yeah yeah yeah, TIG is better, i know!
but i have a MIG arc welder right here in my shop so i rather use something that is free instead getting 2k TIG weld u know what i mean?

well im planning building turbo manifolds/intake manifold for my car and some on the side (friends) i'm asking to see what tips usually on welding with MIG for manifold.

For now i'm going only use steel/mild steel, not stainless yet (until i get better at it).

since i'm new, how i start is blast it very close, until a glob or me and my friend's call it "the slug" then I move very slowly and LITTLE CIRCLE rotations until the glob becomes a slug like thing. sounds good?

and another thing, when building the manifold how do you guys weld a tube all around?

 

this is manifold, i know it's a honda one but u see where the red circle is, how would i weld it together? i'm thinking i do hard to reach areas in parts then put them together once i finshed with the hard to reach places are done, am i correct?

 

On mine I welded the main runners then welded them to the flanges. But to start get some scrap material and weld it together. In time you will learn how the process goes and you will get better at it. But MIG welding is pretty straight forward, get the temp (voltage setting) and your wire speed right and go at it You want good penatration with the weld but not burning holes though. You want it to sound like frying bacon while welding not zap....zap....zap. If the wire is pushing the gun away from you then you have the wire speed too high. Before you go making any real good solid beads on the manifold tack weld it together. By tack welding it you will hold all the pices in place to insure they don't move around on you. Also you will notice that when you weld on your practice pieces the material will warp thats another reason you should tack weld it togeter. Make sure you have something bolted to the flanges when welding the pipes to them. If you bolt a turbing housing onto the flange it will reduce it's tendency to warp. Same goes for the engine flange. I bolted a old exhaust manifold onto mine when welding that one.
I think that about does it.
Oh yeah, make sure the material is clean, get off all paint, rust ect...

 

yeah i already learn about sanding the rust off etc.. i already practice welding alot already, i self learn'd everything a lil from couple mechanics but i get how to work it, just i don't really know im i doing it correct.

i already adjusted the wire speed doesn't push much, but the **** is i don't use "gas" and the welding isn't all that nice, i got couple good welds, but i have to be very patient.

thanks for the info setzep, i already got books! trying to read it. haha.

-mike

 

You don't use any gas!? Get a tank hooked up to that welder or you will never good a good quality weld.

 

Yeah, mig is "metal inert Gas" welding, if you are using flux core that is Smaw="shielded metal arc welding" which is the same process as stick welding pretty much and is fine for welding bikeracks and combines but not turbo manifolds unless you are really skilled at stick welding...using solid wire without gas is a definite no-no, the atmosphere contaminates the weld...
Mig with a pulse control is pretty awesome, and with a delay start so you don't get that big dollup everytime you start welding...
I recently got a Hobart mig and its good machine.. But yes the Tig is still my Fave....Max

 

i would also suggest getting some argon/co2 in there....

if you dont use a gas, you're taking a risk at making some pretty weak welds as well as creating pockets when welding thicker peices together....might not affect you with just welding some thinner peices of piping together, but might when connecting those pipes to a flange. i've found that mig welding is pretty easy once you have your settings right for the material - i think setzep covered all of this pretty well

i'm trying to get ahold of a tig welder to build some stuff. i have more experience with tigging aluminum than steel though so i'm interested to hear what the guys with more experience have to say even when you're mig'ing instead of tig'ing.....

(highjack - anyone know of a good place to get a used TIG welder??)

 

yeha i know i should use gas because gas helps shield the other side from becoming "sugar" volcanos, just trying learn as i go along.

 

Actually, with the smaller MIG machines you can get better penetration running Flux Cored wire with Shielding Gas