First time welder

[CBFryman]

[artistic]

Have you guys heard of a welding brand called Deca? Princess auto carries them and they are from itally. They have also had 30 years of experience. The mig welder im looking at is 375 bucks. Are these any good?

[artistic]

[TheSilentChamber]

Never heard of them artistic.


I went and priced MIGs today. Found a lincon I'm thinking of getting for $400. Its pretty nice, comes with all regulators and hoses, just gotta buy/rent a tank.

[artistic]

400 american or canadian?

[TheSilentChamber]

USD american

[RandomTask]

I actually learned to TIG weld first, takes a little but once you get the hang of it its pretty easy. After learning to TIG, I tried MIG and it was a piece of cake. I do think you forgot to mention that TIG is a stronger weld then MIG... just FYI

[CBFryman]

a properly done tig weld also looks better

[mike@af]

Originally Posted by CBFryman

a properly done tig weld also looks better

I have friends that can coin with MIG pefectly. It also depends on the material you're welding.

[duplox]

Originally Posted by GTmike400

I have friends that can coin with MIG pefectly. It also depends on the material you're welding.

Coining with a mig if rediculously simple... Just keep tacking, space it out right and it looks perfect except for the last one which has the 'dimple' from tacking. It won't be as strong as one bead, but most of the time you don't need 100% strength.

[mike@af]

Originally Posted by duplox

Coining with a mig if rediculously simple... Just keep tacking, space it out right and it looks perfect except for the last one which has the 'dimple' from tacking. It won't be as strong as one bead, but most of the time you don't need 100% strength.

I agree. Just aim, shoot, and drag. TIG is a little more tedious.

[MadMac56]

I think I've learned more about welding in this one thread than in 48 years of life...This thread should be stickied!

Wondering which type of welding is best for exhaust stuff, cats, mufflers, pipe???

[mike@af]

Originally Posted by MadMac56

I think I've learned more about welding in this one thread than in 48 years of life...This thread should be stickied!

Wondering which type of welding is best for exhaust stuff, cats, mufflers, pipe???

Glad to help out man! I may just have to sticky it.

For exhaust systems I prefer TIG just because I can make it look better. However, currently Im welding up a Techtonics exhaust system for a friends VW, using a MIG welder. I'd prefer to use TIG but we're doing it at a location that doesnt have a TIG. So the MIG just needs to be adjusted properly. If you have some extra tubing from the exhaust system adjusting the heat and wirespeed on that scrap to check for penetration.

[Cbass]

TIG would be preferrable for the absolute best weld on thin guage exhaust tube, especially if it's stainless. MIG will do the job quite handily though, although it won't look as pretty, and in theory you might get a little more weld metal poking through on teh other side of the joint.

MIG is much easier, and is what I'd recommend. It's what muffler shops use after all. It all depends what you want to do with it too, if you're just welding on a hanger, MIG is superior simply because it's faster. If you're joining square cut tube to a flange, MIG is once again faster and makes just as good a weld. If you're getting into custom fabrication of headers involving complex welds between two thin tube walls, TIG is a superior process hands down.