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Posted: 11/16/2020 4:08:00 PM EDT
I have been really wanting to learn how to pin and weld muzzle devices on my own for years now and think it's time to bite the bullet.

My problem is I have zero welding experience and don't want to drop a lot of $$ on a welder that will likely just get used a few times a year making a single tack on the muzzle devices.

I have been eyeing up a harbor freight flux welder but wanted to double check if it would be adequate for something like that. The money saved is not worth the risk of having the weld fall off mis competition.

Any input?

Thanks
Link Posted: 11/16/2020 4:16:19 PM EDT
[#1]
I have a Miller and do them often but a cheap welder will be fine for that. As a matter of a fact, a user here that goes by TigWelder has me wanting a Tig Welder and I found one that has great reviews on HF that was not that expensive so you may want to look into a Tig. I want to say it was under $400 but I wanted the next step up.
Link Posted: 11/16/2020 4:52:11 PM EDT
[#2]
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I have a Miller and do them often but a cheap welder will be fine for that. As a matter of a fact, a user here that goes by TigWelder has me wanting a Tig Welder and I found one that has great reviews on HF that was not that expensive so you may want to look into a Tig. I want to say it was under $400 but I wanted the next step up.
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Thanks for the info! I'm vaguely aware of the different welding types - is TIG the way to go for this sort of thing, or will any type work?
Link Posted: 11/16/2020 5:07:20 PM EDT
[#3]
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Quoted:


Thanks for the info! I'm vaguely aware of the different welding types - is TIG the way to go for this sort of thing, or will any type work?
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No not at all. Mig is just fine. It is just you can do a lot more other things with Tig. It is what I wish I learned on. You would have to have gas however where as in the mig section as you stated you can get gasless. If you only want to pin weld, pretty much anything will work, you spend the quality time in prep then a quick zap to hold it in and that is all you need. Get pretty if wanted with a dremel or file and cold blue or go as is.

I did a thread on it a while back: How to pin weld your 14.5" barrel
Link Posted: 11/16/2020 8:06:03 PM EDT
[#4]
Awesome, thanks for the help!
Link Posted: 11/16/2020 8:15:51 PM EDT
[#5]
TIG is the go to gunsmithing welder, the advantage is you can create the arc, and melt, fusing the parts , without adding metal or adding as much or little as you need, you also control the heat with your foot pedal .

With stick or mig, as soon as you strike an arc, you are adding melted metal, so you have to be quick and precise placing it, and guessing the proper heat setting, which cannot be changed mid-stream, is an art and skill learned from experience.

My neighbor does my TIG welding, it's on my shopping list. Way better than my crappy generic mig or stick.

Of coarse, TIG is a skill as well.





Link Posted: 11/17/2020 1:48:58 PM EDT
[#6]
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Quoted:
TIG is the go to gunsmithing welder, the advantage is you can create the arc, and melt, fusing the parts , without adding metal or adding as much or little as you need, you also control the heat with your foot pedal .

With stick or mig, as soon as you strike an arc, you are adding melted metal, so you have to be quick and precise placing it, and guessing the proper heat setting, which cannot be changed mid-stream, is an art and skill learned from experience.

My neighbor does my TIG welding, it's on my shopping list. Way better than my crappy generic mig or stick.

Of coarse, TIG is a skill as well.

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So if I'm just trying to do a single tack weld for a P&W, what problems will improper heat cause?
Link Posted: 11/17/2020 8:20:50 PM EDT
[#7]
If you have no welding experience, then you don’t want to go with TIG. It takes experience to get good with it. If all you’re wanting to do is pin and weld a muzzle device and maybe the odd job here or there, get a MIG welder. Its a lot easier to get good results. I’d say get a Hobart 140, or something similar, and run shielding gas rather than flux-core. You can do a lot of stuff with them, and it doesn’t take much practice to get good with one.
Link Posted: 11/18/2020 1:15:35 AM EDT
[#8]
I liked welding with a TIG more than a MIG but everyone has their preferences.  Until I get to a welder I thread the flash hider with a #6 size 32 per inch tap and install a threaded rod and cut it off.  That will hold it until I can get to a welder and finish it off.

kwg
Link Posted: 11/18/2020 9:16:09 AM EDT
[#9]
Link Posted: 11/18/2020 5:53:25 PM EDT
[#10]
There are many ways to skin a cat.  The lady with 900 cats would tell you it can't be done.  The homeless guy will tell you tools aren't even required, that's why he sharpens hit nails on the walk.  

Everything from a car batter with a welding rod in jumper cables to a $10k multi-process welder could be used.  The "least expensive" means doesn't mean much if you trash a $200 barrel trying.  But if you have patience and a little skill and lower expectations, it can be done on the cheap for sure.  I've done acceptable results with a mig welder.  

