Tig Vs Mig

[Ashore]

This year I will buy a new welder my experiance with using Mig is zero and Tig is only 5-10 times up to 12 years ago when I retired
I have a stick welder real cheapy that has done all I have asked of it and what it couldn't do the oxy could.
The question is for about $1000-$1500 and knowing I would like to get into the Aluminium field and looking first at BOC who I can get a better price with , what size and type of welder would you suggest can you get good results from tig on aluminium or do you need gas,
The thickness range for Al will only be up to 3mm
I would also prefer to use disposable gas bottles as I cringe each year when the bill for the Oxy Acett comes around and I find I have used Bugger all :doh:

Rgds

[Grahame Collins]

Hi Ashore,
From the excellent background info you gave there is no contest. It's a tig

Why do I think this ?


Aluminium up to 3mm -difficult with mig, but I wont say impossible

You have some tig experience both in the earlier tig use itself and in oxy acyetlene welding in which speed ,movement and manipulation is exactly like tig.

Your budget of course might place you with a non inverter tig possibly even a second hand unit.there are many good smaller brand names available as business upgrade to inverters.

Some where back in the past I think I did a calculation on the SIP brand disposable cylinder at $30 to $40 each.
From memory I think, you get 7 or 8 minutes flat out from a cylinder.

I do empathize with you, cylinder rental is a real pain in the rrrs but if you were going to going to do this as regular thing, a gas rental cylinder will be far cheaper option than disposables.

I hope this assists you.
Grahame

[Grahame Collins]

Ashore,
I chased up disposable cylinders. They are about 350 tall x 80 OD with really low cylinder pressure.
Just to give you a comparison.

http://www.transquip.com.au/product.aspx?ID=1648&PARENT=471

Grahame.

[Ashore]

Thanks Grahame for the responces and the link, budget isn't that important , so I will go with the Tig inverter option , now to realy push the friendship 3 more questions if I may, is brand important , any to stay clear of other than the cheep chinnese improts, do you have any brand prefferences , and what size would I need for up to 2mm al welding

Rgds

Russell

[Grahame Collins]

Hi,
If you are going inverter ,know that the AC/DC inverter which is the only form of AC inverter(AC being needed for Ally ) that I am aware of, is expensive in comparison with its DC only relatives.

Brand

As far as brand goes basically any on the big welding manufacturers.The following are all off the top of my head.

Fronius,Kemppi,Miller,Lincoln (Boc will be a rebadged machinesomeone here I think, mentioned BOC may re badge Kemppi), are the big players. Rehm (German) now being sold in Aus that has a bit of European history.

Preferences
Fronious Kemppi are the rolls /royces of the bunch

Max Amps

Not having done much thin ally in tig I'm struggling here but will have a guess and say around maybe 90.
The problem though is though virtually all of the contenders will have likely in excess of 150 amps available.They will all go down very low down though. My Fronius Magicwave 1700 will run at 7 amps on Tig.Had it down to 20 on stick.

I trust this new info this does not make the decision harder.
Regards
Grahame