Do you have to use a tig welder on IC pipes? If i got a mig welder could i do it decently? Me and my friend wanna learn how to weld, and I could really do alot more on my supra if i knew how, so im planning on getting a small, decent MIG welder soon and start practicing. Any input from more experienced people here on mig welding IC piping, aswell as welding tips and what kind of equipment to buy aswell if the person is just starting out.
Welding ?
- Thread starter Suprafast0422
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Depends on what thickness and type of material you intend to use.
I try and shoot for about 75% penetration when I weld IC pipes to keep the inside as smooth as possible, the Mig can be a little hard to get this sort of control but you can do it with some practice.
I try and shoot for about 75% penetration when I weld IC pipes to keep the inside as smooth as possible, the Mig can be a little hard to get this sort of control but you can do it with some practice.
mig welding IC piping is an exercise in frustration. Like IJ said, most migs lack the control to do something as thin as IC piping. If you are planning to learn on IC pipe, you'd better buy a hell of a lot of pipe to practice on.
By the way, when making a weld, only weld 1/4 to 1/3 at a time to prevent burn-through as welding for too long will heat up the pipe making it easier to punch through.
By the way, when making a weld, only weld 1/4 to 1/3 at a time to prevent burn-through as welding for too long will heat up the pipe making it easier to punch through.
Also if your planning on useing aluminum for your intercooler piping mig is out of the the question....if your serious about welding forget mig go striaght to tig as you can weld a varity of materials and weld them good. Just takes research and practice.
MIG is a great stepping stone, and with practice, will get the job done on steel IC pipes.
I'd recommend taking some welding classes, and re-evaluating before you make any sudden purchases. I bought a MIG, thought it would be all I needed. I ended up buying a TIG less than a year later.
I'd recommend taking some welding classes, and re-evaluating before you make any sudden purchases. I bought a MIG, thought it would be all I needed. I ended up buying a TIG less than a year later.
figgie;1274602 said:
Me thinks you're confusing the AC thing (at least as it applies to aluminum) with GTAW.
Fwiw aluminum can be welded on a DC GTAW machine by using electrode positive as long as care is taken to remove the oxides and size the electrode properly. It won't be as pretty though...
^ Me too. I've welded aluminum with nothing more than a tig torch, shielding gas, and a car battery. It wasn't pretty either. Works pretty well on steel though 
what kind of welder is a wire feed? cause i did some steel exhaust work with one and it came out real nice but ive had alot of practice, it didnt weld aluminium though
wirefeed welder is a mig/gmaw. i got a pretty good size clarke mig for bodywork on the truck and exhaust components. its a 180amp 220v gas setup.
i'd seriously consider buying a tig over a mig, and if i had the chance to do it over again there'd be a tig setup in my basement.
and a side note, takes a helluva lot of practice and trial/error to get different welding techniques down, don't expect to be laying picture perfect beads starting
i'd seriously consider buying a tig over a mig, and if i had the chance to do it over again there'd be a tig setup in my basement.
and a side note, takes a helluva lot of practice and trial/error to get different welding techniques down, don't expect to be laying picture perfect beads starting
Tig is worth learning, its not as hard as you think, its actually quite simple. Lincoln makes a good cheap mig though ($699 Canadian).
jetjock;1274645 said:
i weld antenna's at work with this setup, it seems to work ok, it hard running good beads tho (im just spot welding the antennas), i do agree, tig is the machine for the job, i really want one at home :naughty:
jetjock;1274645 said:
you are right, for some reason I thought I read about some MiG welders having "AC" function. But I have seen the rev polarity feature but Miller and lincoln say it is possible. The bad part is not on thin stuff as you will go right through it
MY BAD!!
As for TiG,
Miller just came out with a small "TiG" welder
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/tig/diversion_165/
can be found for cheaper or if you are feeling adventorous, can try one of the chinese TiG machines.
yeah my mig is actually a little craftsman i bought to weld new body panels on my hotrod but it worked great for lots of other stuff i can get a pretty good bead on steel, ive done exhausts custom bicycles, go-karts(started welding at 14), i cant see steel IC pipes being too different than exhaust
Bottom line is this: GMAW for relatively low cost, ease of use, and laying it down quickly. GTAW for precision and the ability to do dissimilar metals. Mig will work fine on steel as long as it's not very thin and although it hasn't been mentioned aluminum can be welded with it. It's done all the time using a spool gun. Spool guns aren't cheap though. Look at your welding needs and buy what suits them. In my case that meant a GTAW inverter but the downside to them is cost. For tig the transformer based AC/DC machine figgie pointed out is a good value for the money. It doesn't have the bells and whistles of an inverter but most people don't need them.