MIG vs TIG

grumpyvette

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EITHER MIG or TIG welders can do a decent job in the hands of a skilled WELDOR, provided the amps are there to do the job correctly, but I think youll find that the TIG has a slight advantage in that you can control BOTH the heat and filler feed rates independently and change them very quickly as you weld while the mig is set and runs basically at a pre-set feed and heat range, while both the feed and heat are adjustable with a decent mig, they are generally, not as quickly or as finely adjustable because YOUR not in dirrect and instant control.
TIG is similar to oxy-acetolene welding in that you use a filler rod and a heat source, the electric arc replaces the flame and theres a shield gas curtain around the arc, but the process is similar.
mig basically pumps wire, into the weld are where it grounds out, and melts as it leaves the gun,heating the surrounding area and turning into molten metal.

the main differance is you always need to be pumping metal wire to generate heat with a mig and thats not true of the TIG so you can PRE-HEAT or RE-HEAT and area without adding filler wire/rod with a TIG, but NOT with a MIG, so obviously a MIG has a bit more limitations.

MIGS are generally cheaper and faster,& easier to operate, and in most cases do a decent job, but you get a better,deeper weld with a TIG,and you can go back over areas when you need to, if the guy useing it has decent skills and understands the process well.

BTW LOTS of guys use those wire feed FLUX CORE WIRE WELDERS without the ARGON tank and gas shield and refer to them as MIG WELDING... ITS NOT and its a VERY POOR substitute for EVEN MIG WELDING, in the QUALITY of the welds produced

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfOqyqKR0IU[/ame]

http://www.millerwelds.com/education/tech_tips/TIG_tips/

http://www.millerwelds.com/education/tech_tips/MIG_tips/

BTW while it might be (OLD SCHOOL) an OXY-ACETOLENE welder torch and tank set can do a surprising amount of jobs in skilled hands and should not be ignored as a tool, [color:red]

but what ever you buy research it carefully ,first, and buy the best you can afford in name brand equipment, youll be far less likely to get crap that needs to be upgraded or replaced shortly, and the quality of the welds, and the EASE OF WELDING IS effected BY THE EQUIPMENT YOU PURCHASE
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ask questions here....LOTS OF QUESTIONS and don,t relie on a single source for valid info

http://www.htpweld.com/

http://www.welders-direct.com/

http://www.weldingdirect.com/tigtopa2.html

http://www.brwelder.com/indexTemplate.cfm

http://store.cyberweld.com/millerwelders.html

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/communities/mboard/forumdisplay.php?f=4

NOW IF YOUVE GOT AN ARC WELDER

arc welding rod info

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"THE TORCH"

WAS NICE ENOUGHT TO POST THIS WELDING ROD INFO

Arc welding electrodes are identified using the A.W.S, (American Welding Society) numbering system and are made in sizes from 1/16 to 5/16 . An The E6011 is not a complete number. It also needs a diameter designation such as "1/8" E6011 electrode."

The rid (electrode) is 1/8" in diameter

The "E" stands for arc welding electrode.

Next will be either a 4 or 5 digit number stamped on the electrode. The first two numbers of a 4 digit number and the first 3 digits of a 5 digit number indicate the minimum tensile strength (in thousands of pounds per square inch) of the weld that the rod will produce, stress relieved. Examples would be as follows:

E60xx would have a tensile strength of 60,000 psi. E110XX would be 110,000 psi

The next to last digit indicates the position the electrode can be used in.

1. Exx1x is for use in all positions
2. Exx2x is for use in flat and horizontal positions
3. Exx3x is for flat welding

The last two digits together, indicate the type of coating on the electrode and the welding current the electrode can be used with. Such as DC straight, (DC -) DC reverse (DC+) or A.C.

* Exx10 DC+ (DC reverse or DCRP) electrode positive.
* Exx11 AC or DC- (DC straight or DCSP) electrode negative.
* Exx12 AC or DC-
* Exx13 AC, DC- or DC+
* Exx14 AC, DC- or DC+
* Exx15 DC+
* Exx16 AC or DC+
* Exx18 AC, DC- or DC+
* Exx20 AC ,DC- or DC+
* Exx24 AC, DC- or DC+
* Exx2711 AC, DC- or DC+
* Exx2811 AC or DC+

So the E6011 has a tensile strength of 60,000psi, can be used in any position and can be used in either AC ot DC- welding. Basically it is a middle of the road welding rod. that can be used by less experienced welders in a variety od situations since it produces a deep penetrating weld and works well on dirty,rusted, or painted metals. A similar rod is the E6010. It produces similar results but can only be used with DC+ or DCRP (DC Reversed Polarity)


Ive been welding for 35 plus years and always asked for and got advice from the local MILLER DEALER,after explaining the welder to be used, the application, etc,then purchased the suggested rods IN BULK packs and never bothered to as what the numbers ment....
never said I was a GREAT weldor, but Ive welded lots of stuff over the years,thats still in use without it breaking,and while its not always the best looking job it STAYS WELDED ...IM working on the LOOKS PART, and the recent MILLER 330 AMP TIG purchase HELPS
 
I am SO damn lucky I have a buddy across the river who has done all the welding on my car, he and I have done some wild shit you all would not beleive and made some money doing it too....funny really bunch of us had more laughs than a trunk full of monkeys....

he uses a stick/TIG machine and does aluminum also....

seen him do some difficult and incredible work on aluminum castings too, without preheating them like my LT1 manifold mods to fit a L98 engine without cracking or warping the mani one damn bit....

