Newbie Question ??? Mig ? Tig ? Arc ?? Pros & Cons of each

That might be how it is where you live. There are two community colleges and a vocational school within 30 miles of where I live that have excellent welding programs.
I will admit that the few high schools that still teach welding don't do a very good job of it.

 

Again.....Thanks for EVERYONE's input....it ALL is very valuable !!!!

 

MIG welds have a HAZ that cools quickly, when welding sheet metal, leaving it harder to move and adjust. Brittle isn't a good thing in some areas of the body, which can lead to cracking.

Gas welds, cool slower, leaving it easier to work with. MIG is great to tack panels in place, while I fuse the rest with the oxy/acetylene torch.

I was taught gas welding before MIG, at a young age. Just like learning in a manual, before you get all kooshy with the slush box. Gas welding gives you a great introduction on how sheet metal reacts with heat

 

Well, first of all Mig (aka GMAW, Gas Metal Arc Welding) and TIG (aka GTAW, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) are both Arc welding processes which use electricity----to create an electric arc to weld.

As opposed to gas welding/aka oxyacetylene welding that everyone was talking about above----uses gas instead of electricity to produce the heat required to melt the metal.

My opinion, which will probably be thoroughly attacked, which is ok, and it's just my opinion, is to learn STICK aka(SMAW, Shielded Metal Arc Welding) first. Because learning to identify the puddle, see the puddle and control the puddle is key to everything.

STICK is another form of ARC welding which is a little simpler than MIG or TIG. No shielding gas.

So to sum:
Common Types of ARC welding:
TIG
MIG
STICK

Common Types of GAS welding:
oxyacetyelene


2) i can't think of a situation where it pays to go lowbuck including welding. i feel Miller is top quality.

 

Thanks also for the information. I don't know that I'll jump into the welding pit, but I am thinking about it and having someone with gas experience and equipment handy helps me decide which route to go.
I also plan to take classes first. There may well be teachers and programs that are as bad as described, but two things: you'll always learn SOMEthing from taking a class and two, just because schools in your area are one way, does not mean all the schools across the country are that way.

 

Just wanted to thanks EVERYONE for their input, it gave
me a direction and helped decide on quite a few things...

 

I'm a student at present, well on break right now, and going to a community college to learn is a good thing. True, you could MAYBE learn by sweeping floors at a shop and using a torch when someone has time to deal with you. But that sounds like a shop that's not doing a lot of business. Wonder why that would be? Will they teach you ALL there is to know or just enough to do work for them? Will they teach you how to pass certifiable welds in industry? I doubt it.

In the 2 semesters I have taken, I have gone from zero to employable. School gives you the discipline that you'll need at a job. I also learned to read blueprints. Will you learn that during a break from sweeping floors? I doubt it. I've been offered jobs at my present skill level, but turned them down because I know I can be better. One was to explain blueprints to guys with no training in welding, but who picked it up somewhere.

I stick weld in all positions. I MIG in 4 and TIG in 3. All from a couple very good instructors and discipline. So, you take the easy way and learn what will work in that shop you sweep or you can go to school and learn how to be a valuable employee at ANY work site or job. I have one more semester to go. I'm in all advance classes now.

We had to learn stick first. When I started TIG, I fell right into it. So, I asked my instructor why we had to learn stick first. his reply, "So you would catch on to MIG faster and easier. He was right.

Oh.... whenever someone tells you to not go to school, any school, walk away. No...RUN.

Oh, one of my instructors had 30+ years as a welder and a welding engineer. The other 18 years of welding and shop/business ownership. I think they know what they are talking about.

 

If, as a teacher, you didn't report this to the board of education, then you're part of the problem. NOT the solution. And, knowing that the welding courses were lacking, why not teach that as well as automotive shop? Sounds like someone needs to investigate your school and it's system.

 

Depending where you live in Minnesota, there might be a Toll Welding supply near you. They offer an introduction to MIG and TIG welding later this summer. Its only a 4 hour seminar and cost $125. There is more information on their website as well. The welding seminar is held at the Plymouth location. This might be a good way to quickly try both for a reasonably low cost.

I just bought a Millermatic 211 auto set and really enjoy using it. Although I fit into the category of teaching myself, I am still enjoying the beginning experience and practicing on scrap pieces just to understand how all of the machine settings affect the weld. It will be awhile before i think I'm ready to weld anything that might be critical!

 

I bought a Millermatic 211 last year to replace my 110V/130amp unit and I love it! I still have and rarely use my Lincoln "Crackerjack" AC unit ( wished when I bought it, I would have got the AC/DC) and just ordered the Division 180 tig and looking forward to using it. My primary reason is sheetmetal repair, hopefully it will be fun learning to use it. And I learned to gas weld in FFA and thought it was the coolest thing ever!

 

This was my exact reply. With gas welding you can learn by understanding the metal and what is happening when you weld metal. You get to watch the metal heat up and melt. This is how I learned and everything was very easy after that.


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See if there is an Experimental Aircraft chapter around, most have a gas welding class once a year or more. Most will let non airplane builders in but you may have to join EAA for insurance, no biggie.

 

Just wanted to thank EVERYONE again for their input, this is the first
post I have done, which REALLY answered my question, without the
normal cat calling and stupid remarks...I truly appreciate your time
and expertise....

 

The HAMB is the best place for real questions as the group comprises some of the brightest minds and fabricators, and of course, some of the biggest smart asses to grace the internet! I am a hobbiest myself and the last few years have drifted towards the sheetmetal repair area and buying tools is easier with the advice, pros and cons, expressed here. Good luck with your passion and have fun.

 

Good advise here! I was a professional Tig welder for most of my 40 year career. Specializing in S/S sanitary piping. I learned to weld with a torch when I was 16 years old before trying anything else. After I did quite a bit of arc welding. Then 5 years apprentice program for tig. For me tig is it! That said there is usually more than one way to do something. And at times other processes are better for one reason or another. If I could only have one machine it would be TIG period. But that's just me. oh ya and never be without a torch.

 

I took a semester at the local JUCO and loved it. I didn't trust myself to go buy the gear and just get after it. you know, you can actually hurt yourself doing this shit... We never got much further than the stick welder in that single semester but did get an intro on the gas welding. I would agree that taking a class is the quickest way to safely get yourself up to speed.

 

I can agree on everyone's opinion concerning junk welders but don't think you have to buy a $2000 machine if your only purpose will be to do your own ride. I have a Miller Muti-process machine and it is great for Stick and TIG welding. After talking with a friend (certified welder/pipefitter) about what MIG machine to go with I bought an EASTWOOD 175. It seems he used one of their TIG and MIG machines while helping another guy on a project and loved them. His personal machines are all Miller but he said for a guy not doing production welding (8 to 10 hrs a day, everyday) he thinks the Eastwood machine weld just as nice and should last the average car nut a life time. We'll see because my machine should be here tomorrow!

 

Drive em,
I just sent you an email, but that was before I saw that you can train folks how to weld. I'm looking for individual TIG welding instruction. Can we talk?