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Tig Welding Advice

skunked

skunked

phat block everything
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I have a set of H2's that I need rock rings welded on and I received my first quote of $100-150 per wheel ($400-$600 total). I don't know or pretend to know how to tig weld but that sounds like an ass raping. I want to be fair but for $600 I'll be putting that money toward a TIG setup before paying for his.

Here are the rims, damn near perfect shape (off a limo)
6B237CB5-C095-4953-8E4C-AFC702EFB97B_zpsybhmm41h.jpg


These aren't my photos below but the same rock rings (Air-innerlock) that I'm using
IMAG0171.jpg

and welded
IMAG0265.jpg


Interested to hear your opinions on this matter are....

I also have another call into a local welding shop for a quote.
 
broflow said:
That's a good hourly rate. I'd do it for half that. Too bad I'm not closer.
Click to expand...

that's more or less the rate I was expecting. I have a couple emails out and I reached out to old friend to see if he can do it.
 
Actually I don't think that is too bad a price. You have to remember that it has to be not only airtight the weld. You have to not warp the wheel. Easy in concept but slightly harder in practice. Figure 1-2 hours per wheel with prep, weld, and testing it.
 
KirsL said:
Actually I don't think that is too bad a price. You have to remember that it has to be not only airtight the weld. You have to not warp the wheel. Easy in concept but slightly harder in practice. Figure 1-2 hours per wheel with prep, weld, and testing it.
Click to expand...

Airtight? It's just a rock ring, not a beadlock.
 
That last picture doesn't look like a tig weld to me. Looks like a spool gun run on a mig welder. You can do a very nice job welding aluminum with one. Ive done it a good bit.
 
Vombrown said:
That last picture doesn't look like a tig weld to me. Looks like a spool gun run on a mig welder. You can do a very nice job welding aluminum with one. Ive done it a good bit.
Click to expand...

Very well could have been a spool setup.

At some point I'll learn AL, but I have too many irons in fire to spend anytime doing that right now.
 
an hour a wheel? that sounds about right. welding on old aluminum is no picnic - what you're paying for is for someone to not screw up your wheel. Granted, between what you paid for the wheels, for the rock rings and then for the welding; you'd be very close to buying a new, comparable wheel...
 
Vombrown said:
If you already have a good mig welder, the spool gun and gas bottle change will cost you about 400.00.
Click to expand...

not picking on you, but you forgot buying 2 more wheels and rings to practice on. As for the MIG gun, where did you find a high-amp gun for $400? the amount of heat it takes to weld aluminum is pretty high... you can't use the little guns for this (well you can, and they will fall off)
 
My miller spool gun was right around 400 new. Im sure one could be found for that. Surely cheaper than buying a dedicated tig machine. My tig setup was 3k.
 
What is the thickness of the rock ring and what is the thickness of the wheel where it meets?

The Miller 150 spool gun is $350 and rated at 60% duty cycle at 150 amps. It is made for the Miller 211, which is rated at 230 amps. The duty cycle will be less at full output, which should do 3/8" aluminum, according to miller. It is a nice spoolgun for the money and the 211 is very capable. It takes some time to learn to use the spool gun and I wouldn't want to mess up a set of wheels.

At 460 amps, my Miller 330 abp tig would handle just about anything, but it is easy to put too much heat into a part and warp it.

If your original price is for tig welding and they can make it look good and not warp anything, I would go for it.
 
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