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03-27-2018, 09:34 PM
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#1
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Crownsville, MD
Posts: 17
Year: 2002
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Type D chassis manufactured by navistar
Engine: T444e 7.3l V8
Rated Cap: 72
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Welding
Wasn’t sure which category to put this in. I want to get my husband some welding classes for his birthday. He wants to learn so he can use those skills for our bus conversion. (Fixing holes in the floor, building a frame for the water tanks, etc.) Which welding type is the best for him to learn? My options at the local community college is a program for stick, MIG, or TIG. I googled it but I’m still a little confused. Which would you all recommend?
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03-27-2018, 10:11 PM
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#2
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
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Most Community College courses are pretty good. Go for all of the above...but a Mig will cover just about anything on a bus. And these days there are some great ones on the cheap.
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03-27-2018, 10:16 PM
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#3
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 973
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tango
Most Community College courses are pretty good. Go for all of the above...but a Mig will cover just about anything on a bus. And these days there are some great ones on the cheap.
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Yep...go MIG...but if you learn stick...MIG and TIG will be easier
Sent from my VS500PP using Tapatalk
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03-27-2018, 10:25 PM
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#4
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New Member
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Sonoma county
Posts: 5
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Starcraft
Chassis: Ford E-350
Engine: 7.3L Powerstroke (International)
Rated Cap: 11,500
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MIG will do everything you need on building the bus.
Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk
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03-27-2018, 10:30 PM
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#5
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
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And WAAAAYYYY easier to deal with sheet metal. I have two Millers...a 140, which is more than adequate for anything on a bus including the frame...and... a 210 dual voltage (110/220). Both great machines and they sell now for less than they did 20 years ago!
Jump in and melt some metal!
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03-27-2018, 10:36 PM
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#6
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Almost There
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Wauchula, Florida
Posts: 85
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: DT360
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I personally have done a lot of mig welding on my bus.
Mig and tig are definitely easier than stick welding, although stick welding requires no gas and can be done in windy conditions.
Tig is more suited to stainless steel projects that have to look pretty. It's essentially a tungsten bit that heats the metal and fuses it together. I've only ever used it on stainless steel, so I can't say much more about it.
Mig is highly versatile, and that in mind you'd get the most bang for your buck with a mig welder. It can weld steel, stainless, or aluminum with the right wire and gas.
I personally have a Millermatic 211, which can run on 110 or 220 and weld metal up to 3/8" thick.
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03-28-2018, 03:07 AM
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#7
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Whidbey Island, WA.
Posts: 1,109
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: All American
Engine: 3208 na boat anchor
Rated Cap: 2
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Whats a matter with flux core wire feed welding. It's messy, but much easier than stick. Welders are cheap too!
Personally, I don't weld sheet metal. Seems like the hole just keeps getting bigger. 
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03-28-2018, 07:50 AM
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#8
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Huntington Beach CA.
Posts: 939
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: T/C 2000 28 foot Handy Bus
Engine: Cummins 5.9 Mechanical
Rated Cap: 2
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Am I the only oxy- acetylene welder here???
Also a Lincoln AC buzzbox that is 40 years old (yikes), Lincoln 140 amp wire feeder with gas and cart and my new toy, a Lincoln 200 TIG.
All welders do the same thing whether through heat or electricity which is bond metal together.
Sheet metal and aluminum the TIG hands down. Steel framing arc or MIG.
As others mentioned Community College is a great place to learn.
Eastwood also has some of there own brand of welders that are a lot less pricey than name brands Lincoln miller etc.
DC stick goes a heck of a long ways for general purpse welding.
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03-28-2018, 07:55 AM
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#9
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Huntington Beach CA.
Posts: 939
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: T/C 2000 28 foot Handy Bus
Engine: Cummins 5.9 Mechanical
Rated Cap: 2
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The way I learned was that if you are a good gas welder you will be a good TIG welder.
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03-28-2018, 07:55 AM
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#10
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Owasso, OK
Posts: 2,627
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Saf-T-Liner MVP ER
Engine: Cummins 6CTA8.3 Mechanical MD3060
Rated Cap: 46 Coach Seats, 40 foot
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Harbor Freight has a new line of "Vulcan" welders that are getting very good reviews.
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03-28-2018, 07:57 AM
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#11
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New Member
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Sonoma county
Posts: 5
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Starcraft
Chassis: Ford E-350
Engine: 7.3L Powerstroke (International)
Rated Cap: 11,500
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When welding sheet metal with MIG, use a copper backing plate and make a lot of small welds to help control the heat. I've welded in 1/2 inch holes this way, starting on the edge and moving in. The weld won't stick to the copper.
Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk
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03-28-2018, 08:28 AM
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#12
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Crownsville, MD
Posts: 17
Year: 2002
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Type D chassis manufactured by navistar
Engine: T444e 7.3l V8
Rated Cap: 72
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Wow! Thanks everyone! Super helpful. Can’t wait to give him this gift 
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