I have a pretty good collection of equipment going right now and generally try to purchase one big machine a year. So this year I'm toying with the idea of buying and learning how to tig weld What are your guys thoughts ? For those with a Mig and Tig, how often are you picking up the torch vs the gun ?
Buying the tig.....great idea!!!!....You Can not go wrong....great investment in ones self...I bought my tig and did not know how to use it or what all the knobs were used for.....I can not remember when I have utilized my mig welder since...it still has its uses and place but you can not compare it to a tig and its possibilities....Great tool to add to your growing ****nal...go for it and spring for a water kooled version.......Littleman
Get the tig welder, I'll spend your money! I went to the local weld shop last year to get a bigger mig, I have an old 110v Lincoln mig welder, & the guy talked me into a tig welder. I never tig'd before but you can pick it up quick. I had a guy a work teach me then lots of practice. The mig is much easier & cheaper but the tig gives you more control. I use mine for the sheet metal & heavy stuff. Works great on aluminum also.
I only use my Tig where the welds will be seen, cause it's makes things so pretty But I do 90% of my welding with my Mig's, quick and easy and good results...a little more versitle in my opinion...since I have one of my lower quality machines loaded with innershield so on a hot day when the shop door os open and the breeze is coming in, or if I need to do something outside in the wing, I like the Mig loaded with innershiel wire...plus, it's twice as quick to weld than with Tig. PLus, you don't need to have things as clean with a MIG than with a Tig. Just another opinion...but if (for me) I could have only one welder, it would be the Mig.
I should clarify. I already have a 220 Mig and I'm thinking about adding a tig to the collection of tools
First year I owned a tig, I did not really use it, except for some special stuff, but now I'm a Tig fanatic. I built some gates for my house, with the tig, some friend thought I was nuts. I use the mig welder only, when time is a factor, anymore. Get a TIG welder, it will become an essential tool in your shop/garage.
I LOVE my Lincoln 225 TIG i had no idea how to use it, but after a while i think i am getting the hang of it
tig is is a great tool to have when its needed makes grining easy and looks real nice if your not grinding but time it takes to do a weld its doesent make sence most the time if your grinding the weld smooth your wasting time , tomorrow im welding a fram for my roof if i was to tig it it would take two hours ill do in ten mins with the mig . and tacking it is a pain you have to clamp things you can mig with one hand and hold things in place at the same time do that with a tig ,I have both and really dont know what id do without the tig for fine work
C'mon Robert, you don't "have" to use filler rod, especially for tacking, just keep a tight gap..i/e no gap, and weld the metal together...if you keep it on track and push the puddle at the right speed, you won't burn through...hence no need for filler (disclaimer-for non-structural welding)
They both have their place and if you can POSSIBLY afford it have both. I would never be without both but if I had to choose and speed was any kind of a factor I'd buy the mig. Frank
so mike your trying to tell me its just as fast to step on the pedel or use a hand cotrolled tig then push the ****on on a mig , and i didnt say that you need filer rod to make a tack but you cmon you going to hold the part in place and step on the pedal and burn it together o and thanks for the lesson i was in school for welding for 4 years and tig welded 250 parts a day four 4 years . two guys one with a tig one with a mig have to make 20 tacks in a race who will win ?sorry man just my 2 cents
Lighten up Bro, you were making it out (from your post) that you needed two hands to Tig...from that I ***umed (could be I made an *** of myself, but won't be the last time) that one hand woould be on the torch, the other hand..hmmnn..would be holding filler rod. BTW, pushing a pedal only takes a few miliseconds...tacking between TIG and MIG...there's not a lot of difference...now welding things up tight and complete, sure, Tig will take more time for sure... Ofcourse I didn't go to school for either, just been doing it for 30+ years. Guess it's time to enrol and make sure I'm doing it right
TIG has its place, so does the MIG and also the stick. It all depends on what you are doing. I use it all. One does not work better than the other, the project decides what to use. But in the beginning I used what ever I could get my hands on. My 2 cents
Millermatic 210 MIG - used mostly for tacking things Miller Synchrowave 250DX - for the serious precision work I use both, it's good to have both
I have gas, arc and mig (never used tig). Each has its place. One good thing about the mig is that I can do one handed welding. Also, mig is particularly helpful in out of position or hard to reach areas where you can only get one arm in to weld. Just my 2 cents.
If you've already got a squirt gun, deposition rate is not an issue, so buy the TIG. AC/DC with a pulse and a watercooled torch is nice if the budget allows.
Can a small mig (gas) be made to work for aluminium using a small feed reel on the gun? My small mig you can reverse the polarity.
'Nother vote for having both. I like the MIG for taking things in place, and TIG the rest. In situations where I can't really get the TIG torch and filler in, sometimes I'll MIG. As far as this business about the sheetmetal stuff and MIG being just as good since you're gonna grind it off anyway: I don't buy that. I've seen some real nice body work done with MIG, but MIG welds are VERY brittle, and therefore prone to crack. Plus all that grinding introduces yet more heat to the panel. TIG welds are much softer, and you can hammer them flat enough so there is minimal grinding.
Mig in now somewhere under something in the back of the garage. Always use Tig. It is slower an more difficult on some applications for sure but....I weld for fun not for a living. So the more practice I get welding with the TIG the better I get.
I got a tig some 18 years ago to repair and build bikes that myself and two others use to race. we lived locally and between the three bikes there was always something to be welded or built.Tig is all i knew,got back into cars and felt it was time to get a mig,certain jobs do have there place but im a tig welder at heart and grinding is not a frequently used word in my shop.So mig is seldomly used while the tig is used daily.I have become fairly quick over the years at set up and welding.For sheetmetal work i **** weld and tig only.To some this seems to be more time consuming but i found the savings in time are seen in less grinding and less body work to finish.So tig being more time consuming i have to challange.My vote ....pro tig all the way.
OK sooooo, what machine ? Space is a serious issue in my garage, so I will need a newer compact machine. Trying to keep it under 2500.00 all in Miller is a MUST.
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