Welding Equipment

Your Tool Experts for Welding Equipment

Time-served mechanics are likely to be comfortable using welding equipment and use it frequently for a range of auto repair jobs, but as a DIY auto enthusiast, you may be unfamiliar with this equipment and have so far shied-away from welding.

This need not be the case and with some basic training and practice, you’ll be looking to buy your own welding equipment.

Welding is often used by mechanics for bodywork but it can also be used around the garage in other areas. The bodywork can include a cracked panel, a rust patch or a hole in a car panel. Other uses of welding equipment could be to repair a damaged chassis, a cracked muffler or a rusted oil pan, all of which can be easily done with a MIG welder.

Welding for DIY auto repairs can be done much cheaper than going to a professional welder, and giving you huge satisfaction. Doing your own welding also allows you to be in control of the welding, how it’s done, when it’s done and you will know the exact quality of the welding completed.

If you are restoring an old car, especially vintage models, you are inevitably going to need some welding done at some stage and as these are usually long projects, investing in your own welding equipment and taking some time to learn the skills necessary, will be worthwhile over time.

Welding for DIY auto repairs can be done much cheaper than going to a professional welder, and giving you huge satisfaction.

MIG Welding

MIG welding is perhaps the easiest types of welding for DIY enthusiasts to learn. There are two options when MIG welding, bare wire and flux core.

Bare wire MIG welding is commonly used to join thin pieces of metal together, whereas flux core welding is more likely to be used outdoors as it does not require a flow meter or gas supply. MIG welding is the most popular welding option for DIY auto enthusiasts as it is easy to learn and the most affordable. MIG stands for metal inert gas.

Stick Welding or Arc Welding

Stick welding, or Arc welding, is welding done the old fashioned way. It’s slightly harder to master than MIG welding but isn’t too difficult to learn and is also affordable. Stick or Arc welding uses a stick electrode welding rod.

TIG Welding

TIG welding is extremely versatile but it is also one of the more difficult welding techniques to learn, and the least common with DIY auto enthusiasts.

With TIG welding, two hands are required, one hand feeds the rod whilst the other holds a TIG torch. The torch creates the heat and arc, which are used to weld most conventional metals, including aluminium, steel, nickel alloys, copper alloys, cobalt and titanium. TIG stands for tungsten inert gas.

Plasma Arc Welding

Plasma arc welding is a precision technique and is commonly used in aerospace applications where metal thickness is 0.015 of an inch. Plasma arc welding is similar to TIG welding but the electrode is recessed and the ionising gases inside the arc are used to create heat.