Tig versus Torch, Which one Options

[r_towle]

Hi,

So, Mig welds are hardened and cannot be hammered to much.
Tig welds are really small but I believe they are also hardened so they cant be hammered.
Torch can be hammered.

I also want to weld aluminum.
Torch and Tig can both do this.

Torch has the added benefit of being a red hot wrench which comes in handy in the rust belts.

Torch can also cut...which is good.

So, which would you guys buy? Tig or Torch.
I already have mig...its just not good for sheet metal butt joints...I like smooth metal.

RIch

[rick 918-S]

When I was 18 I went to welding school. I worked in fab shops for a few years and ended up at the ship yard. I worked on cars doing rust repairs and custom work in my garage during the summer. I eventually opened a collision and resto shop. If I had a bunch of money laying around I would buy an AC/DC tig machine.

For sheet metal: a butt joint will be less likely to warp with a tig as the heat is concentrated in a small area. You can get a small concentrated weld in the middle of a panel. With proper fit up and good welding technic you should be able to slap and file your seams with little effort. If you need to work a seam you can grind your weld then use a torch to anneal the metal. (still need the torch) Same with a mig weld. Use good welding technic, grind and file, then if you can't work the panel and feel like you are facing a crack if you mess with your seam, anneal the area and work the panel. (torch)

With a 00 torch tip you can also butt weld a seam. (ali or sheet steel one tool) It takes practice like any trade or art related skill. The reason the gas welded seam is easier to work is because the heat spreads out the molecules in a larger area. Because the heat is spread wider the metal natualizes slower allowing the molecules to stay expanded instead of compacting during a concentrated fast cool. The cool down still needs to be controlled and will need to be hammered and quenched. But you learn by practice when you need to get involved. Same with 4130 in race car and air frame work. Tig looks nice but is not as good or safe. (flame me, go ahead)

A Henrod torch is a very nice tool. I don't agree you need one but the benifit is it stays set the way you like it. You simply pull the trigger and relight it and your ready to weld. Unlike a hand set you have to adjust every time you turn it off. Either work.

Best value for a hobby shop? IMO: The torch set and a mig. You can weld almost any metal. You can change the metals character, you can cut and heat. You may need to dedicate a week of evening to practice, practice, practice. But once you have it you will have a skill most others won't.

Oh, recently I've gas welded the aluminum 4 cylinder intake manifold for the Shealey, I have a 4130 tubing anti-sway bar project under way I butt welded a couple of the seams on my friends Mercedes 280 SL. Like I said, If I had a bunch of money laying around I would buy the tig. But I have yet to really NEED one.