I have both but when I do an exhaust system out of steel tubing I M.I.G. the joints, but if I am doing a stainless system all the joints are T.I.G. welded. Why waste the time taking a steel system down to weld it on a table. It's all about the mighty dollar. I can do three steel systems to one stainless system. Because the M.I.G. is so much faster. Examples are pictured on my profile.
69fury, if you are going to do alot of aluminum than get the TIG and practice with it alot. Make sure and get a watercooled torch, though. Especially, if you are going to do alot of aluminum. Personally, I weld just about everything with TIG but every process has its place. I just enjoy TIG welding and the others aren't as fun for me anymore. Don't get me wrong, there are alot of times that I pick up the old stinger or the MIG gun, but not nearly as much as my TIG torch. The age of the metal to be welded isn't the problem, the cleanliness of the weld area is. Your joint preparation is very critical. This ain't like using a 6011 on rusty drill stem. LOL. I used to weld alot of stainless and got used to prepping my joints. I sand and/or polish all of my joint areas including the area the will be in the HAZ. To me, this is important, especially on hot rolled steel where there is millscale. It may be overkill to some, but the journeyman that taught me was a perfectionist. He was also the most amazing welder I've ever seen and I've known a BUNCH of welders so he must've been doing something right. TIG welding is properly know as GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding). Just about everybody calls it TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas). Old timers call it heliarc because that was a brand name by one of the manufacturers. Kinda like calling a copier a Xerox machine. Helium was once used as the shieilding gas for TIG, but hasn't been popular in decades. Mostly this is because of cost (Argon is cheaper), but also because argon is a denser gas and will blanket the weld area better. Helium is lighter than air and will rise rapidly causing turbulence and can introduce oxygen into the weld atmosphere thus causing contamination. Argon is also more resistant to crossdrafts due to its denser nature. The other difference between helium and argon is that they have a different penetration profile. Argon has a narrower, deeper, fingerlike penetration profile while helium has a broader, less deep penetration profile. So there you have it. Use argon. LOL.
I have a MIG and Tig, I think the MIG is a lincoln SP175, I use it that little I dont even know what it is, the TIG is a lincoln Precision tig 275. I didnt know how to tig when I bought the machine took a night class for a semester to get the basics. I am like some others here I only use the TIG you have a ton of control, and in my opinion it is easier to see over the MIG. You can find some decent deals on craigslist on used tig machines, you just have to really search. My vote would be the tig if you can swing the cash I think it was the best investment I have made in all my tools Nick
Not sure why everyone believes this but the perception that the startup cost to tig is higher than Mig is not all that true. To startup with a basic TIG setup for welding carbon and stainless steel: All you need is a DC ARC welder for a power source (example: Lincoln "Buzzbox" used = $350) a quality air cooled torch ($125) with lead and a bottle of Argon. Now take that same money and go buy a name brand Mig welder and see how much versatility you have when compared to the old buzzbox TIG setup mentioned above. NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!
I like em all. Whatever you choose, choose a good machine. Better to buy a good quality name brand used machine for the same price as a cheap new one. I still have an old 110v mig welder that I bought about 25 yrs ago. I use it when someone needs something small welded away from the shop. Get some equipment and get the sparks flying. Ken
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