I've gotten back to stick welding after many years absence. I have about 30 minutes total time learning MIG. I have a friend with a worn Lincoln mig that does small stuff for me, but i want to be as self sufficient as possible (and my stick welds look better than his migging, lol) If you were going to make the jump, do you need a mig first (cages, suspension, etc) or should i take the plunge and get a tig? (i.e. will a tig do all the same cage and suspension/bracketry in addition to the precise small stuff). I understand the different levels of difficulty, but dont know if tig is just too specialized for the hobbyist. I will finish my car out, then most likely weld for my friends/family on whatever car stuff they come up with.... So- is it reasonable to skip the mig?
If you are going to just finish your car and do small stuff i would recomend to go with the mig. Tig takes time to learn. It is harder to learn then mig and is not stronger than a mig weld. What makes a Tig weld stronger then a mig is the metal around the weld. beacuse on a tig you can control the heat much better then with a mig. For doing roll cages and suspension I mostly use a Mig welder due to the time involved to Tig weld the same project. People just dont want to pay tripple the money to have it Tig welded. I personaly feel that a good hot spot mig weld is just as good as a tig weld. I have built a few sand rail chassis and have not had a weld or joint crack to date.. just my 2cents
mig is not a stepping stone to tig. if you want a tig, buy a tig and learn how to use it. there are a couple of reasons most guys buy a mig... cost effectiveness and learning curve. mig welders are far more affordable for the average user and they are far 'easier' to operate efficiently. be cautioned, a tig that will weld heavy gauge stuff is gonna be EXPENSIVE. i bought my mig AFTER i bought my tig. i prefer tig welding for visible stuff, and for welding aluminum, but i like the speed of the mig for doing stuff like laying up frames.
Also, tig is great for sheet metal a nice small even bead with very little to grind when your really good at it. Since your new buy a good quality Mig and practice, Migs put out more heat go be careful. Do a search on welding here on the HAMB you'll find a lot of information. CRUISER
All the info I have read over the last 6 months says you are wrong. But I could have read all the wrong info of course..
I think you will "need" arc, mig, tig and gas in the end. But if you want to be self sufficient and get the project finished get a mig - but a gas set would also be very useful to have in the workshop for cutting as well as heating and bending. I'd get the gas set before a tig set because you can't really do those things with a mig or a tig.
i've got a snap-on mig/tig setup,wasn't cheap but i like it.... won't do aluminum, though (no hi freek) without a spool gun
Mate, everyone's opinion will be different given their exposure and relevant success with each form of welding. I use both for different applications: Mig for tacking items together quickly, and the occasional hi-fill weld, and Tig for everything else. Both take the same amount of time to learn the basics, and about the same time to truely master. It's all down to what you want man. If I had to pick, I'd go for the Tig, as you can get a Tig torch into more places than a Mig torch, and it looks nicer and is definitely STRONGER. Why else do they use it in Aircraft fabrication over MIG??? My 0.02.
Honestly, I think you'd eventually want to have both for different situations. TIG is nice, but there are just sometimes when it'd be damn near impossible to use (ie; on your back under a car with your arms contorted to reach a nearly blind weld). That said, it doesn't matter which you get first as said before; MIG and TIG are totally different technique wise and one isn't a stepping stone for the other.
If your going for the wow factor, get a TIG. You can always kick yourself later for not getting a all purpose MIG.
Mig/Tig, will always a debated topic here. If you know how to gas weld the learning curve for Tig is not that steep. It is more expensive but in the end I wish I bought my Tig setup earlier. One of the nice things not mentioned here is the fact that you can use a Tig without having to worry about sparks setting your shop on fire. I had a couple close calls with a Mig and use my Tig in places I wouldn't chance the Mig. Thankfully my shop is bigger now-I can use both....
