Why A Tig Welder Is The Primary Tool In Many Fabrication Shops
A Tig welder specializes in fusing pieces of aluminum together. Tig is also referred to as tungsten inert gas. It's used to blend together aluminum and magnesium among other metals.
During the tig procedure, welds are created between the electrode and the surface that is being worked on. A clean weld is produced as a gas sheild is formed. Using a Tig welder allows you to create various joints, for example: butt, corner, T, and lap joints...
Says Rick Hedrick, veteran custom chopper builder and professional fabricator:
"The Tig Welder (Tungsten Inert Gas also GTAW - Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) - often referred to as HeliArc - will be the center point of most any shop. Most mid range Tig machines operate off of common 220v current and will require a compressed shielding gas - most commonly Argon. When it comes to Tig, both instruction and experience will be necessary for a successful weld. Most mid range machines will weld various materials such as mild and stainless steel, chrome moly, aluminum, copper, brass and others in virtually any thickness from razor blade to 1/2"+. The Tig weld will be the finishing touch to any welding project. If your projects requires top quality, clean and strong welds - Tig is the way to go!"
If you are in the market for a tig machine you can get a nice new one at Norther Tools. Or, you can get a new or used one on Ebay...
The tig procedure requires practice and instruction. Ron Covell is the guy to learn from. Be sure to click on our Bike Building videos for information on his dvd training guide. Also, don't forget to sign up for our free mini course on bike building.
Ebay is a great place to get all kinds of tools and parts for your bike building project. But be a little careful in who you are buying from. We put together an article on how to avoid common mistakes when bidding and buying on Ebay...mistakes that can cost you a lot of time and money. You can read it here.
We wrote an article on Mig welding versus Tig. What's better? Have a read, and let us know what you think. By the way, this article is on a new 'sister' site, so don't get freaked out when you see a different look to the site.
