Hi Guys,

I am in need of some advice.

My mkII needs some rust repair done in the usual places - Heater bubble etc...

I need to get a welder and was speaking to my brother-in-law who suggested a TIG welder as they apparently are easier to use on thinner metal and give a better finish.

Most guys on the forum are using MIG's.

Any help is appreciated.

Cheers

Matt

tig is neater

mig is good for beginners

yeah i have a TIG and must admit that its is a finer art to be able to produce a good weld so for beginner would say MIG, but if willing to practice a lot then TIG can be finer and less intrusive...

I have the Cigweld 170HF inverter model...works well and can weld Stainless Steel, which is excellent for it as all the welding i have been doing of late is S/S!!

Bryan

quote:

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Originally posted by esky79

tig is neater

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Without a doubt a TIG weld is prettier, but the joint needs to be spotless for a good weld.

I use and prefer a mig, you can use it to fill small gaps when the edges don't but up perfectly.

MIG for a person who is new to panel repairs etc. I'm no expert welder but I'm getting great results with my BOC 150A MIG. Just make sure you don't get a gasless model as the welds are not as clean etc.

get both! You'll use em both, there handy and have a unique capability of their own.
Mig easy one hand operation, tig needs two hands and can do lots with ease, ie alloy, ss, steel, titanium, etc
Both of my welders owe me less than $1000 bucks total.

What brand/model TIG did you end up getting and ow much did it cost Tex ? I'm kinda thinking the same way about adding a Tig to the toolbox

Its an old hobart, weighs a tonne, but does AC, DC- & DC+. I picked it up at auction. You can even get parts to fit from the states still. Bargain at $600. Inverters are getting cheaper, so might be worth the extra $.

I just started doing a panelbeating course and the instructor said never use a mig to weld your panels up. Main reason being, that the panel distorts due to heat ( this is unavoidable no matter what you do) and it's very hard to get the panel true again as the mig is such a strong weld. We are welding the panels up with oxy/acetelyne and once you've got it down, the welds are neat and you can still panel beat and shape the panel very easily. If done right, you can metal finsih the repair and you would never be able to tell. Plus you won't have to use any body filler, but if you do it will be the smallest amount.

I've welded panel reapirs with the mig before, but after doing it with the oxy, I will never use the mig again on panel repair.

Just my 5 cents worth.

Chippa