tig welder suggestion for bronze

Hello,

I am a wooden boat builder and I am interested in occasionally fabricating my own bronze sailboat hardware. Much of it is for highly stressed parts(mast rigging hardware, etc). Up to now I fabricate everything and have a friend do the welding. I realize that there are many different bronze combinations, and much of it does not weld well due to the presense of zinc, etc. Nearly all of the bronze will be silicone bronze and others that will be carefully selected making sure that they are good for welding. I have a professional welder friend of mine who up to this point has done all the bronze welding(beautifully ...I might add)for me and has offered to teach me on my own machine if I purchase one. He ideally recommends a Miller or Lincoln tig welder capable of 175 amps with 220 (I have a very good power supply at the shop) as the thickest bronze I would weld would be 1/4" thick. I am a big fan of brand name equipment for servicability issues. I have heard that Mig machines weld "favorable bronze" very well, but Tigs are a bit better. So I have a few questions...

1. Would a tig machine be worth it for me as opposed to a less expensive mig machine? I do not intend to weld huge amounts here. I would most likely be looking for a used welder but nothing older that 5yrs or so at the most. I would also be interested in some welding on steel of up to 3/16" on occasion (I like old cars) It would be great if I can stay in the $1000 bucks or under catagory for a good used machine.

2. For welding bronze, is there a big learning curve difference between mig and tig? Keep in mind I will be learning from scratch here.

3. Would it be smart for me to just keep mooching on my friend's considerable talent though it is far from convenient for me? He lives 50 miles from my shop.

I appreciate any comments or suggestions

George

George Schuld in Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey said: Hello,

I am a wooden boat builder and I am interested in occasionally fabricating my own bronze sailboat hardware. Much of it is for highly stressed parts(mast rigging hardware, etc). Up to now I fabricate everything and have a friend do the welding. I realize that there are many different bronze combinations, and much of it does not weld well due to the presense of zinc, etc. Nearly all of the bronze will be silicone bronze and others that will be carefully selected making sure that they are good for welding. I have a professional welder friend of mine who up to this point has done all the bronze welding(beautifully ...I might add)for me and has offered to teach me on my own machine if I purchase one. He ideally recommends a Miller or Lincoln tig welder capable of 175 amps with 220 (I have a very good power supply at the shop) as the thickest bronze I would weld would be 1/4" thick. I am a big fan of brand name equipment for servicability issues. I have heard that Mig machines weld "favorable bronze" very well, but Tigs are a bit better. So I have a few questions...

1. Would a tig machine be worth it for me as opposed to a less expensive mig machine? I do not intend to weld huge amounts here. I would most likely be looking for a used welder but nothing older that 5yrs or so at the most. I would also be interested in some welding on steel of up to 3/16" on occasion (I like old cars) It would be great if I can stay in the $1000 bucks or under catagory for a good used machine.

2. For welding bronze, is there a big learning curve difference between mig and tig? Keep in mind I will be learning from scratch here.

3. Would it be smart for me to just keep mooching on my friend's considerable talent though it is far from convenient for me? He lives 50 miles from my shop.

I appreciate any comments or suggestions

George

Pack in Sidney, Ohio said: Buy a Tig Welder, Its much more universal for different alloys.

Look on E bay, you can buy a good used AC/DC TIG welder for that. and you can weld any Ferous or non ferous material with it.