tig welding
tig welding I was wondering if anyone has ever used an HTP brand tig welder? I'm looking at buying one to tig some control arms and other suspension and chassis stuff. I buddy of mine is gonna tig for me and show me how to as we go. How are their welders,reliability, and service from them? Most of my stuff is chromemoly. What type filler rod and tugsten do yall use. My parts are 3/16" thick plate and .095 wall tubing. Thanks
Originally Posted by mg98ta
I was wondering if anyone has ever used an HTP brand tig welder? I'm looking at buying one to tig some control arms and other suspension and chassis stuff. I buddy of mine is gonna tig for me and show me how to as we go. How are their welders,reliability, and service from them? Most of my stuff is chromemoly. What type filler rod and tugsten do yall use. My parts are 3/16" thick plate and .095 wall tubing. Thanks
i've never used htp stuff, but a quick search on the net showed that quite a few people are happy with them....here's a thread on hobart's forum:http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/...ad.php?t=15450
Just curious, why would you use chromeoly for these type of parts? Regular D.O.M tubing is more than these cars need for suspension parts. With this type of material you could mig weld it. This way if you had to buy a welder,then you would have one that you can use for numerous types of projects. All I am getting at is that the chromeoly tubing is WAY overkill and if you have to buy a welder I believe that a mig welder will pay for itself in more uses than a tig will.
I have been building tube chassis rock crawlers with four link suspensions for years. A good welder that knows what he is doing will NOT have any problems with making suspension parts be strong and last for ever. Metal prep and a good size welder are the key. I just feel that there is no reason for some one to buy a TIG welder for suspension parts when a mig can do it just fine. A tig welder is more suited for welding together a roll cage. I have both a ESAB tig and a Hobart mig at the shop and would never even think about tig welding link bars for a rearend. Just my opinion! 
Originally Posted by jjkamikaze
MIG doesn't guarantee the full penetration and strength of TIG. i will never put MIG welded suspension comonents on any car i have to drive.
it's not the process, it's the operator........a good looking mig weld can be bad, but if i tig weld looks good it is good(assuming the right filler was used)
that being said, the only reason a good looking mig weld would be bad is if the operator doesn't know what he is doing......if you have the machine set up right, you can definetly be "guaranteed" the penetration you need to make the weld.....and then the strength comes from the filler metal, which in mose cases will be stronger than the base material
i would get the tig welder though
i tig weld everything i can, even in some cases where a mig would be much more efficient.....it's just good fun D.O.M. comes in mild steel and chromemoly. I already have a miller mig welder. I plan on building quite a few suspension and chassis products before too long. I want to go into production with this stuff. Plus with a tig I could repair aluminum heads and what not too. Also using chromemoly, you can use thinner wall material and still be as strong or stronger than mild steel, and thus the part will be lighter weight.
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From: south jersey
Originally Posted by jdustu
it's not the process, it's the operator........a good looking mig weld can be bad, but if i tig weld looks good it is good(assuming the right filler was used)
that being said, the only reason a good looking mig weld would be bad is if the operator doesn't know what he is doing......if you have the machine set up right, you can definetly be "guaranteed" the penetration you need to make the weld.....and then the strength comes from the filler metal, which in mose cases will be stronger than the base material
i would get the tig welder though i tig weld everything i can, even in some cases where a mig would be much more efficient.....it's just good fun
that being said, the only reason a good looking mig weld would be bad is if the operator doesn't know what he is doing......if you have the machine set up right, you can definetly be "guaranteed" the penetration you need to make the weld.....and then the strength comes from the filler metal, which in mose cases will be stronger than the base material
i would get the tig welder though
i tig weld everything i can, even in some cases where a mig would be much more efficient.....it's just good funLS1 Tech Stories
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Originally Posted by 00454sscamaro
i dont agree on the tig strength i have seen great looking tig welds one of my friends did right when he was learning to tig, i gave them a strength test and ripped the weld apart by hand... i have also had crappy looking mig welds stronger then the metal i was welding - stuck it in the vise and bent the metal all the way back without a crack in the weld.. its all the operator and setup though.. either can be good or bad tig's just alot cleaner/precise process imo .
