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Q. I work at a motorcycle dealership and I am looking for a welder that can do steel and aluminum. I always heard that a heliarc welder is used for aluminum, but I have only seen MIG's on the sites I've been searching. Would it be more cost effective to get a stick welder, so I don't have to change the wire and gas to weld different materials such as steel and aluminum? (Submitted by: Mike from unknown)
A. Heliarc or TIG welding is always my choice for doing different types of material. It however takes quite a bit more skill than a MIG or STICK unit. If you are doing exact, critical type welds, you may need the TIG welder. MIG and STICK units are more for production, faster environments. Stay away from STICK units. They will not give you the results you are looking for on your Aluminum. The MIG's will do aluminum, but it's best to get one with a spoolgun attachment. This way you can run aluminum in the spoolgun and steel in the main unit.
A. Heliarc or TIG welding is always my choice for doing different types of material. It however takes quite a bit more skill than a MIG or STICK unit. If you are doing exact, critical type welds, you may need the TIG welder. MIG and STICK units are more for production, faster environments. Stay away from STICK units. They will not give you the results you are looking for on your Aluminum. The MIG's will do aluminum, but it's best to get one with a spoolgun attachment. This way you can run aluminum in the spoolgun and steel in the main unit.