Welding

[hopeful]

Today while walking home from school I started thinkin... im never gonna get a car till I get to uni and when im there and i have a car i will be too busy with uni to bother with a car. So I just want to do somethign to help me waste time... I want to know the basics of welding like how to weld... i've seen it done and even done it once but i didnt set up the stick in the holding thing and just didnt ask enough questions. I heard of the different types of welders or welding methods? TIG, MIG, Wig? What are they? and what i plan on doing is just makin a go kart... but if its legal (i doubt it) what i was thinkin before was taking a car engine and mounting it up the frame... something small like 1600cc's RWD... man that thing would fly. I live in ontario if anyone knows about the laws.

[ca18guy]

IMHO TIG welding is better, here is a site explaining the two.

TIG or MIG weld

To learn it, either take a class or rent/buy a TIG welder plus helmet/gloves, some sheets of metal and pipe and have a crack at it.

[hopeful]

thanks man that was useful... so physically they both the same thing like same way of welding but TIG welding just gives you better results? at the end it says its harder... how is that? and what kind would i need to build a frmae of say aluminum?

[ca18guy]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (hopeful @ Sep. 19 2002,10:38)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">thanks man that was useful... so physically they both the same thing like same way of welding but TIG welding just gives you better results? at the end it says its harder... how is that? and what kind would i need to build a frmae of say aluminum?</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
TIG can melt the actual metals together which is harder to do then MIG which lays down a sodder that you just melt alil and sets into place which if you ever worked on electronics is fairly easy. Atleast thats my take on it

[hopeful]

does anyone have info on arc welding? the prices for the TIG welders are like more than halfmy budget for this thing i want to make.

[hopeful]

so with tig i could get actaul metlas to fuse together but with mig it just lays down a coating of (what is it) and that holds it together.... i can see why tig's much better. but how much weight does the connection made by the stuff mig lays down take?

[ca18guy]

MIG/TIG is arc welding. &nbsp;Any hardware renting place ussually have them.

[hopeful]

so its Tig or Mig depending on the type of rod i have? sorry for the sillyass questions but weldings like a whole big thing i didnt know it was so complicated.

[Pancor]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ca18guy @ Sep. 18 2002,4:45)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (hopeful @ Sep. 19 2002,10:38)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">thanks man that was useful... so physically they both the same thing like same way of welding but TIG welding just gives you better results? at the end it says its harder... how is that? and what kind would i need to build a frmae of say aluminum?</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
TIG can melt the actual metals together which is harder to do then MIG which lays down a sodder that you just melt alil and sets into place which if you ever worked on electronics is fairly easy. Atleast thats my take on it</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
uhh.. MIG and TIG welding both fuse the metals together using the same methods. &nbsp;The only difference is how the filler metal is added, and usually the type of current. &nbsp;With a MIG welder, the electrode is a roll of thin wire that is constantly fed through the gun to the arc to provide filler metal. &nbsp;With TIG, the electrode is non-consumable, and filler metal is added by hand with a small rod. &nbsp;In both case,s inert gases flow through the gun and keep the weld area from oxidizing. &nbsp;

MIG welding is by far the easiest method of hand welding, fllowed by oxy-acetylene, stick welding, and tig welding. &nbsp;For welding medium gage steel, i'd use a MIG or a stick welder, and for aluminum, a TIG welder is your best bet. &nbsp; Using oxy-acxetylene for aluminum is an option, but it can be difficult on anything but a flat, horizontal surface. &nbsp;MIG welding also works, but the aluminum wire is expensive and I think you need a special gas.

[ca18guy]

<!--QuoteBegin--Pancor+Sep. 19 2002,11<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Pancor @ Sep. 19 2002,11<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'>9)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ca18guy @ Sep. 18 2002,4:45)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (hopeful @ Sep. 19 2002,10:38)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">thanks man that was useful... so physically they both the same thing like same way of welding but TIG welding just gives you better results? at the end it says its harder... how is that? and what kind would i need to build a frmae of say aluminum?</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
TIG can melt the actual metals together which is harder to do then MIG which lays down a sodder that you just melt alil and sets into place which if you ever worked on electronics is fairly easy. Atleast thats my take on it</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
uhh.. MIG and TIG welding both fuse the metals together using the same methods. The only difference is how the filler metal is added, and usually the type of current. With a MIG welder, the electrode is a roll of thin wire that is constantly fed through the gun to the arc to provide filler metal. With TIG, the electrode is non-consumable, and filler metal is added by hand with a small rod. In both case,s inert gases flow through the gun and keep the weld area from oxidizing.

