26 replies to this topic

[Mad Modder]

as i cant find the information i will adear to a retreat but Mig or tig is the preferable ways of welding for automotive repair

[Shifty]

Again, I will disagree!!

Mig is the most common method because it is fairly easy to learn and the equipment costs are cheap.

Tig is not common or prefered, to be a strong joint TIG needs to be spotlessly clean or the joint strength will be seriously weakened.

It is better suited to bench work and NOT rusty panels, also the tig welding under a car would be fairly tricky

Whilst a MIG joint also needs to be clean it is a lot more tolerant.

I'm not being rude but what experience do you have of any of these welding methods?

This is a technical question and really should only be answered by people who have had experience of different welding methods.

Sorry to sound harsh.

[panelbeaterpeter]

I don';t really see the point in using anything other than MIG for welding body panels, but I don't see why you couldn't use an arc welder for the same job, you can buy low amperage arc welders like THIS for that exact purpose.

[Shifty]

Thats cheating!!

Now do it with an old oil filled unit and some 3mm rods!!

[panelbeaterpeter]

Thats cheating!!

Now do it with an old oil filled unit and some 3mm rods!!

I'll leave it, you seem like the expert

[Mad Modder]

Again, I will disagree!!

Mig is the most common method because it is fairly easy to learn and the equipment costs are cheap.

Tig is not common or prefered, to be a strong joint TIG needs to be spotlessly clean or the joint strength will be seriously weakened.

It is better suited to bench work and NOT rusty panels, also the tig welding under a car would be fairly tricky

Whilst a MIG joint also needs to be clean it is a lot more tolerant.

I'm not being rude but what experience do you have of any of these welding methods?

This is a technical question and really should only be answered by people who have had experience of different welding methods.

Sorry to sound harsh.

No offence taken well been working in the motortrader for 8 odd years, done a verying number of roles, bulit and assisted in 3 full car rebuilds and conversions, done mods to few of my cars that require welding and fabrication, best example is i converted a ford 1.3 popular ina full rs yes i did help weld in a new 4x4 floor pan so i have ample experiance when it come to body repairs as i already put a post ago mig or tig is the preferred method i agree on your comments about tig and the same can be sed for conven arc welding. Conven arc can sometimes leed to welds not flowing properly and then giving you a dry joint or rubbish getting into the weld and weakaning it, conven arc is not eay to learn requires far more skill than mig to get a good strong result and so many people and everybodyshop around the world went to mig as its a fare eaier option hope this is ok, dont want to make things personal

[Strontium Dog]

I have been welding things together for about 25 years now and I would never try to weld a car body with a stick welder.Utter rubbish and lunacy!

I'm not saying it can't be done but then some people row across the Atlantic while the rest of us fly. I have mig, tig, gas, and mma welders and cutting gear. It's like cracking a nut with a car crusher!

And for peoples info a stick (arc( welder gives a superbly strong weld when done properly. It's used to weld gas pipes etc and big boats and the like!

Just not thin body panels! Go beg, borrow or steal a mig Matey. I haven't looked to se where you live but if you are in Devon you are welcome to pop around!

Cheers, Si

[Mad Modder]

Si i'm on the understanding that conv arc is many used for iron , mig for s/steel with correct tip. wire and gas , M/steel and ali also with correct gas and wire and tig is a total all rounder am i correct at thinking that athough tig can also be another hard to master process. cheers matt

[Strontium Dog]

Si i'm on the understanding that conv arc is many used for iron , mig for s/steel with correct tip. wire and gas , M/steel and ali also with correct gas and wire and tig is a total all rounder am i correct at thinking that athough tig can also be another hard to master process. cheers matt

Hi Matt, yes more or less! Arc welding is more versatile than you may think. A variety of different rods are available to weld steel, iron, cast iron etc. It is a very strong weld suited to thicker sections in particular. You can even weld steel to cast iron or steel to stainless with arc with varying degrees of success. Personaly I find arc[stick welding the nastiest process and the hardest to master!

Mig welds steel. If you have the right type of mig, wire and gas you can weld aluminium and stainless.

Gas is O.K. for steel and iron etc and you can braze with it. (Like soldering with brass instead of solder for those who don't know) I use Oxy- Propane for cutting and as a "blue spanner" but you cant weld with propane . I don't keep acetylene for welding as I have mig tig and mma (modern arc welder)

Tig is my personal favourite. If you can gas weld then you can tig weld. It will weld most anything that can be welded as long as you have a high frequency AC tig and not just a cheap DC one. DC will not weld aluminium. You require the correct electrode for the material you are welding! It is much slower than mig but you don't have the same clean-up afterwards as it is so very much neater. It's not hard to do but does require a steady hand and as someone else mentioned is best as a bench welder and is not much good in the field as it were. The gas field is quite critical and any breeze will play havoc.

MIG = Metal Inert Gas
TIG = Tungsten Inert Gas

With both of the above the clue is in the Inert Gas bit. It is the gas field that prevents oxidation and provides a clean weld. With AC tig there is a cleaning action due to the flow of electrons reversing and dissipating the oxides inherent in the material being welded. You can even run a pass over the area to be welded without laying down a weld to clean the metals.

Thiese explanations are a bit simplistic (it is Sunday morning after all. Lol) but should give you the jist of it!

Edited by Stronteum Dog, 20 July 2008 - 09:45 AM.

[Shifty]

Thats a good sum up si

Nice to to see a reply from someone who's experienced in the welding arts!!

(i actually like arc welding!!)


Shifty

[In-a-mini]

Once you have the feel for tig welding it is such a beautiful process and the finished piece is like a work of art. i have welded alu with both mig and tig and mig does not compare. i have used and still do arc welders but mainly for building trailers and structures that use thick materials i could do the same job with the mig by doing a three pass weld but the arc does it so much quicker. the down side is you have the flux with the arc that covers the weld most times it peals off as the weld cools but some times you have to tap and wire brush it off. migs are so cheap and so easy to use for car body work i wouldnt even try to use the arc as i said in my first post buy a second hand mig for the price of a few panels you wont regret it.
I restore cars for a living and dont know of anyone that uses arc on vehicles i know a few good old boys that still like to gas weld every now and then.

also the process that i know of that is not allowed is brazing and that's on structural areas you can still braze external/body items because it does not actually fuse the metals together it solders them which allows them to flex slightly and can tare the joint if stressed.

Edited by In-a-mini, 20 July 2008 - 12:23 PM.

[day101]

Just like to say thanks for all the replys and i now have invested in a mig welder and things are picking up now...