Tool Reviews

Choosing a MIG Welder for Steel Tubing Steel tubing is a good match for MIG welding, but welding it in multiple positions exposes weaknesses that are easy to miss on…

Steel equipment guards are usually made from mild-steel tube, angle, flat bar, expanded metal, or sheet. That makes MIG welding the practical choice for most repair shops and fabricators: it…

What a shelf welder needs Utility shelves are usually made from square or rectangular steel tube, angle iron, and sheet or flat-bar braces. The welds are short, repeated fillets, but…

Welding 20-gauge steel is mostly a heat-control problem. The material is about 0.036 inch thick, so a welder that runs smoothly at low output matters more than a high maximum…

Choosing a MIG welder for garden gates A gate frame is a practical MIG job: long straight joints, repeated welds, and outdoor exposure that makes fit-up and corrosion protection important.…

What a cracked toolbox needs from a MIG welder A steel toolbox is usually made from thin sheet, often around 18 to 22 gauge (roughly 0.8 to 1.2 mm), with…

What makes a MIG welder suitable for steel pipe frames Pipe frames are usually made from mild-steel tube, not thick structural pipe. The challenge is making sound joints around curved…

Why galvanized steel changes the job Galvanized steel is coated with zinc to slow corrosion. In a MIG weld, that coating can contaminate the weld pool, cause extra spatter and…

Repairing a thin motorcycle tank is not a routine MIG job. The steel may be around 0.8–1.0 mm thick, and a small heat mistake can turn a pinhole into a…

Expanded steel is a tough test for a plasma cutter. The raised strands and open gaps interrupt the torch’s path, so the arc can go out just as you reach…