I'm looking to do my exhaust, price quotes from shops are so high I could buy all mandrel bent SS pipes vs aluminiumized steel pipes they'd bend in house and get a $300 welder to do it myself and pay the same.
I've seen many recommend a MIG welder for thin material and things like exhaust jobs. But is it such a drastic difference between using a MIG welder for that work vs a wire fed one? I can get a wire fed welder from Lincoln for $350 but for $100 more I can get one ready for MIG out of the box. I'd really like to get the best bang for my buck but if I can get away with the cheaper one and not have the odds stacked against me by using stick vs MIG to weld the pipes that would be great.
So my question is should I just pay more and get the MIG because it is much more suited to this type of work, Stainless steel exhaust pipe welding or can I do as good a job with the wire fed welder?
Two models I'm looking at from Homedepot.com model#K2189-1 and model#K2190-1(mig ready)
2007-07-22 06:42:20 · 2 answers · asked by John96 4 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
sensible_man: I had thought MIG meant a gas was used in conjunction with the fed wire and that no gas meant it was a 'wire fed' welder not a MIG unit. Thank you for clearing that up for me.
2007-07-22 07:38:16 · update #1
I congratulate you on your ambition! I would go with the gas ready unit over the plain wire feed. you will find that running the proper gas mix with the proper wire will yield good results. be ready to make mistakes. I would lay enough practice beads to get good before actually tackling the project. TIG is mighty expensive versus the MIG unit and you can use the mig unit for many other automotive projects like body work. take your time, patience is key here.
2007-07-22 19:05:07 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think you have either read something wrong or miswrote this question. MIG is wirefed welding. There are two types. Bare wire with gas and fluxcore wire. MIG welders that use gas are better and require less cleaning after welding. Fluxcore wire requires cleaning off after welding. Fluxcore also wears out the hose liner to your nozzle since it is very rough. Stick welding is difficult to do on thin materials. TIG (heliarc) welding gives the best appearance and is widely used for aluminum and stainless steel.
2007-07-22 07:02:16 · answer #2 · answered by sensible_man 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
With stainless, you might consider a TIG welder.
2007-07-22 07:07:11 · answer #3 · answered by strech 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds to me like you are going to get in over your head (ability). You'll probably mess it up anyway and end up loosing the money you spent because you will have to take it to the shop in the end. Just pay the pro to do it and get on with life. Even I don't do my own exhaust systems.
2007-07-22 16:00:47 · answer #4 · answered by UVHS 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