He said it all.....now follow those instructions and get the job done right the first time!!! I have all 4 welders....TIG, MIG, STICK, TORCH.....I would only TIG a frame, and most things that are important for that matter. get it done!!!
Thanks for all the help guys. I have all four TIG MIG STICK and TORCH and the mig is a 220 and not a 110. Its good to hear everyones preferences and which seems to work the best.
simply for the fact that you dont know if tig/mig penetrates. i would ALWAYS arc weld a frame together cause mig can look built up but if there aint no penetration your gonna be left high and dry, maybe een hurt.
hell, for that matter GAS welding would be better! at least you know you've got some hot metal and some puddles laid down, you know?
The process used does NOT guarantee a strong weld. I've seen poor welds made by every process fail completely. MIG,TIG,Arc,Oxy-A. Welding has to be done properly,period. If not,it doesn't matter what process you used to make your shitty weld. There is no process that makes perfect welds on it's own. Operator skill,and training,make the difference.
When we were doing CWB welding tests,I saw several 1/2" thick steel plates snap in two before they bent even 10 degrees.To pass,your plates had to bend almost 180 degrees,with only a few very minor defects showing. These were all done with MIG. The ones that snapped,used the exact same wire and shielding gas as everyone else. Operator skill and training made the difference.
Has it occured to anyone that every car manufactured for the last 30 to 40 years was entirely mig welded? Tig is nice, but hardly a requirement. I am mig welding my frame rails because I don't mind cleaning up the visuals with a grinder. When I go back and apply some fish plates, I will let my chassis building buddy do it with Tig to make sure it looks nice. As far as penetration with a 110v mig? Mine is rated for 3/16 material, which I welded to 1/2 plate yesterday, no issue. My frame rails are 11 ga., slightly less than 1/8. That's easy with a 110v mig. The biggest mistake you can make with a mig is feeding too much wire and just laying a bead on top. Back off on the wire speed and look at the puddle. If you have a good lens, you can see into the joint as it flows. No guessing about penetration.
The Jalopy Journal
