which weld process for bed/fender work?

[pjtoledo]

If you own a tig (and…..no offense) know how to use it, it’s better.

That’s the excuse I used to buy one, it works better.

That having been said, I still use a true MIG most of the time. Using a small solid wire with gas and spacing my welds. Being PATIENT and letting things cool works best for me.

I’m also really good at warping steel. Be patient with whatever method you choose.

of course I know how to TIG, it's right there on the shelf.

one of my biggest concerns with TIG will be my right foot. it doesn't work due to spinal damage so any foot pedal is a challenge.
I'll need torch controls.

 

[Roert42]

Without the pedal you loose a lot of the advantage of the TIG.

With the foot pedal you can start, stop, and adjust the amperage on the fly. Lot harder to do that with a thumb nob.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

one thing I have perfected is warping. didn't matter how strong the jigs were, it warped.

Yeah, that too. Get too much heat into it and no matter what you do, it’s gonna warp. Being in a hurry is usually what gets me. I should know better by now, but I often repeat my error.

 

[rumblecloud]

...With thin materials, heat control is the key, in my opinion, regardless of which welding method. Do good layout. Make sure the pieces are lined up. Tack the seams to lock in the positioning. Then careful welding. ....
Do some practice pieces and watch some "good quality" YouTube videos.

YES! What CH ^ said.
I'm not a welder. I'm a beginner. I use flux core. Been doing some repairs on my bed. Thin metal is really hard to do without burn-thru.. For me. low temp, low speed and spread the tacs around to keep the temps down. But again, I'm just a beginer...these guys know way more than I do.It's just from my rookie experience what works for me.
Would really like to see some pics of you progress and what you are working on.

 

[pjtoledo]

pics??
well, maybe after a lot of grinding

 

[pjtoledo]

Without the pedal you loose a lot of the advantage of the TIG.

With the foot pedal you can start, stop, and adjust the amperage on the fly. Lot harder to do that with a thumb nob.

time to become a leftie if I really want to TIG

 

[Curious Hound]

My motto; Grinders and paint, Grinders and paint, make a welder what he ain't.

 

[Roert42]

time to become a leftie if I really want to TIG

Just think of it like a clutch for your magic wand.

You also need to be able to use your left and right hands to do completely different motions.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

YES! What CH ^ said.
I'm not a welder. I'm a beginner. I use flux core. Been doing some repairs on my bed. Thin metal is really hard to do without burn-thru.. For me. low temp, low speed and spread the tacs around to keep the temps down. But again, I'm just a beginer...these guys know way more than I do.It's just from my rookie experience what works for me.
Would really like to see some pics of you progress and what you are working on.

Flux core is harder to use on thin stuff because it tends to burn a little hotter than solid wire with the flux. It can be done, but the ideal is TIG or a thin solid wire with shielding gas.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

My motto; Grinders and paint, Grinders and paint, make a welder what he ain't.

 

[SenorNoob]

Why not leave a little extra material around the edges and use panel adhesive? It's a standard practice these days.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Why not leave a little extra material around the edges and use panel adhesive? It's a standard practice these days.

That certainly can be done

 

[don4331]

pics??
well, maybe after a lot of grinding

You can generate too much heat with grinding too and add to the waviness.

 

[Shran]

My personal preference is MIG for butt joints and either MIG or TIG for overlaps. I have a Miller 211 old style MIG and a Miller Diversion 165 TIG. I am not very good at TIG with filler yet and certainly not when a butt joint is added to the mix. TIG with no filler is fun and easy but you need enough meat to melt together. My TIG torch has an on/off button and voltage control that you can run with your thumb - most cheap TIG machines don't have that and it helps a lot.

Just throwing this out there as a third option - a MIG with pulse or stitch mode. Those basically have a timer that lets you do tack welds with time in between to allow the metal to cool. That would probably be my go-to for body work if I had a machine that would do it. Those machines were marketed directly towards body shops and Snap-on is the most common one I see for sale used. They are usually 110v machines and can be used with gas or flux wire. IIRC Lincoln or Century made them. There are a few other brands that make new ones these days too.