Wondering if @Tigwelder1971 will have input after reading the replies.  
Link Posted: 11/18/2020 6:31:06 PM EDT
[#11]
Cheap and weld machines are not synonymous. You do get what you pay for.

OP needs to define his intended budget.

I've watched my old man burn through 3 HF wire welders now (1 Everlast brand, others I could not tell you?) I finally gave him my Hobart Handler....life is so much easier. $300 welders are generally more troublesome than helpful.

Frequency of use and specifically what tasks? Only P/W jobs and clean/sound metals? Tig, hands down.

Repairs of metals that are dirty (rust/corrosion/scale)?, Mig. Hard wire with gas shield. For P/W jobs leave your pin short to allow for filler. If you intend to dress the weld bead , post weld especially, you do not want to remove all of the weld. Anti spatter spray is helpful, unless you like a textured MD.  


Hands on and practice will give you a better feel for which method. I always place my ground clamp on the MD.
Hobart Handler would be my pick for wire welding, Lincoln Squarewave for small/occasional Tig jobs, but at ~$2k it is an investment.  
Good luck.
Link Posted: 11/23/2020 1:12:06 AM EDT
[#12]
I took a class at the local community college and learned to TIG weld.  ($500 for the class, new helmet, gloves and leather welding coat) I found a guy who has a TIG welder but he doesn't know how to use it.  I scrambled together some parts (and some tungsten) he got when he bought the welder used and made it work for 2 pinned flash hiders today.  The welds are not pretty but they are legal.  Like I posted previously in this thread, I threaded the flash hider hole to a 6x32 thread and put a threaded rod in and hand tightened it down.  I also drilled a divot into the threads of the barrel with my drill press where the rod dead ended so the flash hider could not be turned.  I cut off the rod and filed the pin (rod) down flat with the flash hider.  Today I finished it off with the weld.  I'm going to reload some 308 for the guy as my payment.  All in all I think I came out ahead and it took longer to explain it than it took to thread the hole, install the pin (rod) and weld it.

kwg
Link Posted: 11/23/2020 1:28:51 AM EDT
[#13]
I'm just here to see what people are suggesting.


Link Posted: 11/23/2020 7:20:24 PM EDT
[#14]
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Quoted:
I'm just here to see what people are suggesting.

https://i.imgur.com/jQsRzEZ.jpg
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Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I'm just here to see what people are suggesting.

https://i.imgur.com/jQsRzEZ.jpg

Quoted:
I'm just here to see what people are suggesting.

https://i.imgur.com/jQsRzEZ.jpg

Skills.
Link Posted: 11/24/2020 7:48:18 PM EDT
[#15]
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Quoted:


Skills.
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That's what doing 300+ of them a year will get ya
Link Posted: 11/27/2020 3:15:02 AM EDT
[#16]
TIG is the way to go. Using mig is like fluting made with a Dremel.
Link Posted: 11/27/2020 8:48:40 AM EDT
[#17]
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Quoted:
TIG is the way to go. Using mig is like fluting made with a Dremel.
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Pah...

Attachment Attached File

Link Posted: 11/27/2020 4:59:50 PM EDT
[#18]
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Quoted:


That's what doing 300+ of them a year will get ya
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Quoted:
Quoted:


Skills.


That's what doing 300+ of them a year will get ya


Busy man.
Link Posted: 11/28/2020 6:23:42 PM EDT
[#19]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I'm just here to see what people are suggesting.

https://i.imgur.com/jQsRzEZ.jpg
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That’s fucking beautiful.
Link Posted: 12/4/2020 9:42:40 AM EDT
[#20]
Start calling around and find a welder who you can pay for small job.
Get your stuff ready to weld, set up the time and get it done.

Or get the equipment and a pile of scrap and start building things out of scrap.
Here is some ideas off of google.
https://www.google.com/search?client=tablet-android-verizon&sxsrf=ALeKk01lru542ZkF_JQJZzirZBbIJQV7GQ%3A1607088888142&ei=-DrKX8SLCMSq5wLXv5DYCg&q=welding+art+projects&oq=welding+art&gs_lcp=ChNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwEAEYATICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyBQgAEMkDOgQIABBHOgcIIxDqAhAnOgQIIxAnOgUIABCRAjoICAAQsQMQgwE6BQgAELEDOgoIABCxAxCDARBDOgcIABAKEJECOgQIABBDOggIABCxAxDJAzoFCAAQkgM6BwgAELEDEENQqglY8HJgg39oAHABeAKAAdsMiAGyQZIBEjAuMTAuMi4zLjAuMS4xLjIuMZgBAKABAbABD8gBCMABAQ&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp#imgdii=XPjZFcmVYYAs-M&imgrc=fjP0Z-adYvQPPM
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