Arc welders

[Combatcm]

Can an arc welder be used for any RC applications?

[Maxxcrazy]

Yes. What would be rc applications though?

Making a steel chassis
Tube frame
Bumpers/roll bars

Arc wouldn't be good for aluminum though.

[jck_ahk]

1. blow up battery packs by hooking it up like a charger (don't stand to close)
2. make a ramp that will last for ever
3.get a spool gun so you can weld all of your aluminum parts back together after using your awesome ramp.

[Combatcm]

Yeah, say your 1/8 buggy chassis split in half, would the weld hold it together? How about welding a driveshaft back together?

Are they reliable? Are they easy to use? Are those 200 watt $80 ones worth it?

I'm just trying to figure out if I should get one or not.

[Maxxcrazy]

If you want something easy to use, go with a TIG. They are wire fed so you don't have to use a rod like you would with an arc. They are expensive though.

Like I said before, arc wouldn't work as good as others for aluminum.

[RC10tee3]

ummmm /\/\/\ i was told tig was one of the hardest to learn and its not wire feed....

wire feed is probably the easiest to learn and you dont have to keep putting new sticks in like a stick welder,,,but i perfer stick myself,,,it was easy for me to learn and i learned in a day,,,,but if ive got this wrong there should be others to correct this,,, :confused:

[Fat Dog]

Yeah, TIG is the hardest to learn but the most precise. Welding aluminum with a wire feed welder is possible but hard to get right. It would be hard to use an arc welder for RC specific (working on frames and such). The best bet would be find a machine shop to fix your stuff.

[Budman_222]

I weld for a living. Wire feed welding is a lot easier to learn and do than stick welding. I think you could teach a monkey to wire feed weld. Tig welding is different than wire feed.


I weld a lot of aluminum at work. It's about like welding steel except you have to use a different gas. Copper is the one that's hard to weld. Gotta preheat everything almost red hot. You'de want to tig weld anything like a frame or exaust pipe for an rc car.

[Cotharyus]

actually, the most versital welding machine is a gas rig - most people see one and think "torch". TIG is outstanding, but very expensive. MIG (what people keep refering to as wire feed) is easy, and not too expensive. Stick can be used for some fine work with practice, but I tend to think of stick welders as a heavy duty application. In my opinion they are the least versital welders.

[bullethead]

WOW, I forgot how many people dont weld.

Make that a left/handed blind MONKEY can mig.


BULLETHEAD

[baih]

i have only seen experienced welders able to put down a nice bead with a arc welder. i have a lincoln home type mig welder and have never used it for r/c. i am looking at getting a sherline mill. i think this is more useful for r/c

[shadmaster4]

After taking some courses from my local community college on Arc Welding, stick IS NOT for aluminum. I tell you, the amount of current is way too high. Most alum you will be working with may be 1/16in and that is really thin. At such a thickness, it is hard to strike the arc since you need a very low amperage, and it will stick. Mig, or TIG, or gas will work 10x better/easier for a beginner. Stick is better suited for heavy duty, 1/4in steel and up. IMO - Zack

[FlashLCD33]

If you want something easy to use, go with a TIG. They are wire fed so you don't have to use a rod like you would with an arc. They are expensive though.

Like I said before, arc wouldn't work as good as others for aluminum.

All electric welders are "arc" welders. I think you're refering to stick welders (SMAW, shielded metal arc welding). TIG welders (tungsten inert gas) have a non-consuming electrode and are the hardest of all welders to learn how to use. They are not wire fed, it is a non-consumable electrode which can be used with filler wire on the side (not necessary, though). MIG (metal inert gas) welders are the easiest to use, usually called wire welders. The welder automatically feeds the wire at a set rate so all you have to do is hold the gun steady and move across the metal.

Learning to TIG is the hardest to learn. Takes much longer and much more precision to TIG a bead then it does to stick or wire weld a bead. That, and aluminum is just a PITA to weld on. Gotta clean it up with acetone and a brush and etc.

[loopy]

you really need a high frequency tig to do anything decent on aluminium :o
especially the very thin sheet used on most rc chassis

[Maxxcrazy]

Sorry, I did confuse which is which, I meant MIG instead of TIG