Aluminum welding: Mig vs. Tig

[jckrieger]

+1 for MIG+TIG. I have a used Miller Squarewave 175 and it does everything I need for aluminum. I welded custom inlets/outlets on my Griffin aluminum radiator, fabricated seat brackets for the Kirkey race seats, and also made some radiator and intercooler mounting brackets. Most of my TIG work was even done with fairly low power. With that said, you will be hard pressed to weld a heavy aluminum casting like a transmission case if the wall thickness is to much.

[Rrider]

At work we have that size, and yeah its useless for anything thick like that. Even with oxy torches to add heat. We have tried.. just drop off that 10% of the stuff that is too thick off at a pro.

[Mopar318]

I can TIG weld on a soft aluminum with a soft filler rod and do the same thing shown in the video.

TIG is the way to go IMO. I have flame welded before, but you just don't get the same quality as you do with a tig when doing it in a controlled enviroment.

Gas welding with flux has its pluses too. Like welding pipe lines in a windy environment.

When welding stainless steels and similar materials your heat affected zone is much smaller with TIG.

[shayne]

do you guys really weld on pipelines with oxy fuel??. ive done my share of pipeline work up here and the exclusive method of welding is dc arc. gas welding has its place, but id rather use a tig or mig anyday. people that make big claims of doing soo much better with outdated equipment than someone who has more modern and superior equipment is comparing themselfs to the wrong person. i do sheetmetal work on aircraft cowlings from time to time and the bitter old bastard at work swears by gas, but i tig them and they no longer crack 100 hours after being back on the plane. go figure.

[acannell]

Here's the deal,

I've got a Lincoln Migpak 15 welder, and I was considering getting the Lincoln spool kit for it for some light aluminum fabrication.

but...

my friend wants me to go half on a tig (Miller Diversion 165 was what we were thinking).

Being the tool budget is tight, what would be the better way to go. I know aluminum welding isn't easy regardless of the process, but does one stand out more than the other?

I don't anticipate any problems with owning only half a tig, so lets leave that part out of the discussion.

Thoughts?

$1600 gets you a 250A "Everlast" (chinese with american dealers) TIG/Stick/Plasma machine packed with features. I've used it to make a tubular steel exhaust header, and 1/16" wall aluminum tanks. Worth every penny. Plasma cuts up to 1" I think. Have been using it regularly for about 2 years. Comes with water cooled torch (you can leave that unplugged if you dont have a water cooler).

Controls are precise and change the process in a reliable and predictable way.

[jckrieger]

It's good hearing a review on the Everlast TIG machine. I seriously considered one before I picked up my used Lincoln, but there didn't seem to be enough positive feedback. There were a lot of reports of units being DOA or cutting out randomly. Some day I may consider upgrading to a unit like yours in an effort to achieve higher capacity and plasma cutting capability.

[acannell]

It's good hearing a review on the Everlast TIG machine. I seriously considered one before I picked up my used Lincoln, but there didn't seem to be enough positive feedback. There were a lot of reports of units being DOA or cutting out randomly. Some day I may consider upgrading to a unit like yours in an effort to achieve higher capacity and plasma cutting capability.

there tech support is excellent when you actually talk to the tech support guy, who is an American in Alaska, I think, but you need to keep emailing them because they sometimes forget whats going on. but they care and know the device inside and out.

i would buy another everlast in a second..i think they are coming out with one like mine but that also has MIG, that would be awesome!!

[Reaper1]

I recently got an Eastwood TIG 200 after a lot of research. Like the Everlast there was a lot of DOA reports, but Eastwood has great customer service. Mine works perfectly and I'm teaching myself now.

[acannell]

I recently got an Eastwood TIG 200 after a lot of research. Like the Everlast there was a lot of DOA reports, but Eastwood has great customer service. Mine works perfectly and I'm teaching myself now.

any chance you would end up wanting one of the custom tubular intakes in kit form so you could weld it up yourself ? hehe might be fun, its a good aluminum project if you are just learning

[trannybuster]

As did I, works great, I got the plasma as well.....

I recently got an Eastwood TIG 200 after a lot of research. Like the Everlast there was a lot of DOA reports, but Eastwood has great customer service. Mine works perfectly and I'm teaching myself now.

