Tig or wire feed?

[jimdvan]

I was talking with a friend today who has much more welding experience than I. He was saying that the ease of using wire feed for a build would outweigh tig as the prefered weld.

Any opinions.

[JBaum]

sounds like a guy who doesn't know how to tig very well... did you want it easy, or a virtually unnoticeable job when it's done? Nobody said beauty was easy.

read the welding tutorials here for details.

[jimdvan]

I've read the tutorials repeatedly and feel that if everyone is using tig there's probably a reason. I was just wondering if anyone had used a wire feed and how it turned out.

[mattcdavis]

I have been using my miller 135 wirefeed. If set right and backed with copper you can achive nice welds. It is almost the same, but you have more instant control on heat/puddle size and filler addition with tig than with mig. ie, constant wire speed, heat. So for the price of the harbor freight tig it would be great for this! I will have to keep looking, when I buy my tig it will have to be able to do Aluminum,Steel/Stainless. I have an aluminum spool gun for my miller now. I also want HF start! And foot control included!

[amafrank]

The big problem with wire feed is that it seems so simple and easy that you are lulled into believing you have good quality welds when they are simply hot glue joints. If the machine is set up properly and an educated user is operating it the welds can be good but its not simple and a good looking weld doesn't mean its strong. It is necessary to actually melt the adjoing material and mix it with the filler that is used to fill the gap. A wire feed will fill the joint quickly and easily even giving you a great looking bead but in most cases it does not sufficiently melt the surrounding material to have a good weld. With a tig welder this is also possible but its easier to see whats happening since you are the "filler feeder". Feeding the filler too quickly will give a good appearing weld but once again no real attachment to the surrounding area. I've knocked many a wire weld loose with a chipping hammer while its never been so easy to do to a tig weld. As with everything it is possible to get good results with substandard equipment if you have the knowledge and ability to overcome the shortages of the equipment. I've seen guys build fantastic stuff on crappy harbor freight lathes and mills but it doesn't mean anyone can.
Its my opinion that while neither tig nor wire feed welding are learned overnight it is easier to learn to do tig properly because it doesn't give the false good results that wire will. That means you pay more attention to what you're doing with tig in order to get actual good results. There are no miracle cures with welding that make the neophyte a master welder overnight.....


Frank

[Rahatlakhoom]

I use a mig exclusively. Not that I'm a welder by trade, but it is what I have learned to use.
It does take considerable practice to learn how to create a proper bead as mentioned above.
Regardless of the type you decide, invest in some good equipment.
Learn the heat range and feed speeds. It' takes some hours.
Argon/CO2, is essential on mig. Still, I find my joints need cleaned up
and polished If I want a seamless appearance.

I've seen tig work, and it doesn't require the clean up if
done by a good hand.

[mattcdavis]

Amafrank has pointed out the fly in the ointment. If you don't know what to look for in a finished weld you may not have a good one. As for not learning how overnight.......Amen to that!

[KSH67]

Tig welding is not something I have any experience with. Can anyone recommend someone that can provide that service? I don't need them to build the firearm, I just need a trunnion welded to an uncut tube. Since this is a pretty critical part I want someone who can do a professional job.
Kevin

[JBaum]

The trunnion does not get welded to the receiver. It has one rivet that holds it in place.

[Bil]

An entirely differant subject,but in the wrong thread.Kind of mixed up,I think he is talking about an entirely differant gun.But John,I thought there WERE no trunnions?? ---bil

[JBaum]

The MG42 does not have a trunnion..... Sometimes it's just not worth the battle, though.

[Bil]

Don't give up,John-I have started that crusade on other sites.Education never stops!! ---bil

[KSH67]

Sorry, i should have been clearer. I know there is no trunnion in a MG42. I need a trunnion tig welded to a tube that is being built into a Semi MP38 with the SSR 40 kit as the basis. I needed to have a different tube then what came with the kit and I have an original MP38 trunnion that I want welded to the tube. I had posted another post asking the question and hadn't any responses so I thought I'd ask on this one. My apologies for hijacking the thread for my own purposes but I thought someone here would be able to provide some direction to someone with the skills.
Kevin

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

As a fellow welder and a guy who inspects nuclear welds for a living, GET THE TIG. MIG (metal inert gas or "wimpy wirefeed") is for shallow penetration car body who cares what it looks like welds made by lazy welders who don't care to learn a skill. TIG makes the sweeeeetest welds. Learn how to weld QUALITY. Learn TIG. You can do it.

[jimdvan]

Thanks, all. Tig it is.

[bolex]

......I will have to keep looking, when I buy my tig it will have to be able to do Aluminum,Steel/Stainless. I have an aluminum spool gun for my miller now. I also want HF start! And foot control included!

I understand the desire for the HF start, aluminum capibility and foot control. That being said, after I got my HF welder for my mg42 project I was sold on TIG. I have had oxy/acetolene, MIG, stick welders for years and I wish I had gotten the TIG first, it is that good for the welding I do, small projects. If I hadn't gotten the HF TIG I wouldn't have ever gotting a TIG, $1400 is just too much for me to spend on a "toy" that I use so infrequently. I was able to get the HF welder for $150 ($200 + 25% off) use my regulator from my MIG and buy another bottle for argon only. Used it on my Cetme build and I have a small floorboard replacement which is to start in a couple weeks. I would rather have a HF TIG now then a full bore TIG in a couple years. IMO