https://ls1tech.com/forums/attachmen...id=74161&stc=1
https://ls1tech.com/forums/attachmen...id=74162&stc=1
Thanks for all the info guys. AMSwill, why does your shop use the filler rod from htp? Wouldn't it be cheaper to order from a local welding supply company or are they that close to you? We buy all our welding consumables from national welders which is about 30 min. away from us. But, they don't carry htp brand stuff. Holla back at me. Thanks
Originally Posted by 00454sscamaro
i dont agree on the tig strength i have seen great looking tig welds one of my friends did right when he was learning to tig, i gave them a strength test and ripped the weld apart by hand.........
btw if i wasnt clear. i wasnt saying tig's cant be strong or arent stronger, just that they can look good and still be weak.
btw if i wasnt clear. i wasnt saying tig's cant be strong or arent stronger, just that they can look good and still be weak.
what is your definition of good? if the right filler metal is used, a tig weld that passes visual inspection is not going to be weak, period......this isn't my opinion, this is coming from guys that have been certifying welds for a few decades.....on the other hand, there are many variables with mig welding that would allow you to lay a bead that would easily pass visual inspection and yet have zero penatration
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From: south jersey
well i it looked good to me nice clean no overheating sings, but i pulled the welds apart by hand..seemed to lack penetration. and with the experienced welders im sure they know when there pentrating enough. the weld done by my friend was a beginner. also you can make just about any size welds with a tig, if small enough they could easily be weak. but maybe he didnt use the right filler rod, i wasnt there when he welded it just saw it afterwards... but point is, it looked good, and was broken at the weld by alittle test tug by me.
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From: Texas,U.S.A.
Tig
Originally Posted by young
I have been building tube chassis rock crawlers with four link suspensions for years. A good welder that knows what he is doing will NOT have any problems with making suspension parts be strong and last for ever. Metal prep and a good size welder are the key. I just feel that there is no reason for some one to buy a TIG welder for suspension parts when a mig can do it just fine. A tig welder is more suited for welding together a roll cage. I have both a ESAB tig and a Hobart mig at the shop and would never even think about tig welding link bars for a rearend. Just my opinion!
Thanks guys. All the info is really helpful. I want all my parts tigged because of less spatter and a lot cleaner looking. Plus, like I say all our parts will be made mostly of chromemoly. Hope ta have some stuff put together before long. If they sell good Me and my brother may put them into production. Not trying ta take business away from any other of the suspension parts sponors. We just enjoy our job, like messing with cars, and want ta make an honest living. Our goal is ta work for ourselves sometime in the near future. And we enjoy and have been metal fabricating for about 5-6 years now. So, it's a business we know about and like. Thanks again guys.
Originally Posted by mg98ta
Thanks for all the info guys. AMSwill, why does your shop use the filler rod from htp? Wouldn't it be cheaper to order from a local welding supply company or are they that close to you? We buy all our welding consumables from national welders which is about 30 min. away from us. But, they don't carry htp brand stuff. Holla back at me. Thanks
they are right down the street from us so it is really convinient. plus they give us a pretty good deal.
I have one of there 110v tig welders and I can say nothing but great things about it. I'm a aircraft welder in the navy and can say that I like the welds out of a tig welder because it doesnt mess with the temper of the metal like a mig welder does. 2 piece's of metal the same thickness one being tig welded and the other being mig welded the tig welded has less heat stress and the temper has been messed with like the mig weld does. The mig is easier and faster then tig plain and simple.
Originally Posted by msb184
MIG welding is not adequate for any high strength area. In a mig weld,the strength of the weld is a function of the filler rod. You will seldom find any mig welders in a chassis shop. In a TIG weld the parts are fully penetrated with a small amt. of filler rod. The only reason to use a mig is if you can't learn to TIG.
in EVERY WELD the strength is going to be a function of the filler metal, and in most cases the weld will be stronger than the base metal.....Every other point you made is pretty much completely wrong
Originally Posted by 00454sscamaro
well i it looked good to me nice clean no overheating sings, but i pulled the welds apart by hand..seemed to lack penetration. and with the experienced welders im sure they know when there pentrating enough. the weld done by my friend was a beginner. also you can make just about any size welds with a tig, if small enough they could easily be weak. but maybe he didnt use the right filler rod, i wasnt there when he welded it just saw it afterwards... but point is, it looked good, and was broken at the weld by alittle test tug by me.
you can make just about any size welds with both tig and mig, but only the right size is going to pass a visual inspection
just for the record, both processes do things well that the other one doesn't do as well......most shops are going to have machines set up to do both....but saying that mig is inherently weaker than tig or vice-versa isn't really accurate in most cases