tig welding at a garage?

[slug420]

Is it common to find a garage that does tig welding? I have this exhaust problem and have been dealing with it until I have time to get my mid pipe off and bring it to a machine shop to have it fixed so I can put it back on....but I have STILL not gotten around to it so I am thinking of calling around tomorrow to see if any places near where I work can throw it on the lift, pop the pipe off, weldy weldy, and then pop it back on while I sit in the waiting room.

I say tig because I have been told by people online here and by the mechanic that put the broken pipe on the car, that it is stainless steel and is too thin? for mig welding.

Is this possible? or are tigs usually only found in machine shops or something? Or does the welding process take too long to just sit there and wait while they do it?


btw...I was actually going to post this in somewhere other than the NEPOC section but couldnt find a good spot for it so....NEPOC wins again!

 

[Greenblurr93]

you can mig stainless... the reason its recommended for TIG is because the welder can control the heat better, if stainless gets too hot during the weld it will actually lose its stainless properties (and rust)

 

[slug420]

im quite certain, given my track record, that if I have someone try to mig it, whatever bad thing (losing stainless properties and rusting for example) can happen.....will happen. =D

 

[Greenblurr93]

yes, mig is deff not the preferred way to do it.. but it CAN be done... even if they put too much heat in the metal with a tig it can still lose its stainless properties... and on the other side of the spectrum... if they put too little heat into it the weld wont get good penetration and will easily crack.. stainless is a royal PITA... which is why a good way to gauge how capable a shop is at welding stainless is... if their price jumps a lot when they find out its a stainless pipe...

 

[slug420]

are you saying the price SHOULD jump a lot because its harder to do, or should NOT since a capable shop can do either, whereas a shop of asshats would jack up the price on stainless to scare me into getting it done elsewhere?

im sure im about to be ****** either way.

(idhitit)(idhitit)

 

[Greenblurr93]

it should be a lot more expensive... because you would be paying for a technicians experience to not screw up.. i would also ask for a written warrenty against the weld area rusting

 

[slug420]

just called a local "shop"

http://www.rockhardoffroad.com/

He said he has and can weld stainless and that he just finished making a stainless exhaust...he didnt mention whether they use mig or tig. I described that the pipe needs to come off the car but that it is really easy to pop off and pop back on and so he said it sounded like it would just be a standard charge for an hour's labor of 75 bucks.

I asked if there was anything special about welding SS since "I had heard there was" and he said you just need to make sure oyu weld with something stainless otherwise it will rust....

im unsure what to do...dont really have any alternatives yet though

 

[Greenblurr93]

ok, give it a shot, but ask if there is any warranty against the weld area rusting, if he says yes, then he prolly knows what he's doing

 

[slug420]

called an exhaust shop near where I work (where I am right now) and they said they dont do stainless but suggested a shop 1 town over. I called that guy and he sounded hesitant saying that he wasnt sure they have the technology (tig i assume he was referring to) and that some stainless systems are hard to do....mentioned even if he could do it it might not look pretty. I kinda like the sounds of that since he seems to know that stainless will be difficult and openly admits he might not be able to do it, but he said I can stop by at lunch tomorrow and he will take a look at it.

Im gonna do this because "take a look" I assume means put it on lift and take mid pipe off...which means he will be able to just weld it while I wait if he can weld it, and if he cant I can at least see what the break looks like and take a picture for corksport.