Advice on Camper Construction

jimh425 wrote:
I don't think any methods hold up better than others. They simply have different sets of problems to deal with. Whatever model you buy, make sure you have adequate defense against water and take care of it.

Four Wheel Campers has been around 30 years, but not under the same ownership. http://www.fourwh.com/popup-truck-camper-history/

Airstream isn't the original company either. Oh, and not all aircrafts are still in service either if you want to consider aircrafts as "it". Finally, MIG is common for aviation. Again, if you want to consider aviation as "it", you should look for a MIG welded model. ;)

Jim:

Four Wheel Campers was bought out but the original frame design (welded aluminum) was there with the original owners as well.

MIG may be common for production aviation in some areas but TIG surpasses any MIG welding. I know, I'm a certified TIG welder and I can do stuff with TIG that no MIG welder can do, or ever hope to do.

You want X-Ray quality welds in exotic metals, TIG is the only discipline available.

I own a few welders and I own a ESAB pulsed MIG that achieves a MIG weld that looks like a TIG weld but in reality it isn't. Appearances can be deceiving, especially when X-Rayed.

MIG is speed, TIG is always quality. Years ago, I started out using coathangers and an oxy-acetylene torch to weld with. TIG welding is similar but the OA is replaced with an electric arc sent through a tungsten electrode with an envelope of shielding gas and the filler material is fed into the weld puddle with your other hand. It's a high skill trade whereas MIG is low skill. Anyone can operate a MIG 'Glue Gun'. Not so with TIG. I probably shold say not anyone can run a MIG. The welds Kayteg pictured on his Fleetwood slide were cold welds did with a MIG but the heat duration was too short resulting in a cold (bird poop) weld with no joining quality.

I can take to ordinary aluminum pop cans and butt weld them together with a TIG machine, you could never do that with any MIG machine because you cannot control the amperage (low enough) to fuse the cans without destroying them. Finally most MIG machines that weld aluminum are spool gun machines. They do make push-pull torches now but spool guns are still the cost effective norm. Because of the wire diameter and amperage required, fine work is impossible.