Tool Reviews

Titanium exhaust work is less about maximum amperage than about controlling heat and keeping oxygen away from the hot metal. A small, well-equipped TIG machine can weld thin exhaust tubing;…

Copper heat exchangers are demanding TIG work. Copper conducts heat away from the joint quickly, so a machine that handles thin stainless steel may struggle to start and sustain a…

Fabricating stainless steel drip trays is a good job for TIG welding, but it is less forgiving than it looks. The material is often thin, the corners need to be…

Heavy gussets put more demands on a MIG welder than thin sheet does. The machine needs enough output to fuse the gusset and the joint beneath it, a wire-feed system…

Thin aluminum sheet is one of the easiest materials to damage with a TIG welder. It conducts heat away quickly at first, then suddenly overheats as the surrounding metal gets…

Small-batch mild steel fabrication rarely requires the biggest welder in the catalog. A good machine needs to start reliably, hold a stable arc at low amperage, feed wire consistently, and…

Best MIG Welders for Fabricating Metal Handrails Fabricating handrails is a good job for MIG welding. The process is fast, easy to learn, and well suited to mild-steel tube, angle,…

Steel mesh panels are easy to damage with too much heat. The wires may be only 1/8 to 3/16 inch thick, while the surrounding frame is often much heavier. A…

Joining steel angle iron is one of the jobs MIG welders handle best. The process is fast, easy to learn, and well suited to the short, intermittent welds used on…

Repairing automotive sheet metal is a different job from welding brackets, gates, or heavy plate. Most body panels are roughly 20 to 24 gauge, or about 0.6 to 0.9 mm…