With a MIG you buy it and two beads later THINK your a welder...with the TIG you instantly realise that as a true welder...you ****. MIG is easy, but TIG takes training and/or lots of practice because your in control of much more of the process, from heat to filler rod application. Tig is kinda like Oxy/acetylene fusion welding.
TIG is conisidered a more complex form of welding. It takes more knowledge and skill than MIG. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. Advantages for TIG are: you can weld damn near every metal, in any thickness with ease as long as you know what you are doing. However, it is a very slow process and is generally more expensive for initial set up of goods and in the end is still less efficient. If it wasnt for it being so slow, it might as well be the #1 process in the world. MIG is easier to use, but more difficult to set up and get running correctly. Its a hell of alot faster, especially on thick metals were you can run extremely hot. Also, alot more efficient and easy to clean up. as long as you have long enough leads, enough gas and cable, you can run beads 25 ft long without stopping. it realls just depends on what metal you plan to weld on.
mig is the martha stewart glue gun of metal... tig is just plain old hard to get right when your in a hurry....
Both have thier advantages. Tig is a tungsten electrode torch, it's great and can produce beautiful welds but is only as good as the person operating it. Mig is a wire feed and easier to learn on and probably better to get when starting out. That being said you get what you pay for. Miller, ESAB, Lincoln, and Hobart make good quality welders. I understand HTP's are fine though I've never used one. Learn on a Mig then move up.
[quote=Dooce;1956724] it realls just depends on what metal you plan to weld on.[/quote] [FONT="]Auto frame, sheet metal you know just need to build a car. I got friends that know what they are doing but lots of different options. [/FONT][FONT="]Knowone owns a good welder. Id just like to know what to buy. So I look too the vast knowledge of the HAMB[/FONT]
For what you are talking about, I would be using a TIG. I love everything about it. But, like stated above, a TIG weld is only as good and the welder, and a MIG should be used if you are just beginning.
Because, Tig welding requires practice and skill, mig is like, point and shoot. A monkey can do it. Trust me, if you buy a tig welder you will be frustrated, without any prior welding experience.
For a beginner who wants to do automotiive welding I recommend a mig. A quality 110v like a Lincoln or Miller would work. If you get a 220v model you will be able to do lots more. I have a Lincoln 110v that I use for most of my automotive welding and I will sometimes even use it for frame work. I have also welded aluminum with it. However for my heavier work, (I'm a farmer) I will use my 255. I also have gas, stick, and tig, they all have their place. One thing I like about the 110 is the portability, a lot of times I will use it with self shielded wire, hence the term "suitcase welder". The 110 is the most used for bodywork and is hooked to a trimix bottle most of the time with .023 wire in it. You can use the 110 to weld aluminum which I have done but it is hard to push the soft aluminum wire out to the gun, also you can only weld light aluminum, 1/8 or so. When I have to weld 1/4" aluminum on my trailer trucks I use the spool gun on the 255. Bottom line, more money will get you a more versatile welder.
I have to question why learning on a MIG teaches you anything about TIG welding. Wanna learn welding technique that'll help with the TIG? Buy a torch As has been said, the MIG is point and shoot. It's also been said that MIG is total ****.........................by some people, not by me. However, MIG also is only as good as the person pulling the trigger. The danger with MIG is that you can lay down a pretty good looking bead with no penetration at all. It's true! Whichever welder you choose, practice is the key. Weld some stuff together......then drop it, beat it, press it, cut it up (the welded pieces, not the welder) and get a look at your results. When you start getting welds that look good from every angle, remember what you did so you can pull it off again TIG is a totally different animal than MIG.............and for a beginner I would give the same advice as most who have posted - buy a MIG.