MIG welding is by far the easiest method of hand welding, fllowed by oxy-acetylene, stick welding, and tig welding. For welding medium gage steel, i'd use a MIG or a stick welder, and for aluminum, a TIG welder is your best bet. Using oxy-acxetylene for aluminum is an option, but it can be difficult on anything but a flat, horizontal surface. MIG welding also works, but the aluminum wire is expensive and I think you need a special gas.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
With TIG welding the filler isn't mandatory. You probably have a ton more experience then me with it so I would take your word on it.

EDIT: correct me if i'm wrong, i'm just a beginner still learning all the differences.

[DuceDual0]

sounds like fun!

[DuceDual0]

sounds like fun fosho!

[ca18guy]

Dual stop post whoring your doing it in every section and noone apreciates it.

[DMCS14]

as far as laws, if your not tryin to make it street legal you can do whatever you want.

[hopeful]

a special gas? i thought it ran off of electricity? what if its an arc welder thats not clled mig or tig? whats that make it?

Like whats this thign

arc welder

[jvh22a]

for welding steel you will need to use a mix of aragon/co2. &nbsp;for aluminum use all aragon. &nbsp;this is for tig or mig. &nbsp;there are other mixes too but this is the usual.

&nbsp;sign up for a welding class at a college. then sign up for a fee waver. &nbsp;gas, welding rod, is free...

&nbsp; for mig you can use a flux core wire. you will not have to use gas with this set up.

&nbsp;if you are going to get a unit; try the miller econo tig weld machine.

[jvh22a]

here is a pic of my tig inverter. only welds steel,stainless.



here is what to do:
&nbsp; -make a puddle
&nbsp; -then move the torch(not much),
&nbsp; -with the filler material, start at the edge of the puddle and gently shove the rod to the middle of the puddle.
&nbsp; -you will not have to use alot. depending on what and how you are welding it.usually less the 1/4.

there is more but it is all practice! &nbsp;

&nbsp;here is a pic of my manifold. &nbsp;tig welded i ran extra beads of some of the joints. you don't need to do this, but helps ease my mind when i drive

[hopeful]

about the laws thing...so i can drive it anywhere in ontario but official roads with only a G1 license?

So that entire exhaust manifold is made of stainless steel? looks nice tho... u can do so many things knowing how to weld.

how many amps is your tig?

tig thing

At the bottom of that page it says not to go for the flux ones, why whats wrong with them?

[luke91]

ARC welding: &nbsp;Also referred to as "stick welding". &nbsp;Probably the most common medium for large scale, commercial welding. &nbsp;Industrial applications. &nbsp;Good for welding thicker, solid peices of metal. &nbsp;NOT good for automotive applications

MIG welding. &nbsp;Also referred to as "wire feed welding". &nbsp;The most practical of the three. &nbsp;MIG welders are inexpensive, can weld a variety of metals because the gas and wire are readily available, and practical for smaller-scale work on thinner metal. &nbsp;GREAT for body work, fabricating motor mounts, exhausts, manifolds, intercooler piping, etc. &nbsp;MIG welding is also better suited for "over-head" work, because it allows for the use of flux-core wire. &nbsp;In over-head situatuations, the inert gasses (argon) used with regular wire fall down, never touching the weld. &nbsp;Flux core wire keeps inert gases on the weld at all times, but produces more "splatter". &nbsp;

TIG welding: &nbsp;Also referred to as "TIG welding". &nbsp;The slowest, most precise of the three. &nbsp;Like MIG welding, TIG welding is better suited for small scale work, with thinner metals. &nbsp;UNLIKE MIG welding, TIG welding gives you much cleaner results with less or no "splatter", better suited for airtight, or pressurized situations (like radiator or intercooler construction), and allows for better control of the situation. &nbsp;TIG welders are simple, but expensive. &nbsp; &nbsp;

All three of the above welding techniques involve adding metal to join metals. &nbsp;If you join metals without adding metal, just by melting the two together, you are brazing, not welding. &nbsp;Hope this helps. &nbsp;
--luke

[hopeful]

thanks man that was alot of help.. is brazing an all round better technique for say making a aluminum frame..... to me it sounds like a stronger bond

[luke91]

noooooooo.
Brazing is just about useless, in my opinion. &nbsp;If you're welding aluminum, MIG or TIG it. &nbsp;
Do what I did. &nbsp;Go buy a MIG welder for aroun $300. &nbsp;Buy two &nbsp;tanks, one for argon mix, and one for argon. &nbsp;Then buy a roll of mild steel wire, stainless steel wire, and aluminum wire. &nbsp;And a roll of flux. &nbsp;
Now, get good at welding, and charge all your friends to weld custom exhausts, IC piping, and all kinds of little shit. &nbsp;It'll pay off. &nbsp;
Or pay someone to weld it for you. &nbsp;
--luke

[formeRiceR]

so what kind of metals are good for intakes and stuff...I have access to a MIG welder, it has argon gas and and I don't remeber the wire type...I'm afraid that the metal will rust and get into the engine...