fr8cture
I wanna be Dave
Tig is the only way to go for stuff this small imo...
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Best welder?
- Thread starter Hypergarage
- Start date
ROWDY RACING
I wanna be Dave
Travis at work is the best welder.
I've been very happy with my Everlast 200 amp TIG. I have done a lot of MIG, but can't imagine trying to do this little tiny stuff with one! I always cringe a little when I see big gooey blobs covered in flux from people using Harbor Freight 110 welders. Don't get me wrong, I did a lot of work with my old Hobart 110v flux core, but looking back, it still pains me.
K.O.M.
Quarry Creeper
Highly depends on the materials you want to work on.
The problem with a lot of the stuff you find you want to build in RC is that they are either thin-wall or just plain thin and made from something other than mild steel (aluminum, magnesium, stainless).
I'm no expert, but I have been getting about 6 hours routinely every week for the past 6 months of torch time in all processes-stick, flux core, MIG, and TIG. Currently working on projects around 16 ga. sheet in mild steel, stainless, and aluminum.
For an actual arc welder for RC, I would highly recommend a 110/220 TIG machine. AHP, Everlast, and Eastwood all have one under $800. They are all Asian (Chinese) machines, running on inverters, with the Eastwood still using mosfet technology. All the machines above can weld all materials.
You can go as low as $400 for a DC output TIG machine but you will not be able to weld aluminum, and you will not have fine controls (trigger/foot pedal), high frequency start, or pulse control.
You can get a MIG machine, which is actually an excellent all-around welder for projects besides RC, but you will quickly find that your welds will only be tack welds instead of full penetration welds because of the size of the torch and lack of fine adjustment.
You can go with solder or brazing, but then you need a nice torch, which is halfway to the cost of a full featured TIG machine. Then, you will need to figure out fixturing for your project. If I find myself brazing, I usually tack weld the whole project with a TIG torch first anyway (so I already used an arc welder) and then I can be free to braze/solder without worrying about things shifting, as the temps for brazing/soldering can be as low as 400 degrees, which is way below what the tack welds will melt at.
Lots of info, hopefully it all makes sense. If I missed anything, shoot me a PM or preferably, ask here on the thread.
The problem with a lot of the stuff you find you want to build in RC is that they are either thin-wall or just plain thin and made from something other than mild steel (aluminum, magnesium, stainless).
I'm no expert, but I have been getting about 6 hours routinely every week for the past 6 months of torch time in all processes-stick, flux core, MIG, and TIG. Currently working on projects around 16 ga. sheet in mild steel, stainless, and aluminum.
For an actual arc welder for RC, I would highly recommend a 110/220 TIG machine. AHP, Everlast, and Eastwood all have one under $800. They are all Asian (Chinese) machines, running on inverters, with the Eastwood still using mosfet technology. All the machines above can weld all materials.
You can go as low as $400 for a DC output TIG machine but you will not be able to weld aluminum, and you will not have fine controls (trigger/foot pedal), high frequency start, or pulse control.
You can get a MIG machine, which is actually an excellent all-around welder for projects besides RC, but you will quickly find that your welds will only be tack welds instead of full penetration welds because of the size of the torch and lack of fine adjustment.
You can go with solder or brazing, but then you need a nice torch, which is halfway to the cost of a full featured TIG machine. Then, you will need to figure out fixturing for your project. If I find myself brazing, I usually tack weld the whole project with a TIG torch first anyway (so I already used an arc welder) and then I can be free to braze/solder without worrying about things shifting, as the temps for brazing/soldering can be as low as 400 degrees, which is way below what the tack welds will melt at.
Lots of info, hopefully it all makes sense. If I missed anything, shoot me a PM or preferably, ask here on the thread.
I suggest to you LOTOS MIG 175 welder. The unique features of the welding unit, such as the wire feed motor system, make it one of its kind. It is a solid machine from LOTOS and has a reputation for super yet deep weld penetration. This reliable machine had some excellent weld penetration together with a wire feed motor system of functionality. While working with the welding machine that I used to think was the best in the market, I came across the Lotos MIG 175 in a friend's garage.