Just make sure if you get a MIG that is has gas hookups. TIG is hard as hell the fist time. I remember when i started with TIG (and I still **** at it) I kept getting the rod fused to the metal LOL
Go take a welding course... ...then go buy a welder. If you don't know the difference between MIG and TIG, you certainly have no right to own either. JOE
a Mig is something you like to use. A TIG is something all your friends want you to use. If you get it down, you will basically have neverending supply of work if you have a lot of friends who build cars and such. Just charge $25 for everything you weld and have a stay at home job
HAHAHA this brings back some memories for me. The first time using a MIG I am shaving my gas door on my 54 Chevy (i miss that car). I put down the best damn looking bead. I was soo dang impressed with myself. My buddy came by and said let me see what you did. He started laughing and knocked my welds with a hammer lightly and it all fell off LOL. He said I needed to turn it up and walked away. I turned it up and started again and started burning holes through the fender.
I'll go a little more basic here: MIG = metal inert gas TIG = tungston inert gas With a MIG welder, the machine supplies the filler metal. What you need to do is learn how to set the rate of feed and heat correctly to penatrate into what you're welding without getting it so hot you burn through it. The machine holds a spool of wire (the filler metal) which comes out of the "gun" in the same place the gas comes out. Hence - point and shoot. With a TIG welder, the machine supplies the heat and the gas, you supply the filler metal which you hold in your other hand. The heat/voltage is usually also controled to a lesser degree not just by how you set the machine, but by a foot pedal that allows you to increase or decrees the voltage while your welding. The combination of manually adding the filler metal and the ability to increase or decrease voltage on the fly makes a TIG welder much more precise(?). This also makes the TIG more difficult to master because you're doing so much at once. It's been said here before, practice with either is important as you can have a good looking weld that's really **** inside.
With any type of welding, Mig, Tig, or gas, you are heating two pieces of metal to the exact point of melting and then introducing rod to middle of the puddle when all three components are at the exact right temperature. With Mig the control of the addition of the wire is control by the speed of the wire. With Tig and gas welding you are adding the rod when you see the exact point of melting and you pop the rod in and drop a molten drop into the middle. Tig and Gas require both hand coordination. Mig keeps pouring the wire in and if you don't have it set right you get lousy welds. Confusing, but that is how I see it. Only true answer is practice. The answer above by Norrie, really gets it right.
Today, the first welder in your shop should be a 220 volt MIG with an attachment for gas bottles. A few years ago it would have been a 110 volt MIG, and before that it would have been a 110 volt ARC welder. MIG welders are used in 99% of all automotive construction. By using various wire sizes, feed rates, and current settings, you can pretty much weld any size of material quickly. Most MIG welders are not able to weld 100% of the time, and must be allowed to cool. Generally 3-Phase power MIG welders are capable of 100% welding times. A TIG welder is most often used for specialized metals, such as chrome molly, ***anium, magnesium, and aluminum. It replaced Oxy-Acetelyne as the industry favorite method for using these metals. It provides an intense heat, with the filler rod controlled by the human, rather than a constant speed motor. You cannot fusion weld with a MIG, but a TIG (much like Oxy-Acetelyne) allows you to flow metal together, and provide a highly controlled thickness of filler metal. It is a very tedious and slow process compared to MIG and Oxy-Acetelyne, but provides a safer working environment in smaller shops. You don't have to use toxic and highly corrosive flux in TIG, like you do with Oxy-Acetelyne, which speeds-up cleanup after the welding is completed. If you are sticking small metal parts together (fabricating), or repairing sheet body steel, then a 110 volt MIG is completely adequite for most home garages. Thicker metal parts (such as frames) are best done with a higher duty-cycle (longer welding to cooling off times) 220 volt welders. The reason I reccomend 220, is they are more cost effective, and actually quite affordable.
I don't know....maybe I'm old fashioned, but I still think the first welder should be a torch. Learn to control the puddle. Puddle control is important even with MIG. Lolife, I thought this subject looked familiar Looking forward to the next round!
The original Question was, "Whats the Diff???" No info, no search, Its been covered over and over again. Here we are two pages later and what a bunch of ****ers we are. Let him learn like we did, and if he gets lousy welds, he will blame it on the welder anyhow. tdoty had it right," learn to control the puddle". The type of welder is secondary.
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