, you will want more, and more...

So IMHO spend a fair wedge, get a 200A+ AC/DC unit so you can do steel and alloy..

R-Tech in gloucester have a very good reputation for cheap/ish units..

I learned tig in a few weeks... if you can find someone to give you some pointers, then good stuff!

It just takes time to master the fine art of feeding just enough filler in.... or getting the torch angle right etc..

Prepration is everything mind you.. with MIG, you can weld crappy bits of metal together... TIG needs to be CLEAN!


Edit to say..

Unless you are using thin walled tubes or a weird alloy... MIG is far quicker and easier for a chassis than TIG...

I would use the TIG for doing brackets etc to prevent distortion...but MIG for the major stuff..... otherwise you will be there all decade!

[Edited on 16/2/10 by tegwin]

quote:

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Originally posted by tegwin
Prepration is everything mind you.. with MIG, you can weld crappy bits of metal together... TIG needs to be CLEAN!

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tiging steel is fairly easy to pick up,i struggle like hell with alu tho!i've never had my amps over 180 either so guess that should be fine.if you're using that kind of current you'll need a water cooled torch anyway i'd of thought.
Ps i've only ever used pulse on alu experimenting,seems to slow down the speed i blow holes in my job!experts will tell you what its for,but i know lads who'll never use it....

[Edited on 16/2/10 by StrikerChris]

I gave up on mig ages ago and now only use tig. i bought a chinese imported tig off ebay for £300 and have had no problems at all. although setting it up initially was a bit of a challenge as the instructions werent well translated

i prefer tig to mig as you can vary the speed you lay in your filler at different points of the weld depending on gap and metal thickness and it isnt too hard to get the hang of it.

my mig runs up to 200a but as i cut off the europlug to stick a normal plug on it i don't take it above 180. it has ac and dc and is really good for ally welds (with practice) and there are loads of tutorials on youtube.

the shielding gas (pure argon) isn't cheap and you should find an independent supplier in your area, not BOC as they are twice the price.and as you will be a learner, you will need a good supply of tungstens (ceriated for steel and zirconate for ally) as well as filler rods

if you do get round to getting one, post your pics of practice welds and i will tell you where you could improve if at all

quote:

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Originally posted by skinned knuckles
i bought a chinese imported tig off ebay for £300 and have had no problems at all.

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tig is more like gas welding and really not difficult especially if you rest your hand on something to steady it
big ac/dc welder with water cooled torch and foot pedal is fantastic but for diy youll be using torch control no water cooling etc you can get really small inverter tig sets no a/c so no ali dont forget youll need a bottle of argon/argosheild so add the price of rental to your budget.
oh another thing tig gives off very intense uv so you must cover ALL your skin or youll get burnt think of instant sunburn
hope this helps
Ray

Yep TIG technique is very like gas welding