Mig Tig or Arc - Page 3

hutchensgd · #31 (**permalink**) 09-12-2005, 11:03 AM

I agree about the wire hangers as weld wire. Good welds require good input materials, like known chemistry of wire, and of course skill! I have never even seen TIG done with a "stick", I have always seen wire fed TIG units.

vintage prep · #32 (**permalink**) 09-12-2005, 01:05 PM

Ouch!

"Tig works well but is brittle. Use coat hangers for welding rod because they are made of very soft steel."

Well that technique was taught to me when I worked at AAR by Phil Remington, a world class fabricator. His explanation was that body steel was (25 years ago) actually a very soft cheap type of steel and its properties most closely resembled the steel in coat hangers, and that if you used a Heliarc to weld body panels with typical ER6 or ER7 rod, that the weld area would be more brittle (due to a higher carbon content) and therefore could crack when reshaping and planishing a repair panel. He also used coat hangers for torch welding exhaust systems (not the headers though) for all the same reasons.

All I know is this technique has worked for me.

Cheers, paul V

slyalfa · #33 (**permalink**) 09-26-2005, 02:10 PM

I know a lot of old timers that swear by coat hangers.
as for brittle it seems that if you run a torch over it after it is welded to take out the sharp temper at the weld it will be fine. The tig can heat such a small spot the it cools too quick due to all the cold metal around the hot spot. and that tempers it. So a torch after will heat a bigger spot that will let it cool slower and not temper so much.
They say get a gas set up first then move to tig. As the gas is needed anyways to untemper after the weld. and that the tig works like the gas in many ways.

alfa_164s · #34 (**permalink**) 09-26-2005, 02:31 PM

When i attend a Hot Rod show in Louisville there was a demonstration of a cobra welder gun with O2 and Acethylene. It was pretty impressive and wad welding with a very good penetration while not having too much to grind after. Also contrarly to mig and tig, the metal and the weld is bendable so you can still form the part even through the weld. It also cut very good up to 1 inch steel. Anyway if you want look at it , there is few on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1 or you can search on their website. It weld anything but titanium. It also come with a video od DVD for even beginers.

Any of you had expereince with this weld gun/ I really plan to get one even if i know nothing. At least i can practice without scrapping the car first.

harrygibus · #35 (**permalink**) 10-04-2005, 09:02 AM

Hey Bill 77,

Try Klingspor Abrasives on the web, they dropship stuff usually next day, and have very good products.

**mubezzi** · #36 (**permalink**) 11-25-2005, 04:08 PM

With all this talk about which method to use in attaching new skin on your Alfa, how do you take it off? For example, how would you take out the spare wheel well? What about the rear wheel well/fender?

universible · #37 (**permalink**) 11-25-2005, 04:40 PM

I haven't looked at how the spare well is in there...is it a tack welded piece? If so, I'd probably just carefully air chisel the point where its tacked...or maybe use a plasma torch. I'm very new at all this, but I found I could get quite a bit done, pretty precisely, with an air chisel...heck, I even used one to cut an inch deep HUGE section of my concrete hearth extension (fireplace) in my house...I need a compressor and air tools at some point, they're too much fun!

Ted

PSk · #38 (**permalink**) 11-27-2005, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mubezzi

With all this talk about which method to use in attaching new skin on your Alfa, how do you take it off? For example, how would you take out the spare wheel well? What about the rear wheel well/fender?

**mubezzi** · #39 (**permalink**) 11-27-2005, 03:08 PM

Thank you Pete.

pepiot · #40 (**permalink**) 04-28-2006, 09:01 AM

i would say to resume , a mig and a very good helmet "automatic "that's expensive but make an enormous difference ,because you can realy see what
you are doing ,it is much more difficult to work with a basic or bad one !
mig soldering is easy if you really see what you do , infernal if you don't !

kcabpilot · #41 (**permalink**) 07-18-2006, 01:51 PM

MIG is the easiest and probably best solution for this application but if you aren't in a hurry and are willing to learn an oxy/acetelyne setup is cheap and versatile. You can weld, braze, cut, temper and just about anything else you can think of but it takes more skill. If you take a class at a local college you'll probably be the only one signing up for gas welding but the instructor will tell you that once you learn how to gas weld the MIG and even TIG will come fairly easy. TIG is actually very similar to gas welding in technique but the equipment is hella expensive and it's tedious if you really want pretty welds. But in auto body work you don't want to see any welds so you're going to be grinding them down anyway so unless you're going to be welding tube frames or roll cages you'd be fine with a MIG and once you are experienced with it a MIG would be fine for even that as well.

Sneds 67 GT · #42 (**permalink**) 08-16-2006, 01:55 PM

Alfarestore,
Hope I don't offend anyone or mean to highjack the thread, but I was wondering if you would disclose the wheel and tire size on your GT. Thats the perfect look I'm after for my 67 and it's much cheaper to ask than the trial and error method. Manufacturer of your springs? Sorry to go off topic, this is the first time I've spotted your autos. Fantastic!
Just for safe measures, I weld on my IMCA street stock with an old Lincoln arc welder and its a b***h! Wanna MIG in a BAD way!!!

alfavirusnz · #43 (**permalink**) 11-19-2006, 03:09 PM

I`ve got both Mig and gas (Henrob-known in USA now as the Cobra) and really it depends what you want to do. Gas is so versatile with a multitude of uses not just fabrication such as the heating of seized components, tempering, cutting etc etc. Weld wise the Henrob/Cobra is so good and gives so much control it is my first choice for most things plus the welds are maleable, but the Mig (I use a Ryobi-really an Italian Deca) with Argoshield (CO2/Argon mix) is convenient. It is just that personally I have found the gas easier to use and am happier with the end result but this torch is much easier than conventional oxy /acetaline gas welding. I note Akitaman has one of these Henrob/Cobra torches-what better recommendation.

Richard J.

UngaWunga · #44 (**permalink**) 11-22-2006, 09:18 AM

I have a Millermatic 135. Its the metal version of the hot glue gun. Really.
Very easy to use after a little practice.

**alfa2go** · #45 (**permalink**) 12-12-2006, 12:08 AM

Being the cheapskate that I am, I thought I'd ask if anyone had any thoughts as to what applications my Dad's new welder could be of benefit to me in regards to alfa welding.

Is an Eseti 150 inverter TIG/Stick machine. It is a lift arc TIG and stick. It came with a TIG kit - ie hand controller for gas control with tungsten holder and regulator. It has a hot start function which my dad says is very handy for a crappy welder. It is very portable, (has a shoulder strap) which is useful for my Dad as he is building a 44ft steel yacht at the moment.
If anyone has any experience with these inverter welders it would be nice to hear your experience. Other than that I might just get some scrap metal and have a go.