Switched from forge welding to TIG for making my own clips

I used to make all my side clips by forge welding them onto keg shoes, hot as hell and taking like 15 minutes a shoe. About 6 months ago I finally picked up a cheap TIG setup from Harbor Freight and now I tack them on cold in under 3 minutes each. Has anyone else made a similar move or still prefer the old school way?

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emma7685mo ago

Got a little Lincoln TIG setup about a year ago for the same reason. Used to spend way too long heating up mild steel shoes with a forge just to weld on a clip. Now I just clean the spot good, tack it on with maybe two passes, and its done. Saves a ton of time and I get a cleaner looking weld. Still keep the forge around for bigger jobs though.

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miam115mo ago

Wait, you were heating up mild steel shoes in a forge just to weld a clip on? That sounds like a lot of extra work for something that small. I’m no farrier but I’ve messed around with horseshoes a bit, and that just seems like you were making way more heat than you needed. My buddy does the same thing with a little TIG setup now, says it cuts his shoe work time in half compared to the forge method. But yeah, keeping the forge for the big jobs makes sense, like for those draft horse shoes that are basically boat anchors.

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