TIG or MIG?

[pepsbro]

I have since been able to talk to a couple of pro welder guys. They laughed at me when I asked them about mig and tig for motorcycle welding. They both said there isn't a piece of steel on a bike that you can't properly weld with a mig welder

 

[claybear]

As most people have posted, it's really all about personal preference. Most guys probably built their first bike with an arc welder, and if they were just learning the basics it was probably a cheap sears one at that. With a little patience, pretty much anything can be done with whatever equipment is available. Don't get me wrong, sure it would be nice if everyone could afford a good tig welder, but most people can't. These companies that sell the rear ends and what not realize that we're not all equally equipped, that's why they make the parts like they do. When it comes to welding a rear onto a bike, with sleeves or plugs, you can pretty much use whatever. Wouldn't recommend butt welding anything though.

 

[Clerek]

My welder used arc to weld the frame. Guy is a certified and pro tube welder... Welds were a pain to cleanup...

 

[Teebs]

I had my brother do some of the crucial welds on my XS frame. The top monoshock mount was done with an arc welder. Once I clean it up, you won't know it wasn't TIG welded. It looks like cake decoration. Because my bro is that good. Arc throws a lot of crap though.

I learned on an arc welder, still prefer MIG over anything else. Used TIG a lot when I was getting my Master's in sculpture. I did a series of masks based on "primitive" designs in copper, brass, bronze, aluminum and steel. Combining all of these metals with a TIG was part of my Master's process.

If you love working metal you will eventually want to work with all of these forms of welding. If you're just interested in welding steel on auto/cycle frames and some sheet metal/ pipe work, buy a MIG 140 and be done with it. It is the best all around welder, and all you will ever need.

 

[Ghetto]

I couldn't imagine stick welding a bike.

 

[Clerek]

Why? I had someone who has good equipment and is certified do mine and other than the welds needing extra cleanup, it seems fine...

I don't get how one type of welding would be better other than ease of use. It took a bit longer than my other frame I had mig welded, but the welds looked about the same...

 

[Teebs]

lol I've ridden chops that were entirely stick welded together back in the '70s. My first chop was a Sportster with a stick welded raked neck. Back in the day most people didn't have access to anything else. My Sportster was still on the road last I knew and that was stick welded back in '85.

 

[chopperguy650]

if your mig is too small for your material, just preheat with a torch and run more wirespeed. theres a way around everything.

 

[DLD1]

Just have to put in my 2 cents. I've been welding for 40 years. I have welded all sorts of things together. I designed and built 7 SCCA race cars from the ground up. Some were stick welded, some were MIG welded, and some gas welded. All were fine, and never had a weld fail under some pretty harsh use. Stick is a pain to clean up, as can be MIG, I personally prefer gas or TIG, but I didn't have access to TIG when I built the cars. If you know what you're doing, any of the usual forms of welding, or even brazing, are more than adequate. Most of the Engish race cars from the 60's had tube chassis brazed together with much success.

DLD

 

[olddude13]

Mig it !!!

 

[XSLeo]

A car battery and a coat hanger will weld. It's more the skill of the welder than the equipment used that makes a weld good.

 

[gggGary]

A car battery and a coat hanger will weld.

How many amp hour battery and coated or uncoated hanger?

 

[Fatman]

back when "choppers" frist started to show up, and that was out there was A/O gas or stick...

 

[David M]

This has been more help than you can imagine. I like to buy good quality tools and had convinced myself that I should go the Tig route. Then it all started to get a bit too expensive given the amount of welding that I saw in my future. That really stalled my in my project. Now, I'm going to head out to my local tool supplier and pick up a Lincoln 140C.

Thanks everyone.

 

[HarleyD]

I may be new to this forum, but I have been welding frames since the early 70's, for road, race and trailbiking, i even built two dirt bike sidecars.

I started with stick ( all i could afford) raked a sportster and then went to O/A. I brazed race frames and with practice they looked like TIG, I used old O/A set and then got a better one, still used stick whenever it was convenient, tried Dillon (as it was then, it is called Henrob now i think) which was real good for exotics. I applied hardfacing with arc and O/A and O/P.

I learned and bought a TIG and finally these days use that and MIG (GAS GAS GAS!!!) mostly, though i still use stick as well. best quality right size rods are the secret to real neat stick arc welding where the scale falls off by itself as the weld cools.

I never had a frame fail in normal (race) use, or on the road or trail.

It is technique that is important, not the method. use what you are good at and can afford, but do not keep going on a job that you (or more importantly, others) do not have full confidence in, if that happens, stop and get help, dont just keep blasting to cover it up.

I am not trade qualified but have an engineering background and was taught OTJ by experts, which i am not. Frame welding that is structural in nature is critical and should be attempted only when you are confident that you can do the job properly. get someone who knows what they are doing to show you how and lots of practice and especially with smaller, individual, less important parts that can be replaced or re-done if you are not happy.

It's not hard, but at first it is not easy.

HD

 

[XSLeo]

You can always just tack it to gether and get it fully welded by a pro. It may cost a bit more but it may save a life.

 

[IADdrummer]

If you are thinking about buying a welder you should figure out a budget my dad and brother bought ours and they got a killer deal used on eBay and it does both rig and stick. But it was like 500 bucks or something they are both pipe welders by trade and swear by it because it is cleaner and stronger!!! I am having them tig my tc bro's hardtail kit if I didn't have them I would just have tc bros do it for like 120 bucks

 

[gmiller217]

I'm going to throw my .02 for what it is worth ... A friend of mine is a professional welder and swears by stick. He can run some really nice beads with 7018 rod and you would swear it had been done with a tig if you hadn't seen him do it. As most have said it doesn't really matter as long as it is done right. The human factor is the biggest one you need to worry about.

 

[MiniDanzig]

wow this thread is great. great to hear everyone's opinions from personal experience. I am most likely going to pay someone to install my hardtail and learn by practicing and doing smaller mounts first, then hopefully do my next frame myself.

my big question deals more with my workspace. i want to get a proper mig setup but i don't have a garage and can only work outdoors. how much wind does it take to affect the shielding gas and contaminate welds? from what i've heard that is the one benefit to having a fluxcore setup.

 

[Jack]

I'm going to throw my .02 for what it is worth ... A friend of mine is a professional welder and swears by stick. He can run some really nice beads with 7018 rod and you would swear it had been done with a tig if you hadn't seen him do it. As most have said it doesn't really matter as long as it is done right. The human factor is the biggest one you need to worry about.

Your .02 just about nails it when referring to professional stick welders workmanship of artistry. About twenty years ago I worked side by side with a professional stick welder who's specialty was welding ammonia pipes and those who think their tig welding resembles art work couldn't hold a lite candle next to this gentleman. But when it comes to motorcycle frame welding a Lincoln 140 HD is ample in handling those needs and more,a great welder for the money.