Agent_zed
Established Member
My uncle used to keep them in the airing cupboard so they didn't get damp sitting in a cold garage.
MIG versus TIG
- Thread starter Kev
- Start date
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You will never weld with damp rods, if you think they are a little damp then stick them in the oven to warm up and dry out.
clogs
just can't decide
dont be suprised if some rods get damp....damp not wet...they will never work even with a lot of extra amps.....
Agent_Z has the correct idea.....
my wife soon got used to it........lol...
plus only buy a known brand of rod....some of the cheap Chinese stuff can be very bad......
Join the MIG welding forum....mig-welding.co.uk.....
loads'a great people and a couple of very good suppliers...most will post rods.....
or find an engineers / welding suppliers near u......often good deals on demo machines when u want totrade up.....
Agent_Z has the correct idea.....
my wife soon got used to it........lol...
plus only buy a known brand of rod....some of the cheap Chinese stuff can be very bad......
Join the MIG welding forum....mig-welding.co.uk.....
loads'a great people and a couple of very good suppliers...most will post rods.....
or find an engineers / welding suppliers near u......often good deals on demo machines when u want totrade up.....
Seascaper
Established Member
Hello,
If you are new to it I would suggest you forget about Mig and Tig, and get yourself a modern MMA stick welder. The new machines available from a company like Jasik are so easy to use compared with old stick welders. They are east to strike and start up and control, one can get a very good weld, very simple to use even on stainless steel. I have had Mig and Oxford type arc welder but the new machines take some beating and so portable. Take a look at the Jasik MMA 180 SE, you can add a TIG torch to it later.
I had a Lincoln Mig, and 2 Oxford oil cooled welders, this little machine does everything much better, and no gas.
Regards
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Or the ghetto trick of sticking the rod, letting it heat up and drive off any moisture then unstick it and off you go- not that anyone sensible would advocate doing that….
My welding course got shuttered by covid so I bought a stick to carry on practicing with, don’t do regularly enough to get good, but having the early lessons at least helped with knowing what to aim for.
I wouldn’t rule out stick as a cheaper way to get going and learning the theory of what to aim for- most people say to do stick first to learn and then it’s easy to jump to mig once you’ve worked out the investment in kit is worthwhile
Ollie78
Established Member
Interesting thread, welding is one of those things I keep meaning to learn. But there is a welder opposite my workshop so have yet to need do it.
Just wondering if laser welding has become hobby friendly yet ?. I know it can be super neat in industrial applications and has no requirement for gas.
Ollie
Just wondering if laser welding has become hobby friendly yet ?. I know it can be super neat in industrial applications and has no requirement for gas.
Ollie
Lons
Established Member
Thanks Roy
I know the principles of how it works but in cases like mine the amount of welding is always very small like earlier this week when I welded a nut on to a blade to make up a chisel plane, it is hidden so doesn't need to be pretty as long as it doesn't come off and other little jobs like the odd repair to garden tools etc. The gasless MIG my mate has seemed easier to use than my stick welder, or probably it's just that he makes it look easier.
I cant justify the cost of a good quality gas MIG for the amount it would be used so I'll hang on for the minute. Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.
I know the principles of how it works but in cases like mine the amount of welding is always very small like earlier this week when I welded a nut on to a blade to make up a chisel plane, it is hidden so doesn't need to be pretty as long as it doesn't come off and other little jobs like the odd repair to garden tools etc. The gasless MIG my mate has seemed easier to use than my stick welder, or probably it's just that he makes it look easier.
I cant justify the cost of a good quality gas MIG for the amount it would be used so I'll hang on for the minute. Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.
Lons
Established Member
I do that but it isn't intentional.
Amazingly useful things, wouldn't be without one. Like my main workbench has been three other benches. Got chopped & glued back together in different ways as needed. Same thing with a trolley a drill & bandsaw live on. Or making castor platforms for a heavy tool to live on. Stands, jigs, etc. You find uses you never imagined and can do things you never thought you'd want to, even if it's not used week in week out. I made things like security door bars for my other half's workshop, a holder/dispenser for giant rolls of fabric (like a massive fancy bog roll holder basically ). All sorts of bits n bobs.
If you want to MIG thin sheet steel, looking at the lower number in the amp range of a machine is worth doing. A machine that goes down to 20A gives you more chance than one that goes to 30, or 40. I used to make metal flowers from 0.5mm steel, welded those no problem. Car bodywork likewise.
I use my MIG for stainless as well, weld s/s to mild, all with the same gas - you're not 'supposed' to and mixing the metals outdoors will lead to rust. But indoor use is no problem mixing the metals, and the welds go nicely.
). All sorts of bits n bobs.If you want to MIG thin sheet steel, looking at the lower number in the amp range of a machine is worth doing. A machine that goes down to 20A gives you more chance than one that goes to 30, or 40. I used to make metal flowers from 0.5mm steel, welded those no problem. Car bodywork likewise.
I use my MIG for stainless as well, weld s/s to mild, all with the same gas - you're not 'supposed' to and mixing the metals outdoors will lead to rust. But indoor use is no problem mixing the metals, and the welds go nicely.
The trick is to keep them dry. Used to keep mine in the airing cupboard in the days when we had such a thing, next to the immersion tank! Now live in a corner of my study. The flux coating will absorb moisture from the air and deteriorate very quickly.
I would not say that I, personally, found mig easier.
I, sadly, had a lot of experience with electronics construction, and, with a soldering iron, the heat source and the filler are independent. I was very used to this concept.
Tig is the same. Mig, on the other hand, is all connected. Your wire feed, amps, movement across the material must all be correctly related. For me this was harder.
Id probably still tig everything if it was quicker, and evreything was clean. I mean I've even tigged bits of landrover before....
Tig isn't that expensive. My first DC tig was something like £100 second hand. My current parweld ac was £450 used. I think my mig was around that price (used) also.
Gas price is neither here nor there really. If you're only doing a bit of welding, a 20l tank will last forever. If you're doing enough that it runs out quick, you're probably earning enough from welding that the cost of the gas doesn't matter anyway.
I guess the advice I could give is that if you're wanting to do welds on things that will be looked at closely - maybe things like hifi enclosures (?) then tig is the way to go. If you're wanting to repair rusty landrover chasiss then mig.
Speed is a real issue. The previous owner of my ac tig was doing alluminium work commercially. But boat hulls. He just found tig too slow, so changed to a spool gun on a mig. But that is even more specialist.
I, sadly, had a lot of experience with electronics construction, and, with a soldering iron, the heat source and the filler are independent. I was very used to this concept.
Tig is the same. Mig, on the other hand, is all connected. Your wire feed, amps, movement across the material must all be correctly related. For me this was harder.
Id probably still tig everything if it was quicker, and evreything was clean. I mean I've even tigged bits of landrover before....
Tig isn't that expensive. My first DC tig was something like £100 second hand. My current parweld ac was £450 used. I think my mig was around that price (used) also.
Gas price is neither here nor there really. If you're only doing a bit of welding, a 20l tank will last forever. If you're doing enough that it runs out quick, you're probably earning enough from welding that the cost of the gas doesn't matter anyway.
I guess the advice I could give is that if you're wanting to do welds on things that will be looked at closely - maybe things like hifi enclosures (?) then tig is the way to go. If you're wanting to repair rusty landrover chasiss then mig.
Speed is a real issue. The previous owner of my ac tig was doing alluminium work commercially. But boat hulls. He just found tig too slow, so changed to a spool gun on a mig. But that is even more specialist.
