I recently purchased a Miller DynastyŽ 200 DX Tig welder. I'm putting together a custom turbo on my S2000 and I'm almost to the point installing the charge piping. I would like to do the welding myself, but I have never welded before. I'm a quick learner on everything I do so I'm confident I can learn in a short time. I'm also retired so I have pleanty of time to practice. So here are a few questions:
1. Do you think with 2 to 3 weeks of practice I could become skilled enough to do the job?
2. If I do attempt this, would it be easier with Stainless or aluminum?
Thanks ahead of time for your comments.

 

Anyone?

 

id stick with steel for now, although aluminum with that machine is much easier.

and yeah i think if you could maybe get someone to show you some stuff, then put in at least 50 hours of practice youll be able to do a good job.

 

Go with stainless for charge pipes. If fitment is good then you can pretty much do a fusion weld with little to no filler. This would be probably the easiest TIG job you can do. If you can pick stuff up quick, I can assure you with 4-5 hours TIG practice you could do it.

50 hours Dfoxenger...WOW...if TIG would have required 50 hours practice to lay a bead acceptable enough for my own parts I'd have sold the damn thing...lol. Hell, with 20-30 hours I was putting guys to shame at my friends work...some who have been TIG welding for many years. Granted, from what I've seen that isn't typical for most people...but the guy said he picks stuff up quick.

O.P. do reading...get your setup correct. Cleaning and setup is most of the battle in my opinion. Add in some practice, with some pictures on here for help and you'll be good to go in no time.

 

yea i was saying to get comfortable with many materials, mild, stainless, alum, chromoly, and all the fillers and settings. im just **** so i worked really hard at tig when i was first learning, settings, different techniques fot different applications, setting everything up, etc.

not all "welding time" i mean... but many hours dedicated to setup through cleanup.

 

I disagree with steels being easier to start with. As an instructor I start everyone off with no filler to get used to torch angles and heat input with a remote such as a foot pedal. Many students struggle with steel then I tell them to try some aluminum. A few of them had a lap and tee weld with in an hour that was very consistent.

Try either to start. Great choice with the dynasty, the power of blue baby!

http://www.millerwelds.com has a great video on tig welding instruction.

4 things that I alway suggest to remember and learn: Heat, Gravity(position), Torch angle and good preperation are all keys to good welds.

 

Thanks for the answers. I'll give both SS and Al a try and decide which to use then. Once I get started I'll post some pictures. With stainless, if i do fusion welds with no filler, will I need to back purge?

 

If you don't want bird poop, sugaring on the inside (chromium oxide precipitate?) you would probably want to purge stainless. It'll only sugar where you will penetrate all the way through though. Make your charge tubing out of aluminum. Start practicing on flat stock and go from there. With a little practice it's cake.

 

nice...purchased a $2000 welder with no experience!
lol
actually Im thinking of getting one and doing the same on my s2000 this summer