Is a TIG welder the same as a stick welder?

I have never welded anything and was told the a Tig welder is good for a beginner.Harbor Freight has a "stick" welder for $80.Is a stick & a Tig the same?Has anyone used a welder from harbor freight?
I wont be doing any heavy duty welding,just floorboards etc.I'd appreciate your unput.Thanx..Oldfart

 

I think your getting tig confused with mig. A tig and a stick welder are not the same, unless its a combination machine. Your best bet would be to get an entry level mig with shielding gas.

 

nope they are not the same.

they now come as dual machines where a lot of the new tig welders are stick welders also - i think its the inverter technology which allows them to do both functions? no doubt someone who knows more than me about these dual machines will chime in.

 

when joining two pieces of steel together for any reason esp, on a car its always heavy duty. ever heard any one say "ill just give this a light welding" as far as HF welders go, stay far away. and tig and stick not even close. if you have to have an inexpensive welder, try your local welding supply shop, ours have repos and trade ins priced right. or even lowes has a decent lincoln wire for around $400.you dont want to skimp on this part, if you want to learn to weld you need a good machine.

 

Actually you can get a a DC stick welder, hook up a TIG torch to the electrode outlet, manually turn on a bottle of argon or helium hooked to the TIG torch and you can TIG weld. You will only be able to weld steel or stainless steel, and it will be a scratch start process, but you can actually do a pretty good job. The process is only as good as the adjustability of the DC arc welder, but it can be done, I used this process for years before I got a dedicated TIG machine. Also, all TIG welders can be used as a stick welder, so yes they are in same in some sense.

 

What he said.

I am looking for an old buzzbox to set up a scratch start machine.

 

They must have meant MIG, not TIG.
That $80.00 stick welder is junk...very low amps and hard to use even for an experienced weldor.
A 110V MIG with even a 90A rating will do what you want as you learn on 20g metal...BUT be warned! Once you START welding your gonna want to move on to bigger projects with thicker metal.

I would get at the very least a 110V with a 150a rating or better...but better again would be a small 220V machine that will have some really good bite into even 3/16th metal. You can get them in a surprisingly small size and they work great on thin metal too!

One purchase now is better than 2 or even 3 as you progress. $$$ starts to add up quick that way!

 

I'm a professional welder. I do it for a living. Reading this guys letter, he has no knowledge of the welding processes at ALL.
My advice to him would be to take a night cl*** at a local jr. college. There he can learn the different processes and possibly even bring his car in to have the metal work done on it. Then, and only then, after he knew what he wanted, should he even attempt at buying his own machine... A good one for sheetmetal is the 110v Lincoln wire feed. He could go flux core or Mig. Later on, he could move up to a 220v. machine.Arc would be to harsh for his floors. Mikey

 

Another thing that most "cheap" welders lack is lots of settings. When you're learning, more is better. To me the proper setup is everything.

 

MIG is "easy" for beginners. TIG requires more skill.
A DC Arc welder can be used as a DC TIG machine.

Small, cheapo, welders generally have a lower duty cycle,
fewer adjustments, and are less stable. Aluminum windings
on the transformers is common, because Aluminum is cheaper
than Copper.

Better quality welders are heavier, because the transformers are wound with Copper.

 

Everybodys got their opinion so heres mine for what its worth.A mig is the easyest to learn,most people call it a wire welder,pull the trigger it feeds the wire and welds-it's not really that simple but basicly thats how it works.I would get a fluxcore mig 120volt,it ain't the best but for the price and for thin steel it's OK.You don't have to have a gas bottle and it's pretty expensive.A stick welder is great for heavyer stuff but it takes more practice and it's hard to weld sheetmetal if you ain't an expert.Tig will weld about anything but expensive.You can get a 120V mig for $150 or less after you learn you might want to get something bigger but thats a good way to start.

 

That's what I did and it was well worth it. We mainly did mig, but also some tig (and for the most part used stick welders with tig torches.) It's a good way to try out the different kinds of welders, with a professional watching over your shoulder to show you how to do it right.

 

Go hang out over here

http://weldingweb.com/

Read ,learn the differences and ask a lot of questions

Oldmics

 

I have a 110 stick welder that is great on light metal. Tig and mig are hard to use outdoors the wind blows the gas away. Tig is the best but slow and the best looking weld. Mig is fast and fair looking. Arc or stick is fast and can look good depending how good a welder you are. They are all different. Mig is the easest to do.

 

The best thing I've heard on here yet: check with your local junior college. That's how I started out welding, it gets you the basics, and that is never a bad thing. Good luck and get with the learning!

 

Take A cl***.

