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

[charliew]

A few years ago at the annual air show I got into a conversation with a student at the local Texas State Technical Institute. It's on the old James Connaly airforce base in waco. He was in aircraft mechanics at the time but was also building a homebuilt expermental aircraft. The subject came up about 4130 welding and he said he had to gradually torch anneal the welds to make sure they didn't crack later on. He was tigging them and I thought that was the reason to be using the tig. He said the tig for him was prettier but actually the torch might be better. I do know that I spent many hours torch welding on a old jeep body and the welds never seemed too hard. The trick was to not get it too hot which is easy to do with a torch.

John Kelly has a video about making flares on the karman ghia and only uses a torch. He also shows how to use the shrinking disk and how to make one.

I've seen the henrob in action and if they wern't so expensive I would have one. I watched a guy weld a aluminum can. I also watched him cut 3/4 plate. He cut his initials in a piece of 1/4 inch plate while we watched.

I also have the 185 lincoln tig machine and the first time I used it was building a basket/stand to hold a aquamist tank for my son out of 1/4 x 1 inch strap aluminum and 3/16 sheet. If I didn't stop and wait the duty cycle would be reached and it would cut off. That was just going from one weld to another in 1 inch beads. Aluminum takes a lot of heat on thicker material.

The easygrind is nice wire but it is really expensive.

My welder friend wanted to sell me his extra 250 syncro wave but it requires a 100 amp breaker and I didn't want that extra expense but it would have done anything I wanted to weld.

I don't think I could get by without my 200 amp ac crackerbox for stick welding like on my shop structure or the 180 mig for small structural stuff or the 185 tig for ss or small aluminum. I also don't think I can do without a torch.

I have done sheetmetal welding with the ac stick welder when it was all I had. The torch came next, then the mig and now the tig. I still think there might be a need for the henrob though.

I have removed several broken off studs in cast iron with welding a big nut on the stud with the ac crackerbox. It sure beats drilling them out.

[ChrisFoley]

... 200 amp ac crackerbox for stick welding ...

AC stick welding (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif)
DC all the way (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)
Speaking of SMAW - anyone ever weld aluminum with stick? Talk about requiring good technique...