R tech mig 180 or AC DC r tech 161 tig ?

[fire hazzard]

Hi guys,Ive been wanting to weld aluminium for years,nothing major just boost pipes intercoolers ect.
I thought I fell on my feet when I started working at a company that did a lot of welding with aluminium,but due to work place politics it was not to be.I was given the chance to buy a ac/dc tig thanks to the tax man,and was tempted to go for the R tech as I had previously purchased the dc model tig and was very happy with it. I got talking to a guy at work who got me thinking about using mig instead and saving myself a small fortune.So decided to have a look at a few youtube videos using low cost hobby migs which in turn got me on ebay lookin at inverter migs.I noticed the mig 180 has a spool gun socket and has mma/scratch tig function,so due to its small size Im thinking of upgrading/downsizing from my jura mig mag 200 to the 180 with a spool gun,which should cover all my welding needs making exhausts and car repairs.The only valid reason i can think of for the tig would be for more practice on aluminium tig,to add to my cv. what are your oppinions guys ?

 

[Hood]

Think you would really need to go for the 250 amp one that R-Tech sell, 180 will probably be on the low side for Alu.
I have the MTS255S and a spool gun and it is much better than I had hoped for and I am delighted with it.
Depending on what thickness of Alu you intend to do then you may be better going for an AC/DC tig, if under 3mm then Tig is my choice, Alu with a Mig under that is not great as you really need to be in spray transfer and with that comes heat.

I also have just bought a Parweld XTT202P AC/DC Tig and it seems excellent so far, only had it a week or so. I got it for £700 plus VAT from my local supplier so not extortionate.

 

[fire hazzard]

Think you would really need to go for the 250 amp one that R-Tech sell, 180 will probably be on the low side for Alu.
I have the MTS255S and a spool gun and it is much better than I had hoped for and I am delighted with it.
Depending on what thickness of Alu you intend to do then you may be better going for an AC/DC tig, if under 3mm then Tig is my choice, Alu with a Mig under that is not great as you really need to be in spray transfer and with that comes heat.

I also have just bought a Parweld XTT202P AC/DC Tig and it seems excellent so far, only had it a week or so. I got it for £700 plus VAT from my local supplier so not extortionate.

I don't have a power supply to run that beast

 

[choco]

I have a Clarke 160 mig with a spool gun. It does work and is handy for repairing alu castings like motorcycle engine casings levers etc.its good to get you out of a hole. I also have a stahlwerk 200 ac/dc tig. Tig for alu is far far better especially if you are going to be making catch cans, tanks, welding pipes etc. After I got the tig its what I use now for all aluminum.

 

[Hood]

I don't have a power supply to run that beast

You say you already have a 200 amp mig so why not get a spool gun for that if it runs ok on the power you have available?

Having said that I would go for the Parweld XTT202 Tig as it runs on 16 Amp which I must presume you have if you are running a 200amp mig.

 

[fire hazzard]

You say you already have a 200 amp mig so why not get a spool gun for that if it runs ok on the power you have available?

Having said that I would go for the Parweld XT

I have a Clarke 160 mig with a spool gun. It does work and is handy for repairing alu castings like motorcycle engine casings levers etc.its good to get you out of a hole. I also have a stahlwerk 200 ac/dc tig. Tig for alu is far far better especially if you are going to be making catch cans, tanks, welding pipes etc. After I got the tig its what I use now for all aluminum.

whats the stahlwerk like are you running it of 16 amps and whats the warranty offered with them?
T202 Tig as it runs on 16 Amp which I must presume you have if you are running a 200amp mig.

hi my current mig is rated at 200 amps but Ive never ran it at the max.Given its age I dare say it wouldn't know what to do with 200 amps it was made in west Germany. So its a bit elderly but its fine working on exhausts and body work,and its never tripped the electrics.

 

[fire hazzard]

You say you already have a 200 amp mig so why not get a spool gun for that if it runs ok on the power you have available?

Having said that I would go for the Parweld XTT202 Tig as it runs on 16 Amp which I must presume you have if you are running a 200amp mig.

no socket for a spool gun on the jura.going to sell it on to help finance its replacement.

 

[Hood]

no socket for a spool gun on the jura.going to sell it on to help finance its replacement.

You don't need a socket, you could do it two ways, one would be to just hack into the wiring and fit the spool gun that way or you could splash out on the excellent TecArc SGS360 spool gun, it fits on any mig that has a Euro connection as it has its own control box inline with the lead. I have used one for probably 10 years and it still works well. I think TecArc also do the smaller 250 amp version which should be cheaper.

Having said that I think you would be better keeping your mig and getting an AC/DC tig for Alu.

My first Mig, that I got for welding Alu, was a Sterling 180amp, it was a heavy built machine compared to the norm but even it did not put down what I would call an excellent weld, it always seemed too cold for my liking.

 

[Richard.]

boost pipes intercoolers ect.

If this is the sort of work your looking to provide paying customers it's almost certainly got to be GTAW.
To the car boys buying this sort of stuff appearance is every bit as important as the performance these things offer.
Some of this material is quite thin with intricate welds needed doing. Tig will give you the control needed and better appearance on the thinner walled stuff. Alu Mig can look nice too but it's never gonna match a GTAW joint for aesthetics imo and that's what these people buy into.

 

[T0rnado69]

I have a Clarke 160 mig with a spool gun. It does work and is handy for repairing alu castings like motorcycle engine casings levers etc.its good to get you out of a hole..

what thickness can that do ?

 

[choco]

I didn't measure but engine casings are quite thick. You need to pre heat it first.