how expensive is tig to weld with

[s410man]

is tig a lot more expensive than mig to use as at the moment appearance of welds is more important than speed as im making some hurdles which must be strong and look good

will still use mig for mild steel probs but for alu i was thinking of tig

so with the gas filler rods etc is it more expensive than mig

thanks

 

[pedrobedro]

Yes it is.

 

[malcolm]

For aluminium you need AC TIG which starts at £1000 new. TIGs also use more shielding gas (at least they do when I'm at the wheel). Consumables are neither here nor there for th amount I do. The process takes longer than MIG which will influence the price you would charge.

On the other hand TIG is MUCH easier than MIG for aluminium.

 

[langy]

Yes, gas can be a big expense. Use TIG rods not gas rods.

Big advantages are no clean up and a better looking job.

is tig a lot more expensive than mig to use as at the moment appearance of welds is more important than speed as im making some hurdles which must be strong and look good

will still use mig for mild steel probs but for alu i was thinking of tig

so with the gas filler rods etc is it more expensive than mig

thanks

 

[Autolupus]

For aluminium you need AC TIG which starts at £1000 new. TIGs also use more shielding gas (at least they do when I'm at the wheel). Consumables are neither here nor there for th amount I do. The process takes longer than MIG which will influence the price you would charge.

On the other hand TIG is MUCH easier than MIG for aluminium.

Really? I would have said the opposite was true.

 

[s410man]

For aluminium you need AC TIG which starts at £1000 new. TIGs also use more shielding gas (at least they do when I'm at the wheel). Consumables are neither here nor there for th amount I do. The process takes longer than MIG which will influence the price you would charge.

On the other hand TIG is MUCH easier than MIG for aluminium.

what would a dcent one cost

i mean the £350 ebay mig tig and mma ones are obviousely crap but how expensive do you have to go to get a tidy one

dont want a £5000 as going to be using it very little after this one job but will hopefully bring in a fair bit of money so may almost pay for it then

thanks

 

[Wriggler]

For ali you need ac

The cheaper ones are only dc, the more expensive ones are ac/dc.

Something like this should do, just check it will run off 240v.

If it is single phase it should be ok
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TIG-WELDER-BUTTERS-AMT-AC-DC-200-/300458578786?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3

 

[Angusdog]

Really? I would have said the opposite was true.

TIG is more controllable esp. with a foot control, which you need for aluminium in my experience (Not an expert, more 'enthusiast' level). MIG relies on the settings being right on the machine, whereas TIG you can control based on the weld puddle etc.

It's a bit of a pain having to have argon and argoshield (or CO2) for both machines, but I was doing a small job on Sunday and ran out of MIG wire so just continued with the TIG machine.

In 'stepping up' to TIG and especially an AC/DC machine, you can also pay a small amount more and get plasma cutting function, so it can be a versatile machine. They'll normally also do stick, but that's less of a factor for me.

 

[langy]

I have a GYS160HF TIG i bought when i first started tig welding and I used it for 3 years or so and it was a great little machine to use for steel & stainless, They come up on Ebay quite often and if you want a small DC machine you won't go far wrong with one in my opinion.
I've seen them for £200 on ebay.

I still have mine as its so portable if i need to use it elsewhere, Its really very light.

I presume the ally you would be using on hurdles would be no thicker than 3mm ??? If so the Parweld XTI 200 AC/DC would be a good little machine for little money.

 

[busastars]

Depends on the type of job your doing in my opinion. Difference in machine and cost depends more on "what", and not "what with" if that makes any sence.

Aluminium can be done with any welder but depends how much you do or what it is for.

As for steel, still again depends as if it was for working on the car, making gates or doing realy thin stuff.

I'm not as expereanced as most on here but I have found when using a Mig my flow was about 4 lpm, with Tig im arround 8-10 lpm. Double usage and also Pure argon is quite expensive and not as easy to get your hands on. Also welding rods are quite expensive where as you can get a large real of Mig wire local from about £15

I've had a little play with my el'cheapo Giant 200A DC tig with some scrap Ally. I managed to weld it together but never welded Ally before in my life and it was a mess, sure with a little more expereance I could manage to bodge what I need in the future. Also if your doing mostly car work and the odd little bit of Ally then Mig might be your best option.

Have you got any expereance in eather Mig or Tig? I see your in Wales, what part, if your local your more than welcome to drop by one day and have a little play.

 

[s410man]

think mig may be better as after this one big job on hurdles-could be over 200 potentially i will have very little use for it afterwards so i think a slightly less pretty job with mig would be better

should be using a fairly good mig so hopefully it will go okay

im in the brecon area so probably not far from you

thanks for all the advice-still hoping to get a tig but wont be for a few years until i have a businesss set up and running

thanks

 

[mike os]

200?? if you stick a tenner on every one you can get a very nice tig at "no cost"... even a £5 will get you a decent set

and if it is only a few months old you would have no grief selling it at a decent price i would think.

 

[heinz57]

Yes, gas can be a big expense. Use TIG rods not gas rods.

Big advantages are no clean up and a better looking job.

Whats the difference between gas rods and tig rods, cheers Langy.

 

[NTwoO]

I would say that TIG is more expensive purely on the speed of the process. This uses quite a bit of gas, esp when you're starting.

The statement that TIG is easier is a double edged sword. TIG has the ability to add heat without material. With MIG, you always add heat with material. Welding on a bench, the TIG is in my opinion a little easier, even though it requires a steadier hand. For MIG, you only need one hand and the distance control from the weld pool is not as critical. It thus depends on the size of the work piece (bigger pieces become more difficult to position) and position in which you weld, whether it is easier or not.

 

[Rick]

TIG is more controllable esp. with a foot control, which you need for aluminium in my experience (Not an expert, more 'enthusiast' level). MIG relies on the settings being right on the machine, whereas TIG you can control based on the weld puddle etc.

It's a bit of a pain having to have argon and argoshield (or CO2) for both machines, but I was doing a small job on Sunday and ran out of MIG wire so just continued with the TIG machine.

In 'stepping up' to TIG and especially an AC/DC machine, you can also pay a small amount more and get plasma cutting function, so it can be a versatile machine. They'll normally also do stick, but that's less of a factor for me.

I don't think any of the "decent" Tig's do the plasma cutting thing as well, thats just the ebay machines I think.

 

[NTwoO]

If you have a use case where the materials change constantly, then TIG is really the only way. With TIG switching materails is a doddle. For this reason combi machines are often not that desirable. Switching gas or nozzle is so much of a hassle that people just end up leaving the machine in TIG.