I tried welding some 16 years ago or better....never got good at it....:clobbered:
 
Flux core CAN give very good welds, and more importantly, flux core gives you BETTER penetration for the same amperage used. There's an application for it too, just not on automotive stuff unless you have the skill to lay a nice bead with it.

I'd also like to say that yes it's easier to operate a mig, but it's most certainly not easier to weld with than tig. I'm not talking about burning wire. The big challenge with tig is the hand eye coordination of handling the torch and the filler rod. However, you have full freedom with the torch the filler and the machine settings and can adjust when you go (if you have foot or thumb control), with mig you are stuck with the settings you have once you start a bead.'IMO it's more difficult to do a top notch weld with mig than with tig, once you have the coordination down. Not even talking about the issues of being able to see the weld piddle with the big mig gun.
 
Okay I will jump in with my dime lol. I was a certified in aircraft component welding either as air frame and or engine components. But I have not kept up with current welding products. To that end all four types of welding can be either easy or hard it all depends on the person doing the welding. Some it will come easy to while others will just never really get there lol.

TIG I like it the most as you can do so many things with it and have a BEAUTIFUL weld and clean but yes it does take a knack to keep the puddle right and to train your foot for the amp peddle and or thumb and your other hand to put the welding rod into the molten metal.

Oxy/Act was around before all this other fancy stuff lol. So you can do many things with Oxy/Act and some things I prefer to use Oxy/Act such as with thin wall 4130 Chrome molly aircraft tubing as it will spread out the heat more and not make a brittle cross section. But I am not going to go into that lol. But as with everything else you need to learn to control the puddle.

MIG Is great for production work once it is set up correctly. You have to have the right gas for what you are welding and the right wire feed as well as the amps set correctly. When this is done you can keep welding until the welder hits its cycle limit or just keep on going till you run out of spool lol.

And then there is stick which I feel is a good all around welding rig.

So there is a + and a -- to everything and what you are used to using or capable of using correctly. So the best thing I can say is research what you feel you will be welding the most and find the welding rig that would best be suited for what you will use it for and then practice practice practice and learn that machine and you will not only be happy with the end product but it will also be safe when done right. :)
 
I don't mean to criticize the info provided but would like to add: Most if not everybody who doesn't run a professional shop uses Argon/CO2 mix. That is not a MIG process because CO2 is not an inert gas. It's SGAW, shielded gas arc welding unless you pay for pure (98% I believe) Argon.

If you're welding in your driveway the wind will blow your shielding gas away from the weld and you'll have very poor results. You have to come up with some sort of shield (cardboard box, welding blanket) Note: the cardboard box is not fire resistant like the welding blanket.....outside you're often better off using flux core

:thumbs:
 
Ive got an oxy-acetolene torch set, a lincoln ranger 10000 watt generator/arc welder, a miller 330 amp TIG, and a MILLER 252 MIG in my shop so Im at least familier with each process and after many years I prfer the oxy-acetolene torch set,and miller 330 amp TIG for most car welding.
yet the ARC welder comes in very handy at times, the migs fairly new and Im not that used to THAT particular machine althou Ive had a hobart, and lincoln MIG in the shop for many years (traded those in, with some cash for the miller MIG)
limited to a single welder ID sellect the oxy-acetolene torch set OR the TIG but EACH has an area where its better at something than the others
 
I think I ran too thick of a wire welding my cage

I used .035

I used 75% argon and 25% co2
 
.030 to .035 is just fine, no problem. What kind of machine do you have? run up the heat!
 
Weldpak 175 with the infinite wire speed adjustment

It's not too bad, it plugs into 220

I think if I get skinnier wire it may be a bit easier to weld upside down

I suck at that, I think I'll just do a straight weld with no zig zag
 
The trick to welding upside down is to turn down the wire speed and aim UP, weld UP, not down!

Why weave? Never weave unless you are doing a second pass over a root pass and want to fill in some gap. Just watch the puddle and do ))))))))) skipping, waiting for the puddle to flow into the parent metal, move to front of puddle, wait for flow...and so on.
 
Here is nut tigged onto a rear strut.
Takes co-ordination of all 4 limbs for this.

Strut2.jpg

strut1.jpg
 
impressive work! Im not quite at that level MUCH of the time with my TIG..... yet
 
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Assuming the swaged tube is jsut dom steel, the nut is?? What did you use for filler?
 
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