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Old 14-03-2013, 02:59 PM
Poita (Peter)
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: NSW Country
Posts: 3,586
For Aluminium, I agree wholeheartedly, a TIG makes it realtively painless.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tempestwizz View Post
My main use is for Aluminium.
I have built a couple of Dobs so far using aluminium.i tried using a cheaper MIG the first time, and a combination of under power and under-gassing did not allow ideal results. The weld stuck to the surface rather than penetrating the base material. The other issue I found with MIG is that the welding material begins to come out as soon as you pull the trigger, and you have to be ready to handle it.
The outcome has functioned quite OK I must say.

After practising with a friend's TIG, I bought my own, and have had much better results. I would call TIG the 'gentlemans' welder. It is not fast, and probably more expensive to run, but I find the results far superior. The area to be welded is heated with a plasma, then filler rod is applied as and when required. (Unlike MIG which spurts out wire whenever trigger is on)

I am self-taught, and would probably improve with some formal training, but managed the TIG quite OK with a bit of help from the Web.

My vote is for TIG
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