randall977 Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 I bought a mig welder years ago when I restored my last TR4 back in '95 but didn't get on with it because of the mask and the gas, and here's why; I couldn't see what I was doing until it was too late, the gas was an extra complication for an activity I was not used to and it ran out quickly. So I am in my early 30's I have bought an auto mask to get round my first issue but am not sure what welder to get. I want something simple and easy to use - no gas would be good? I will prcatice and I have patience but I am put off if I think as task has too many variables...if that makes any sense at all! Any advice greatfully recived, I have a lot of welding to do... I have just bought a spot welding gun (one sided) and have the use of an arc welder but it's no good for seams...is it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
randall977 Posted January 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 It's okay - I've joined a MIG welding Forum... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 I bought a mig welder years ago when I restored my last TR4 back in '95 but didn't get on with it because of the mask and the gas, and here's why; I couldn't see what I was doing until it was too late, the gas was an extra complication for an activity I was not used to and it ran out quickly. So I am in my early 30's I have bought an auto mask to get round my first issue but am not sure what welder to get. I want something simple and easy to use - no gas would be good? I will prcatice and I have patience but I am put off if I think as task has too many variables...if that makes any sense at all! Any advice greatfully recived, I have a lot of welding to do... I have just bought a spot welding gun (one sided) and have the use of an arc welder but it's no good for seams...is it? I think you will find a MIG welder with shielding gas to be your best option for car restoration. I understand that in some regions the gas can be expensive or difficult for the hobbyist to obtain but unless you are doing all of your welding outdoors in the wind the shielding gas will be cleaner and easier to use with less risk of contamination than the flux coated wire used in gas less MIG welding. The spot welder will be handy for some seams (I could use one right now in fact) and the arc welder might be better for frame repairs if you have a wimpy MIG welder but it is hard to beat the versatility of the MIG and the easy learning curve. Stan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Hi Christian, the no-gas MIGs are usless. Buy the best MIG you can afford (it will pay itself back over the years). Look around for any college evening courses in MIG welding. There are a few places in West London (Twickenham/Kingston) that do them or a local garage may oblige!! . The Clarke Weld units function but are iffy although cheap - go for better. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trderek Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 I'm welding most day's in my every day job, Mig is the way to go for Body/Chassis/Brackets/ Pipe work just about every thing on a TR, but the best advise I can give you is keep the gas low pressure as people I've helped over the years nearly always have the gas pressure up to high which just helps them blow holes everywhere, Make sure you always cut back to good steel, don't try to weld rust no point !! get it as clean as poss and get the joints as tight as poss , as for the welding its just practice practice practice best bet is on the bench with scraps, it is easy when it clicks Good Luck Quote Link to post Share on other sites
randall977 Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Thanks for the tips, really helpful. I think I will have to go for gas as the gasless option has drawbacks (as you've pointed out). Looks like I'll probably have to spend around £500/600 but I have a lot of welding to do! The TR just needs a new rear valance but my next project needs a whole lot more... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
littlejim Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) I played around with mine on practice pieces until I'd used up the first tank of argon/co2.** I ended up leaving my gas flow on 12 l/min for just about everything; upped it a bit when making the cross body stays which were heavier steel. ** by the end of the tank I thought I'd got the hang of it, and the bits stayed stuck together (much to my surprise.) There are some good sites with videos available on the web (sorry, down the coast and all the references are back in Canberra) I adopted the 'throw it on now- sort it out later' approach, carving the final shape you look at with the angle grinder. However by waving the tip up and down a bit I sometimes got a result that resembled the pictures you see on the welding sites. (A vivid imagination helps.) Main thing is to have a go, and for important bits to have a practice on similar thickness metal. Edited January 18, 2011 by littlejim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
randall977 Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 I think it's a skill which is well worth mastering so I'm going to go for it - it could open up many more car restoration possibilities! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 The best bit of advice that I picked up was using intemittent welds to avoid burning holes in thin steel. Its covered in some detail on the MIG welding forum and once you get the hang of it, you can motor along keeping all the dots joined up. At which point you realise you have put in too much heat in one go and your workpiece has distorted. Oh and when you are doing plug welds (as a substitute for spot welds) make sure that the hole in your top sheet is big enough to allow the arc to strike properly on the back sheet. If you only have a small hole there is a tendency for the arc to go for the edge of the hole in the front sheet and you don't get any penetration to the back with the result that the weld comes apart fairly easily - ask me how I know this! Rgds Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
randall977 Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Thanks for the tips. A while back I was trying to think of ways to avoid learning to weld so I bought a spot weld gun in the hope of a nice and easy way of joining some bits of metal - ever seen one before? I haven't used it yet but you plug it into an arc welder... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ade-TR4 Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Check out your local technical college. Our local one in in Tameside runs a classic cars restoration course and can lead to NVQ quals too. The instruction is first rate and covers all aspects of body-work/ welding. Pete Knapper, owner of a fine TR4, runs our local one (coincidentally): He may have some info on other ocurses around the country... Ade Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Thanks for the tips. A while back I was trying to think of ways to avoid learning to weld so I bought a spot weld gun in the hope of a nice and easy way of joining some bits of metal - ever seen one before? I haven't used it yet but you plug it into an arc welder... I have one of these in the garage somewhere. I bought it years ago when I was restoring an A-H. Thay don't work unless you have both surfaces firmly clamped together and scrupulously clean (as in the photo). For my Triumph I have used plug welds - much easier - and if I was doing it again, I would get a spot welder. Rgds Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest colinTR2 Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Chris, When I rebuilt my TR2 I enrolled with Maidstone Tech for their bodywork restoration course. I actually got quite good at gas welding, acetylene etc, but decided this was a bit dangerous for the home garage. So I bought a MIG set. Don't mess around with CO2, my neighbour did this and didn't stay with it for long. Argon is the cleanest to work with. It is quite expensive, you have to rent the bottle from BOC and then pay for an exchange refill. I did the course for 3 years, the first term was basics, then I took the rear half of the body in to work on. It had fallen apart when removed from the chassis. The rear took 18 months, front was no problem by comparison, just outer edges of the inner wings and footwells. Then I finally resprayed the body the following Xmas holidays when the college had no students. the guy running the course was really a consultant by this stage, a "how do you??" person. Yes, with hindsight I would have bought/borrowed a spot welder from the start (fleabay??) I used the doors as the vital bits, get them hanging with sills and floors in position and then make the wings fit to the doors. best of luck Colin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
randall977 Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Thanks for the advice colin, the spot welder comment seems quite a common one. I guess it's not suitable for patches and difficult to reach repairs but ideal for panels... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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