 

From what 3 guys have already said-----Since you don't know ANYTHING about welding----Go to a local Jr.college, or trade school to learn the basics of welding, you will not be an expert when you finish, BUT, you will have gained more knowledge about putting metal together than you currently have. Don't be in a hurry to just go right out & buy a "Harbor Freight" quality(?) machine, after a while of trying out different quality machines like Lincoln, Miller & others, at your school, you will then be in a better frame of mind to judge which is best for you & your application to the work you want to do. Like you, in 1951, the USN taught me how to learn my lifetime's vocation, & it led to many years of satisfaction in the welding field until I retired 6 years ago!--------Good luck!!--------Don

 

Oldmics thanks for that web. site cause I need all the help I can get when it comes to welding.I have a 220v Lincoln buzz box and able to make my welds hold but .I have a project of cutting my truck frame and making it shorter so welding is definetly going to be the biggy.I'm reading all I can on the HAMB to help me.thanks again

 

If you can't find a school locally see if you can talk to someone in a weld shop in your area. Reading books only gets you so far. For that matter, a welding cl*** only gets you so far too. Hands on-real life experience is paramount if you are going to do something structural like a frame. Getting someone to at least look at cross sections of your welds will give you some input as to whether you are welding correctly.

The confidence of KNOWING that your welds are good will make driving your truck much, much more fun! Good luck. (and post some pics, us "newbies" need to see what's going on out there!)

 

Spot on advice - take it seriously.

 

I just bought a Hobart Ironman 250 for $350 at an auction, retails for over $2000 new.

Then when I got back from the auction, my school gave me some older welders they have, Since they bought all new Miller Shopmate 300dx's. There about 1983 Union Carbide DC power supplies. They have a wire feeder ontop. They came with some extra parts, I have a foot pedal. I'm going to convert on to TIG. Might sell/ give away the other one.

You can get a reasonably priced stick welder, I think you can get a AC/DC one thats name brand for around 5-600?.

TIG takes 'finese' and hand eye co-ordination.
after you do TIG, everything else seems easier, at least with what I've found. Its easier to control other process once you've gotten the hang of TIG. TIG really helped me with my travel speed and stuff, its now alot easier to make a more uniform weld.

 

X2. I took a few cl***es at a local school and it did wonders for my welding. Also, you can do almost everything with a MIG machine and have it turn out very nice, and the learning curve is pretty easy.

 

Gonzo did you go to "TVI"?I graduated form there and I am a bad *** welder,and the machine courses are very helpful as weel .Bro's if you want to learn to weld take a few cl***es then get a welder and weld for about 2,000 hrs. then you will be ready to get a job welding,then you will be ready to post some ting about welding,but that may be a little much for My friend Oldfart, take a cl*** or 5 and then buy your welder your instructors and cl*** mates will be a valuable ***et for that purchase.

 

I did go to TVI, but they call it CNM now!

 

I Have a 130amp 220volt tig welder from harbor frieght 200.00 plus 205 bottle reg.fittings gas to make it work also eletrical fittings20.00 works extremely well. Helps a lot to already know a bit about tig welding. 2 pro welders have tried mine out and were impressed. Not all hf welders are junk.

 

If you want to read some more posts on welding go to HOW TO JUDGE A WELD on this site. There is lots of info to read there. Good Luck!

Lucky667

 

i agree take a cl***, i know here at the community tech school the cl*** is $100. cant beat that.

i do disagree on what kind of welder, if all you can afford is a cheap HF welder, its a start, just dont plan on welding ch***is and suspension, it would be fine for anything else, or check craigslist for a good used lincoln or miller.

 

In my opinion mig welders are for people who cant weld. Real men use oxy acet or arc AC/dc for everything, Aluminum even.
Call me old school it you want i dont care. I have a mig and use it only when the rules require it. I have tried tig with my DC welder , works fine.
Cheap welders are ok for the hobbiest. They are better than no welder. Welding is like singing Either you can or you cant. If you can then practice makes perfect. As you age you lose some of your studiness. Still you know to make sure both metals or both pieces you are joining reach proper temperature. That is to me the trick if there is one. In low duty cycle migs the addition of a 110 volt computer style fan 6 or 8 inch will eliminate the overheat duty cycle shut off completey. You will be surprized to find the holes for the fan are usually already stamped and the terminal for it on the on off switch is usually also there. I bought a Chicago Electric for 90 bucks, a warranty return deal , fixed the burnt cable cover, installed a 6 Inch fan and used it unmercifully to build my senior dragster. Before the fan it would only run a couple of minutes. now I have never had it shut down on over heat. I get tiered first. I have a Miller AC Dc stick welder. It is a real good machine and I have never regretted buying it. I think i have had it about 20 to 25 years. Stilll I love gas welding. It is the most satisfying for me.

 

Thy sell a gas torch.that you can weld aluminum with. You use tig wire no flex. The end result looks like tig. Not as strong but for non structural not a bad way to go.

 

..when done, you'll have an idea what machine you want.

Take a cl***.

Repeat after me.

Take a cl***.
.