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Sept 30, 2008 7:42:29 GMT
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Any use for welding on cars? chassis bodywork etc.. Never done it before but girlfriends corolla ran out of MOT and structural solidity so bought a cheap arc welder and had a go - its harder than I thought itd be! Only put about 15 holes in the sill and set fire to it twice ( I bought a fire extinguisher first - be prepared!) is it just not a good form of welding for this sort of thing or do I need to get practising? Any tips?
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LowStandards
Club Retro Rides Member
Bigging Up The Sum Sum Man Since '99
Posts: 2,650 
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Sept 30, 2008 7:47:39 GMT
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I believe there best for nice thick metal, though you can get low amp ones and thin rods, but i've never been a fan!
Its also quite difficult to master the ol' scratch start...
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IDY
Part of things
Posts: 893
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Sept 30, 2008 8:08:51 GMT
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A few years ago I used a cheap arc welder to get a very rusty Sierra through an MOT, the results were not pretty but did the job. I was mainly welding the chassis not the bodywork which helped.
If your cheap welder came with one of those useless hand held welding masks ditch it and get a decent one (ideally an auto dimming one)
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I will get round to finishing it at some point
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Sept 30, 2008 8:14:56 GMT
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It did come with a useless mask, are there any you recommend? I'm glad you can use them for chassis work, i guess tis just a steep learning curve, like knowing the thickness of the rods to use and stuff, made a right mess of it, ended up giving it to a professional!
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rod
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,953
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Sept 30, 2008 8:16:29 GMT
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Stick to mig on the body ,much easier! I learned to arc weld by trial and error. Use it all the time on stuff . As a very rough rule of thumb and a starting point,I find if the welder is set to about 100/110 amps ,using a 2.5 rod ,it will weld 4mm steel nicely . Up the amps for thicker metal,up the rod size if reqd as well."Stroke" the rod onto the surface to arc up.use figure of eight type movements,rocking the rod from side to side . If you find you have too much hand shakiness(like me) cut the rod in half to reduce the shake.........ONLY MY OPINIONS,DISCLAIMER ETC!
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Sept 30, 2008 8:22:35 GMT
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Believe it or not, ALDI supermarkets were selling auto-dim welding helmets for about £40!
As long as it works properly thats an absolute bargain!
(still kicking myself for not buying one...)
Even if ALDI no longer have them in stock, it goes to show people can sell them cheap enough!
Check fleabay...?
(plus I'm certain they're selling basic MiG welders at the moment under £80. It might not be the most sophisticated kit, but if your doing basic bodywork, it'll bring a little more finesse then the Arc kit!)
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IDY
Part of things
Posts: 893
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Sept 30, 2008 8:22:41 GMT
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It did come with a useless mask, are there any you recommend? I'm glad you can use them for chassis work, I guess tis just a steep learning curve, like knowing the thickness of the rods to use and stuff, made a right mess of it, ended up giving it to a professional! Have a look round this forum |
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I will get round to finishing it at some point
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Darrel
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,167
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Sept 30, 2008 8:24:30 GMT
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Ive been looking at those 20 amp arc welders supposadly for cars. Also there is an attachment you can buy that goes on the torch that pulses the current meaning its supposed to do thion metal. Not sure about either. I honestly prefer arc to mig. Purely because its what I'm used to.
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Arc welding...Deleted
@Deleted
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Sept 30, 2008 9:57:47 GMT
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I'd also say stick to MIG. It's easier and neater on car stuff.
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Sept 30, 2008 10:15:41 GMT
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I would say stick with MIG unless you have a decent quality arc unit that can do very low current. I believe some of the fancy new inverter units are suitable for thin sheet. My brother-in-law fancies buying one to replace his chunky transfomer buzzbox when funds allow, but untill then when i can try it out I do all my body and chassis work with MIG.
Its definately possible to arc car bodywork using a normal set, but its not easy for a novice. On one hand you could say go for an easy ife and get a MIG, on the other hand, you could say if you persevere and learn with what you have, you will become a good welder and MIG will be a breeze to pick up.
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1986 Panda 4x4.
1990 Metro Sport.
1999 Ford Escort estate.
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Sept 30, 2008 13:49:38 GMT
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I have one of those low amp welders. I initially figured that I just couldn't weld but I think it just isn't really suited.
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Jaguar S-Type 3.0 SE
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Sept 30, 2008 16:02:33 GMT
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Heh, not just me who cuts the welding rod in half then XD
I find Arc to be better for smaller stuff, since it has that erratic behaviour of not always getting the arc going.
MIG if ultimately ftw, used one countless times at college and am pretty sufficient with it, much more precise welds too.
They seem to be stronger welds out of a MIG too for some reason so for chassis work I'd reccomend its use.
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MrSpeedy
East Midlands
www.vintagediesels.co.uk
Posts: 4,786
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Sept 30, 2008 16:19:22 GMT
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Arc welders ( MMA ) are generally pretty useless for thin section steel, but can be used to bodge stuff together using 1/16" rods.
Much better suited to thicker ( 3mm + ) section.
Stick with MIG for the thin stuff.
BTW Arc welding, if done properly, produces a far superior weld in terms of both strength and appearance than MIG when done properly !!!!
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rod
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,953
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.....................but can be brittle..............
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