Quote:
Originally Posted by RidingDonkeys
I have learned that the proper shielding gas is worth its weight in gold. The right shielding gas can help an amateur look like he knows what he's doing.
This especially applies when welding aluminum. I'm pretty sure you won't have that in your future, but if you do, be forewarned.
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I am currently looking at buying a tig welder that will also do stick welding. For fine stuff tig is the way to go. It so happens that you dont -HAVE- to use dc for aluminium as it prefers a near 50/50 polarity. 50 part for welding/heating and the other 50 for keeping the work area clean.
The trick is having enough power to keep an arc struck. More power makes it easier but is more inclined to blow holes in the work. You need to have the right sized rod for the workpiece and then use enough power to get a good penetration without blowing holes, or without running too cold so it does not penetrate. You want a finished surface that tends toward concave, not convex.
Using gas is cheaper if you weld a lot. for very occasional use the flux coated rods are ok, but gas gives a better weld. Also using gas gives a greater range of welding materials. For critical welds I sometimes will buy expensive rods ( eutectic) which welds/flows better than mild steel.
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