[Reaper1]

any chance you would end up wanting one of the custom tubular intakes in kit form so you could weld it up yourself ? hehe might be fun, its a good aluminum project if you are just learning

If I hadn't gone with a Masi engine I'd be all over it. I actually just read that entire thread last night (no, I didn't sleep LOL). Good work with that, BTW! If I get good at it, I might be willing to weld them up for people that can't or don't want to. I don't want to jump into that until I'm confident in my skills though.

[acannell]

If I hadn't gone with a Masi engine I'd be all over it. I actually just read that entire thread last night (no, I didn't sleep LOL). Good work with that, BTW! If I get good at it, I might be willing to weld them up for people that can't or don't want to. I don't want to jump into that until I'm confident in my skills though.

thanks! the design is totally open source and all the cad models and suppliers will be listed so anyone that wants to build them and/or sell them will be welcome to do so

out of all the things I learned about aluminum welding, the two most important things turned out to not to be cleanliness or machine settings...both of which are pretty easy to get right..

its that 1) thin wall aluminum is soooooo much easier with something behind the weld to act as a heat sink, and 2) everything goes better when the aluminum is hot versus when its cold

[83rampage]

So fast forward a few years....

Lots has happened since I first posed this question. The replies posted here gave me lots food for thought and ultimately made up my mind.

I decided TIG is the only way to go. I was initially going to go half with a friend but after discussing our individual wants it was clear we wanted it for different reasons, and to me it was pointless to NOT buy a machine capable of aluminum.

Next decision was what level of quality and output. The Miller Diversion was high on the list, but I did look at other "offshore" brands mentioned.

This is what I ultimately decided on:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...lectedIndex=40

http://www.victortechnologies.com/th...rodID=W1006301

Although the machine itself isn't American made, it is still a brand name I trust and should be a non-issue if it ever requires repair. I think it has good output (200 amps) and all the features I will ever need

Absolutely love the machine. Still learning the settings but it welds awesome.

[turismolover22]

The thermal arc machine is a good one. I ultimately picked up an AHP Alpha Tig 200X. For the hobbiest who doesnt have 2500 to spend on a new miller/lincoln , its great. Has all the higher features you would expect from one, but at a great price. I got the first gen unit for 650 and some change before shipping. They are now around 850 in their third gen model, but they now have frequency control. Mine has been nothing but faithful. Currently working on building my own torch cooler to run a water cooled torch.

[turboshad]

I bought a 186 and I was impressed and am very happy with it.

[cjbintx]

I bought a 186 and I was impressed and am very happy with it.

I too acquired a TA186 and am starting to get used to it. Wish I had the foot pedal though, having the control on the torch is a little tough.

[Ondonti]

I got very interested in the Dynasty but i saw that the price jump from the base model to the next model is huge. No thick stuff On the other hand, I don't plan on having 3 phase power supply. I am not particularly sure that I want to spend time messing around with a welder if spending more could prevent headaches. I wonder how long modern Millers will be supported repair wise vs how long people have been able to run the ancient stuff?

I don't really know what car parts you would ever weld that are thicker than 1/4, and on the rare occasion you need to, you could probably preheat most of those items and cheat.

[Ondonti]

I bought a 186 and I was impressed and am very happy with it.

I see complaints about the low refresh rate of the amperage controls. Moves in steps instead of gradually. Not sure how this would work if you are coming off the pedal some at a corner to decrease heat input. Do you just get used to it? This seems to be the only negative aspect of the unit.

[turismolover22]

Ive found that alnost everything near or at 1/4 inch requires more than one pass. Unless you use some behemoth stick machine, or run 300+ amps on a tig with gigantic filler, MIG is the only process I can realistically see running beveled 1/4 inch with a single pass.

[turboshad]

I see complaints about the low refresh rate of the amperage controls. Moves in steps instead of gradually. Not sure how this would work if you are coming off the pedal some at a corner to decrease heat input. Do you just get used to it? This seems to be the only negative aspect of the unit.

This is noticeable but I have yet to find it to be a problem. From a practical aspect it is fine, possibly annoying to someone used to a machine costing twice as much. The steps are small and the transitions are quick so I have no issues with it.