Which MIG welder for a chassis?

Discussion in 'Engineers' Talk' started by RT, Aug 10, 2004.

  1. RT

    RT New Member

    I want to weld a car chassis - likely to be using 16 gauge steel. I want to get a MIG welder. I'd be very grateful for any advice. in particular what should I be looking for in the welder I buy?

    Gasless or Gas?

    What power range?

    What size wire would I need to use for up to 16 guage steel?

    If at some point in the future I wanted to weld aluminium would that change the choice I make now?

    Me - I've done a very small amount of arc welding. This is a project - I'll never be good enough to weld for a living.

    Thanks in advance,
    RT
     
  2. Steve_S

    Steve_S New Member

    Damn good question RT, and one I was going to ask myself...

    Anybody know anything about MIG welders????

    Cheers

    Steve
     
  3. stuart-69

    stuart-69 Member

    I was asking the same question a few weeks ago, I diden't have a clue.
    You can buy mig welders with or without gas. With the gas it makes a better weld as it puts a gas shield over the weld to stop oxidisation.
    On the welder there is an ajustable control for the power and a control for the wire feed.
    Buy a welder with turbo fan cooling as cheaper models cut out after a short while. Then you need to wait ages till it cools.
    As for the aluminium any mig will do, but you need to change the wire or gas as it has a lower melting temperature.
    Im not realy sure about the thickness of wire you would need. I think the wire only goes up to about 1.5mm
    Hope this helps.
     
  4. Lee P

    Lee P New Member

    Gasless will make sense if you are not going to be welding much. Gasless wire is more expensive, but creates the gas shroud when it melts.

    If you plan to be doing long jobs, gas is going to be much cheaper in the long run, and will result in less spatter than gasless wire.

    Just be aware that you can't use gasless wire in a gas only welder - I think the circuit polarity needs to be swapped.

    Likewise, the turbo cooled MIGs are better suited to heavy sustained use, having a better duty cycle. Non-turbo cooled MIGs need to chill out between welds.
     
  5. RT

    RT New Member

    Thanks for the suggestions made above.

    RT
     
  6. ali68

    ali68 New Member

    Re Aluminium welding, not really for a novice reason being you need a different shielding gas (Pure Argon) a reel of Al mig wire obviously, depending on thickness to be welded quite a powerful machine i.e. high amp output.

    A push /pull torch is also of great benefit.

    And finally Al likes to go glooop when heat is applied without any warning.
     
  7. sdb

    sdb New Member

    0.8 wire is quite good for chassis, so are roadworks signs....

    Anyway just remember to clean ALL the old rust off or it wont weld.

    Gasless is better for outdoors, but i often find the weld quality is poor (but when ur on a support team for the dakar rally, u usually dont have much choice!)
     
  8. truckmac

    truckmac New Member

    Depending on how much welding you're going to do (and if you get a gas rather than gasless set), get yourself a proper gauge and an adaptor so you can use a proper bottle rather than the tiny disposable ones which cost a fortune. The way it works is that you rent the bottle on a permanent direct debit and pay for the fill-ups when necessary. I've got oxy/acet which costs me 19p and 21p per bottle per day to give you some idea. I would imagine a small argon or CO2 would be a lot cheaper.

    Personally I would go for gas rather than gasless because the wire is so much cheaper (and you can get bigger rolls).
     
  9. kevo

    kevo New Member

    My advice is a machine with about 120 amps with gas 0.6
    to 0.8 wire . If most of your welding is to be done outside. then no gas( it will just blow away and leave a very poor weld. As for ali leave it to the professionals. To get a fair job you need to know what your at. That`s not meant as a put down.But ail welding is a very skilled job. I would`nt want to see bits fall off your project. Hope this helps
     

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