Im sure there is probably a post somewhere but I didnt find it searching. Anyway Ive got all my frame pieces cut for my notch in the rear and was wondering which would be better Tig or Mig welding them together. Only thing is Ive never TIG welded thicker metal just sheet. So I figured since I have had some experience with MIG welding Thicker metal I should just do it that way. Whats the best option and any helpful Hints are always appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Done properly either will work. MIG is most dangerous because it can appear to be a good weld when in reality it has little to no penetration waitng for disaster to occur. It might be said that TIG is "better" in this regard because you can more easily "wash in" your welds. For your specific question....it depends on what size machines you are using AND most importantly - how SKILLED of a welder you are. If you're asking - it might be a indication that you need in person help. Probably not the answers you were looking for....
Yeah, I gotta agree w/arc welding. I don't know how many things I've built over the years w/the trusty old Lincoln. What do you think was used before tig and mig? Ole Pork
I would TIG it just because even if your not an awesome TIG welder, you know your still melting the metal together, with a MIG it might just look welded. Even an ugly TIG weld is still strong.
Stick welding!!???!!?? I believe the truely TRADITIONAL method would be to goober a bunch of braze on it. Seriously - nothing wrong with stick, but I sure wouldn't tell a newbie to start off with 7018. Get a few boxes of 6013 under your belt first and if that's disasterous there ain't no way no how 7018 is gonna look any better.
Put a lot of steel together over the years with a good old buzz box. With a little bit of practice it still works fine. After all, it's not rocket science. Get another six-pack and go for it.
Thanks for the comments and I do have a buddy thats been welding structeral for years so I can get him to give me a hand. The welders I have are a Lincoln Electric Powermig 200 Mig and and Miller Maxstar 300 DX Tig. I have cleaned up the steel really good where im welding and also V'd it out So I should be getting penetration and a good clean weld.
That 300 TIG you have should be plenty big to do a frame. At my job, they have us do a tig root pass and then mig over the top of that for lift lugs or anything structural that absolutely can not suffer a failure. If everything on your frame fits nice and is V'ed out, a good mig weld is fine. 54chop
OK thanks I might try the TIG then and see how that goes. And yeah everything is lined up and fits great and notched.
Neither would I. You might read my first post where I suggested he get some "in person" help. Sheesh!!!
i'm paranoid....so on my front & rear "clips" i root passed with 1/8 6010 and cover passed with 1/8 7018. Now i'm pretty confident that a group of elephants can have an orgy on the frame without cracking the welds. I think TIG is a lot better then MIG based on everyones previous points. A mig weld can sometimes look like you have 50/50 penetration when in reality it's more like 70/30...then when you start grinding those mig welds down for appearance....they become weaker than christopher reeves legs!! Tig looks the cleanest out of all three.....if done "right" all will work.
Yeah Im definatly gonna get some help and instruction. Atleast then I wont have to worry If i did it right.
mig=good, tig=better, but I built my first two cars with only a fluxcore mig and somehow they've held together.
Every NASCAR stock car is mig welded and they have been known to take a hit. If you have any experience at all turn the welder up and mig it, it will be fine. Might be prejudging as I welded on about 2,000 short track stock car chassis while subcontracting from Howe Racing Enterprises. Frank
. Even an ugly TIG weld is still strong.[/quote] I hope your welding instructor isn't reading this because if he is he'll either kick your ass or he should take up a new profession. Frank
when I first learned to TIG, I would just weld random stuff together and then try to tear it apart, and even the ugly ones were strong. As long as the metal is melted together with the right rod, it will still be a strong weld because of the penetration, they just arent always a perfect bead. I know it obviously isnt going to be correct, but an ugly TIG weld is waaaay stronger then an ugly MIG weld. Ive seen things that have huge MIG beads on them break right off, and it doesnt even look like the metal to be welded was even touched.
there is alot of low amp mig that are't good enough no matter how pretty the weld for frame work 110 mig wont cut it i like tig or a 220 mig
32v makes a good point........if you have the right equipment, you know what you're doing (running beads/machine settings), make good fits, have somewhat of a jig, then you should be fine......if you have a problem with any of the above then you're fucked and you should have somebody who does know come over and show you.
all "how strong" mig, tig, arc welding questions should be answered only one way. If he/she is asking, they need somebody who doesn't have to ask either doing it or standing right there to help or take over. Better to be safe than get internet suggestions.
Looks don't have a whole lot to do with it. You can have a very nice looking weld, but if it has porosity or inclusions, it will likely fail at some point.
Like my first girlfriend said "If you don't have good penetration your not doing shit". Same thing goes for welding regardless what type your doing. Hell, turn the heat up till you blow through then back off a little.
You might be surprised to find out how many small aircraft,and Formula Car chassis (especially from England) are Brazed using Oxy-Acetylene.Some of the English guys are magicians with a torch. If it is designed and welded properly,you can use almost any process.If you have undercutting and inclusions,or a poor design, it doesn't matter what process was used. Brazing gets a bad rap because it is easy to do poorly, and once the filler is overheated,it loses it's strength. Done properly,it is as strong as the parent metal. --- Mig vs Tig ? Use what you have,and make sure you do a good job. My personal preference is for TIG,because it's easier to see what you are doing.MIG is faster,and easier.Also better suited for tack welding with one hand.
i use mig for welding frames, but i could just as easly use a stick, i dont because mig is just to simple to use, if you could do a good job with a stick then you should be able to do a good job with a mig or tig, if you dont feel confident with using a stick to weld your frame then you cant weld and should,t be messing with a frame. something else is that all new car builders use mig for frames, before that they used stick.
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