Waldi Posted July 19, 2020 Report Share Posted July 19, 2020 I have been tempted to buy a TIG welder besides my MIG, but still to little use. A good MIG welder can do most welding on our cars. I did not have to use TIG during a full body off restoration. Even an additional boss for the lambda sensor on the SS exhaust was welded with MIG (but with an austenitic wire). If the car was aluminium bodied it would be different. Just a thought. Waldi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
boxofbits Posted July 19, 2020 Report Share Posted July 19, 2020 I did buy an R-Tech TIG 160 from the NEC last November. I think it was less than £400 all in for a show price . It’s only a DC model but will do fine for thin sheet steel. Having said that you can still blow holes as it’s a bit of a technique like the old gas welding when using a filler rod and requires a lot of continuous concentration! Striking the arc and feeding the rod does take practice otherwise your nice sharp electrode tip ends up looking very ball shaped in no time! You can grind them up but it’s all extra time. The reason I went for R-Tech is that they are UK based, have good customer service over the phone, and have a 3 year warranty so if that machine you paid all that money for does go wrong you can get them to sort it out- hence I avoided all the foreign machines and manufacturers though I’ve no doubt there are other good welders out there. Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mtrehy Posted July 19, 2020 Report Share Posted July 19, 2020 (edited) I've got a R-tech 160AC/DC Tig. very nice machine. Not my first TIG but as good as a better known much more expensive brand that I had previously. I still use the MIG for 95% of stuff and there's no doubt you could do a decent restoration with mig only. That said the more you use TIG the more you appreciate the difference and for me the option to occasionally weld aluminium is important. Generally I will use TIG for anything I can do on a bench i.e door repairs, panels off the car etc. On the car it's nearly always MIG and anything thick. TIG needs much more time and care spent on the repair panel and fit up. you can't get away with the same as you can with the mig. If you have TIG try some silicon bronze rods (if you haven't already). i really like them for low amp non-structural stuff. You need a decent mask for TIG - you really need to see what you are doing, a £20 auto-darkening mask is not going to cut it. Nice example of TIG on a tr6 door. High quality work. I've done the same repair a few times with MIG and while it would look the same with paint on it you can see the advantage of TIG. Clearly not his first rodeo. Edited July 19, 2020 by mtrehy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Morrison Posted July 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2020 I know Trevs blog and follow all his stuff, really like his method of teaching. I,ve seen this TR 6 frame repair before and it's really the bees knees, I recommend subscribing to his blog, Its good stuff. John. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
boxofbits Posted July 20, 2020 Report Share Posted July 20, 2020 17 hours ago, John Morrison said: I know Trevs blog and follow all his stuff, really like his method of teaching. I,ve seen this TR 6 frame repair before and it's really the bees knees, I recommend subscribing to his blog, Its good stuff. John. Hi John I think he was restoring a TR6 at his work. He also made a piece for the left side of the front panel which patched in perfectly. A ‘real’ and authentic restoration as opposed to replacing every panel in sight. Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PodOne Posted July 20, 2020 Report Share Posted July 20, 2020 +1 for Trevs Youtube vids his workmanship is something to aspire to! Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Arec Johnson Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 On 7/18/2020 at 5:09 PM, RogerH said: Hi John, what price list have you been looking at https://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/welding-equipment/tig-welder/ They start at £360 and then head north. Stuarts welder was from Poland so OK it is cheaper but when it cons out I know which I would have. Roger Hi John, Thanks for sharing the link. I was looking for the DC tig welder under 500$. By visiting your shared link I've found my required product. But I am confused about one thing that are these tig welders made by r-techwelding? Because I've not seen these products on Amazon etc. However, I want to buy this R-Tech DC TIG Welder 160 Amp 240v. Tell me what's the procedure. Thanks, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 Hi Arec welcome to the forum. Are you happy with the DC model. I doing Aluminium so the AC is recommended - that is what I ended up with. I gave them a phone call first and then ordered on line. It turned up pretty quick. I found it a little confusing as what is included etc You will need a selection of collets and electrodes - different sizes and materials I am using Hobbyweld gas (argon) - google for your nearest supplier. R-Tech supply all the consumables (except the gas) and are very quick on delivery. Welding steel is easier/neater than MIG (for me) and you can get some nice weld beads. Good luck Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tthomson Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 (edited) On 7/18/2020 at 11:31 AM, john.r.davies said: TiG has a lot more to know about and adjust than gas (two flow controls) or MiG (one gas flow, one wire flow and one intensity setting). Things like starting, pulse, slope, duty cycle, etc. as well! Years ago, having some Mig experience, I did a Saturday course at the local College of Knowledge. It was rubbish, except for getting your hands on good equipment and lots of practice. Little instruction , no supervision, just get on with it. I learnt nothing, but I was a better welder for the practice. Anyone had a better experience on a TiG course. Especially in the North West? Not in the North West, but Dorset Rural Crafts run welding courses and cater for Arc, MIG, TIG, and also using plasma cutters. They are located near Shaftesbury. As a total novice on arrival, I was competent using a MIG after a one day course. I have considered going back for a TIG course, but Covid has intervened. As a person who has run training courses most of my adult life, I thought the tutor was better than excellent. It is worth looking at www.craftcourses.com at welding courses. TT Edited March 19, 2021 by tthomson Additional info Quote Link to post Share on other sites
boxofbits Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 23 hours ago, Arec Johnson said: Hi John, Thanks for sharing the link. I was looking for the DC tig welder under 500$. By visiting your shared link I've found my required product. But I am confused about one thing that are these tig welders made by r-techwelding? Because I've not seen these products on Amazon etc. However, I want to buy this R-Tech DC TIG Welder 160 Amp 240v. Tell me what's the procedure. Thanks, As far as I’m aware kit from R-Tech is made in China. I bought a new MIG this week ( have a TIG from them also) as my 33 year old Eland 130 was giving up the ghost. I looked at GYS which is a French manufacturer and for a similar 180 amp single phase they are cheaper by about £90. However, GYS only offered a 2 year warranty against 3 years from R-Tech, and although R-Tech may not manufacture they do repair, AND down to PCB component level, not a new board. Their customer service and delivery is also excellent. If a welder lasts 10 years or longer what’s £90 extra to worry about? Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 If you go on the R-Tech website they give short tutorials for their digital and analogue TIG's for all the metal types and reasonable thickness range and lay up. Once you have the base knob settings it all seems to fall into place. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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