tig/mig

[bobbynick@msn.com]

Any opinions about the best and most economical welder 4130 short wing type projects?

thanks

Bob

[Jeff J]

I don’t do that much welding but I have 2 welders. One TIG and one portable MIG. Both are inverter machines. Both will stick weld. The TIG can be fitted with a spool gun and used as a MIG and the portable MIG can be used for DC TIG. If you are going to go TIG, I recommend getting one that can do AC and DC. The AC is for welding aluminum. I spent yesterday learning and practicing on aluminum getting ready for a repair on my Cub.

[redbarron55]

I don't believe that there is a place for MIG in aircraft maintenance. Building jigs and fixtures, yes and general welding they are great, but I believe that they are lacking in the ability to control the puddle which is critical to making a good weld.
TIG and Oxyacetylene would be my choice with the Oxy taking the lead for most work as after yoy TIG weld the structure you still need to normalize the weldment.
If you are working on aluminum fuel tanks etc the TIG would be nice, but for 4130 I think that while the TIG is pretty the Oxy is more than adequate.

[bobbynick@msn.com]

I have recently purchased a oxy setup but would also like a TIG setup, any make model recommendations?

[Jeff J]

For what it’s worth, my primary TIG machine is a Miller Syncrowave 210. My portable is the Multimatic 215. Both are inverter machines and will work on 110-240 volts. My experience isn’t broad enough to say they are actually better or worse than others on the market.

[Zac Weidner]

I finally bought a Lincoln TIG 200 at AirVenture last year, and I use it regularly now that I've trained myself to use it for repairs on the farm and have occasionally made a small repair on aircraft stuff. I like the machine but not that I know any better. It does AC/DC TIG plus AC stick welding, and has Amperage, Frequency, Balance, and Pulse settings for AC TIG welding.

[dgapilot]

MIG doesn’t have the ability to control for thin wall tube (at least for the lower priced units). I’ve got both TIG and oxy-acetylene set ups. My TIG machine is an Everlasting 210EXT and has been great for everything I use it for. For welding fuselage clusters, I use a TIG-Button instead of a foot pedal.when climbing around a fuselage, getting to a foot pedal can be problematic. I also use a gas lens setup with either a Furick Jazzy 10 or Fupa 12 cup. Most times, .040 wire or smaller.

My gas setup, I have some WWII vintage Smiths #2 torches. Small and light weight. If you watch on eBay, you can find them every now and then.


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[Wag-builder]

For everyone that says MIG doesn't have a place in aviation, needs to look at just about every light tube and fabric airplane built today. Just aircraft is MIG welded, Kitfox is and has been MIG welded since the beginning and even the seat frames on the Piper Aerostar were MIG welded. Unless you really know what you are doing I would not suggest that you MIG weld thin wall 4130 tubing. If I could only have one piece of welding equipment it would be a gas torch. It will work an any type of metal if you practice enough, it is only limited by the operator.

[at7615]

I use my mig to tack and ozy/acetylene to weld. To hard to tig in clusters and hard to get to areas in light aircraft for me, I'm old and slow so just sayin!

[Tailwind_Fan]

I got my TIG from Harbor Freight about a year ago, it’s the Chicago Electric which i picked it up for $270... it is being replaced by the Vulcan line... for a lot more. My plan has been to use it to build my W-10 Tailwind with it.

-Alana