In Defense of the "mud gun"...

[1FATGMC]

   

I got a plasma cutter the other day    and I needed a cart for it.  I designed, cut the metal and welded up the one above in about 4 hours with my trusty mig.

Ok Rex    as I was doing the welds on this one after another (I figure about 80+ inches worth) I got to thinking about a TIG and how long this simple project would have taken with one of those.

I still would like to have a TIG, but if I only had one welder you couldn't get the mig away from me.

c ya ,

Sum

[donsrods]

Really nice work on that stand.  I was watching a show on TV the other night,(I think cut, chop, rebuild) and they went to a place that builds front end components, like MMII tubular upper arms, etc.  They tigs the ends, but migged the braces on them, because of the speed factor, and mig was fine for that.  

I broke down and bought Dan a Miller Tig for Xmas, because he loves to play with this stuff, and I knew he would enjoy it.  I had to give it to him early, and we were talking the other night, and he still has no intentions of switching to the Tig for everything.  It just doesn't make sense to tig every weld he does.  His Mig will still be one of the main tools we use in the shop, and the Tig will come in handy for body panels, aluminum components, etc.

In fact, I plan to dust off my old Lincoln 220 arc welder, and start doing some of my own stuff with it.  I like it for heavy steel, and feel I get good penetration with it.

Don

[purplepickup]

Yeah, I like that cart too.  That's a design I might just copy.  I've got all that 1X1 tubing that came off that trailer I got from you.

[bowtietillidie]

I worked in the construction Industry as a union boilermaker/ welder I carried several certifications .    I  belive that one important thing has been overlooked that being strenght.    Here is a simple test any one can do that has both mig&tig  take two pieces of  of eighteen gage metal and tack them together in a butt weld using your mig make your tack should be about 1/4" long.
Now do the same using the tig . Oh yes I almost forgot make sure your metal is clean.   Now take one of the pieces stick it in a vice get some vice grips clamp on the free end of the test strip .  Now bend back and fourth till it breaks  the mig will break in about four back and fourth bending motions.
Ok now do your tig weld I think you will be very supprised at how much tuffer the mig is. Another thing mig is very messy, lots of grinding to get reid of the little buck shot.    I use my tig for a root pass on every thing. If I am doing sheet metal I will tack with the mig than go to the tig as I come to the mig tacks I grind then down and tig over them. years ago I work on a U.S.A.C. sprint car and all the welds had to have certs on them    We used tig as a root  Filler rod was e-70-s2  the stick rod used was7018-b-2 if I  remember correctly.

[tomslik]

i've got a snap-on mig/tig welder now....haven't used the tig much, don't have a bottle of argon at the moment, no hi freq so i can't do aluminum but i seldom need to weld aluminum anyway.
had a matco/century mig before that but i didn't feel it was enough welder for heavier metal although it was a * good welder.
i know NHRA sez tig only on chromemoly...tig or mig on mild steel cages

[Carps]

Nice bit of design and fabrication there Sum.

I just wish there was an affordable Plasma Cutter available down this neck of the woods.

[btrc]

I have both a MIG and a TIG.  I wouldn't do without either of them. The MIG is super handy and necesary if the piece don't fit perfect.  I do tend to use the TIG more though.  I'm usually not in too much of a hurry.

Bob

[C9]

   

I got a plasma cutter the other day    and I needed a cart for it.  I designed, cut the metal and welded up the one above in about 4 hours with my trusty mig.

Ok Rex    as I was doing the welds on this one after another (I figure about 80+ inches worth) I got to thinking about a TIG and how long this simple project would have taken with one of those.

I still would like to have a TIG, but if I only had one welder you couldn't get the mig away from me.

c ya ,

Sum

Yeah, me too.

My little MIG is the one that gets the most use.

Here's a very simple cart I knocked out.
Low for two reasons, not prone to tip over and the welder can be stored under the table saw extension.

Did the same for my TIG welder you see covered up in back.

[C9]

Here's a bandsaw stand I made.
Beats heck out of the legs-on-one-end sheet metal tables they come with.

Two improvements could be made on this one.
Expanded metal instead of 16 gage for a bottom shelf for the cutoffs.
That way, sawdust would drift right on through instead of collecting.

A second shelf higher up for accessories would be nice.
One o' these days....

[C9]

Here's a couple pics of the drill press stand.

Made of 1" x 2" x .120 wall rectangualar tubing - as were the bandsaw stand and welder carts.
(Had a bunch of it left over after the 31's 32 frame build.)


The drill press shelf would have been better made of expanded metal, but I had some 16 gage on hand so it got usd.

The stainless tray on the left side is really handy.
After moving the drill press from the workbench - where it was too high, I needed a place to set stuff.

It was a big improvement to get the drill press down to a reasonable height.

The tray is JB Welded to two 1" x 1" square tubing pieces that bolt to the drll press table.
It's been a really handy gadget.

[C9]

One last one and I'll shut up.

Take note of the lathe.

It's bolted to a 6" channel base  turned sideways and welded into a rectangular form.

Main reason was to get the lathe up in height.
Lots easier on the neck and back this way.

The added weight seems to help the lathe run smoother.

[1FATGMC]

........I broke down and bought Dan a Miller Tig for Xmas, because he loves to play with this stuff, and I knew he would enjoy it.  .....................
Don

Let me know which one you got and how you like it.

Yeah, I like that cart too. That's a design I might just copy. I've got all that 1X1 tubing that came off that trailer I got from you.

Since you are using my design and my metal do I get a commission??   Oh yea, I forgot you paid for the metal .

I worried about this stand maybe being a little tipsy and put the casters out on the edge (don't look good), but it is very stable.  I added the pieces on the sides to wrap the air hose, ground wire and the gun around and they work good.

I still want a tig and can see where they have real benefits for some things, but for most things and if you can only afford one I still say the mig is where to put your money.

c ya,

Sum

[WZ JUNK]

I just spent $500 getting my mig fixed.  It had a multitude of things wrong with it.  It now welds better than ever.  I probably should have spent the money towards a new one but this one will probably last as long as I am still able to weld.

I recent got out my Lincoln stick welder when the mig was being fixed.  I forgot how well a stick welder works on heavier metal.  There is more clean up but I have more confidence in the welds.

John

[river1]

I recent got out my Lincoln stick welder when the mig was being fixed.  I forgot how well a stick welder works on heavier metal.  There is more clean up but I have more confidence in the welds.

John

for the members out there that don't realize it a tig unit, with a simple swap of the leads, can be used as a stick welder.

later jim

[donsrods]

for the members out there that don't realize it a tig unit, with a simple swap of the leads, can be used as a stick welder.



Yep, we were surprised to see arc welding leads came with our new Tig.

Don