Experienced (qualified) welders, your comments, please.

[Zeke]

I could easily go over to the welding forum that I sometimes visit, but your comments will most likely help a Porsche owner here more so than there.

First off, after fooling around with AC stick and 110 MIG for a few years, on and off, as the need arose, I enrolled in the community college welding program. I was last there many, many years ago taking a gas welding course, My God, what I forgot is enough to make anyone stand up and take notice. The benefit to my Saturday class is that I have 20 other fellow students, all ages, all levels and all types. I'm in the MIG sector, but I can get any of the other pointers in a mixed group if I want to. Just the refresher in gas safety was worth signing up.

The equipment is bigger than I've used. We're talking industrial stuff here, no Harbor Freight toys. One of the things I was hoping to accomplish was to figure out what equipment I would buy as a serious welder in lieu of my Lincoln 135. Now, TIG is another story. I might move over to that next semester if I stay with this. But, I want to get the most out of MIG (now properly known as GMAW since CO2 is not considered an "inert" gas as in Metal Inert Gas, see what you can learn? ) I know I need to wire my shop or garage for some better amperage first. But, there are some fancy MIG machines and some very expensive combination machines. Don't know if I want to go there (over 4K).

Here's my main question for the "experts." Can I expect to get anything done with the MIG I get AFA welding aluminum is concerned? That is assuming the finer adjustments are available along with the lower current and I buy a decent machine? If the answer is a unilateral no, then I won't bother buying another bottle right now with the pure argon unless I think maybe there's some stainless steel in my future. I don't know why I want to weld aluminum with MIG, I just do if it's possible, or even somewhat practical.

I might have another question or 2 if this thread gets going. BTW, you guys that are welding your rockers and front pans on with the adequate smaller machines, ought to get a hold of one of these MIG jobs that do 1/4" and better steel! Talk about some power. This could get addicting.

[RLJ]

IMHO you have a little MIG machine now, right? Buy a TIG machine with a foot control and a built in high frequency box so you can weld aluminum or other non ferrrous metals with out having to scratch start. You have taken a gas welding class so you should have the basic idea of how it works and the process. From what I have learned if you are a good gas welder you can me a great TIG welder in no time.

Randy Jones
1971 911 "Iris"

BTW.........I have a gasoline powered AC/DC welder and I want to buy a high freak box for, probabably with 110 VAC controls. I have the heli arc torch, flow meter, leads and all the stuff but I can only weld steel and I have to scratch start to get the arc going.

[DUK]

Milt, You can weld aluminum with MIG, It's not real pretty and I've only been able to get good results on 3/16 and thicker. I personally would save some pennies and go with a good square wave TIG machine and scrap the idea of MIGing alum. What are you wanting to weld or are you asking just a general question? I would ask your teacher or find a good welding shop around town and see what they think.

[Zeke]

Originally posted by Duke Zink
What are you wanting to weld or are you asking just a general question?

A general question, but things like a custom tow hook come to mind. My last one was flat, but it was thick, like you say. Just wanted to know if I could do a few things if I had the wire and the bottle. No big deal.

What I really want to do is weld sheet AL with gas. I'm getting supplies for that now. Also have a Meco Midget torch with tiny jewler's tips that I haven't even lit yet. I think this will be a good item as well for butt welds in steel mid body panels such as flares. Gas welds are so much softer to deal with AFA hammering and dressing. Just got to watch the heat.

But, I'm going in 2 directions here. It's a welding thread, for sure, but mostly MIG and/or TIG, if that's the case.

W/o a 911 in the garage right now, I'm just getting overly prepared for the next one. I'm gonna be burnin' and churnin' when I find the right one.