An econotig is all that I have. Love it, but still want a mig for heavy stuff, hard to reach stuff, etc. Rich
My choice is Tig. Mig welders start a bead cold, and feed rod into it and the result is splatter. It is feeding rod every time you pull the trigger. Tig welders start the bead, get it to proper temp, and you add the rod as needed. I think the time saved is wasted when you have to grind off the platter and the high, hard, bead of a Mig. Another advantage is sheet metal work is hammer weldable more with a Tig, or O/A. My theory is Tig first, (Heavy and light) Gas second, (Sheet metal) Mig third, (heavy and light stuff) Stick last. (Heavier work and frame stuff)
TIG welds take longer. I have both, I find most times I use the MIG just because I don't want to spend the extra time it takes to do the same weld with TIG. It takes a little longer to set up the TIG for the job too. I use the TIG only when I need to.
Learn how to gas weld first, then you can buy a tig and not waste time or money learning how to tig. Once you learn gas welding, you can weld with any type of machine or torch
I have a tig only, no need for a mig. The time saved using a mig is usually eaten up cleaning up the welds. For sheetmetal work, tig is much gooder than mig. different stroke different folks, but my insurance is quite a bit cheaper with no mig, lot less chance of fire.
The only welder i own right now is a tig. May take longer but much cleaner and stronger if done correctly.
I went to school for MIG and got to the certification stage. I got myself a nice MIG for my home shop and loved it.................... .....until I tried TIG. I've been using Matt Seret's TIG unit at his shop for close to a year and I have not touched my MIG since (seriously). I was scared of the TIG at first, but once I stopped being a pussy and dove in, it didn't take long to get pretty good. I'm definitely no TIG expert, but I feel like I can hold my own - my welds look great 30% of the time, good 60% of the time, and I redo them 10% of the time. Sure there are a few times where MIG is easier, like laying on your back in tight quarters, but man, I love the TIG! Also, as was said, MIG is not a step to TIG. They are pretty much apples and oranges.
No question spend the extra money and buy a good TIG that will go really low for sheet and aluminum. I was the guy who said "I'll never need a TIG". I can weld with O/A, Mig, Arc, and TIG. I love the TIG and use it for almost everything except heavy steel. Still bust out old trusty ARC for that. The TIG is alot like Soldering and you get to make the bead and pool you like, it's apatience thing and takes a little time to master (not that I'm a master). Best thing about the Tig is minimal heat, no splatter, and it grinds really easy if you need to. Good Luck, Tim
After the, do you gas weld question the next question would be what kind of welding do you do? I have gas, MIG, TIG and stick and use them for different things. A lot of people use MIG for sheet metal, I don't, I use either gas or TIG. For heavier stuff that I want to stay together, it is stick welded. My MIG, I'll use for the quick and dirty stuff. YMMV
Personally, I prefer TIG. I love to TIG weld. It's more of an art to me. However, all of the common welding processes have their place (stick, MIG, TIG, and O/A). One thing that is important to all is joint preparation. However, in my experience, it is much more critical with TIG than the other processes. This is another reason TIG is slower. IMO, If all you ever do is mild steel, get a MIG. If you weld aluminum and stainless and other metals also than get a TIG. And this is coming from someone that loves to TIG weld. I think for the average home hobbyist MIG is a much more suitable process. However, if you are the type that loves to weld and learn new things, than TIG is the most challenging of the welding processes and would be good to learn. IMHO, one of the most beautiful things in the world is an excellent TIG weld on stainless steel.
If you're good, and practice makes you good, mig or stick, look like tig. On steel, of course. Mig+practice=all you'll ever need.
I bought my ESAB tig welder about 5 years ago and I'm glad I didn't have a mig around because it forced me to learn to use the tig, I taught myself and I think I'm pretty good at it now. It did take a long time to learn but I'm happy with it and I don't feel like I'm missing anything.
you can skip mig and go to tig straight off,because there operating use is completely different.Only relation to each other you still have to hold the torch at their correct angles.Both serve different applications in the metal world.imo tig for sheet metal and mig for tacking and structural.If you can gas weld then you have a good start on the tig process. if i could only have one,then tig it is.
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