Arc, Mig, or Tig Welding ??

[Aesthetixx]

Alright, so I've only ever used Arc Welding so far in my few years of experience and its been pretty faithful to me. However, If I'm looking to move onward to making a tank-like reverse-trike (hard-top) and I'm expecting it to be able to sustain all kinds of bumps and crashes and whatnot.

So I was wondering what are the advantages and disadvantages of mig and tig welding respectively? If I'm building something with a lot of metal plating a and a need for a very strong frame with a lot of pipework. Which is better for strong welding - Arc, Mig or Tig Welding ??

 

[devino246]

Welcome to the forums.

Arc will be the most bang-for-your-buck when it comes to amperage, buts its much more difficult to learn, especially overhead. Arc wont work for thin material.

Mig (or flux-core) is slightly more expensive, but can generally weld anything from 18ga-1/8" with $250 90amp flux-core welder.

TIG is extremely expensive. Machines start out around $500 and go into the mid to upper thousands. TIG is difficult to learn, more-so than arc. Theyre generally used for stainless, aluminum, and titanium, although they can weld mild steel too. TIG is best for thin material, it wont do all that great on real thick stuff.

IMO, a mid-range MIG machine would be your best bet. Something like this:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200447703_200447703

Or this:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200306073_200306073

Any more questions, Ill be happy to help. Ive done oodles of school projects on the matter.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

heres what i learned from welding class......

ARC:

PROS:

• inexpensive
• very reliable, no wire feed jams, low gas bottles, etc.
• strongest welds
• easier than TIG, harder than MIG
• the key is to getting the right electrodes and amps.

CONS:

• have to keep a certain distance while electrode is being comsumed
• have to keep changing electrodes
• not the prettiest welds...
• have to chip off slag in between passes

MIG

PROS:

• by far the easiest method
• use flux core wire to weld in winds outside
• better looking welds than ARC
• a little more expensive than ARC generally, but not near as expensive as TIG

CONS:

• sometimes the wire jams up, takes time
• you can screw up the contact tips, another expense, and takes time.
• more prone to failures than ARC because there are more parts, feed motor, sleeve, wiring for trigger, gas bottles, etc.
• you can run out of wire at any given time if you dont keep checking, and that means you have to replace the reel, take the extra wire out of the sleve, feed in the new wire, it takes a while but not a huge setback for the DIY-er

TIG:

PROS:

• if done right, BEAUTIFUL WELDS!
• many different materials, such as stainless, aluminum, steel, etc. and its fast and easy to change tungsten and correct the settings to do so.
• highest paid welders are TIG welders
• similar strength to ARC (again, if done right of course)

CONS:

• VERY expensive, the most expensive type of welding
• tungsten need to be kept clean and sharp, you will need a bench grinder for this and clean the tungsten constantly
• filler rod can be very hard to add, i had a very hard time doing it even with my teacher's help.
• requires argon, co2, or mixtures, i believe what we used was 75% argon and 25% co2. gas bottles run out and have to be refilled.
• keeping the settings correct for gas, amperage, polarity, etc and using the pedal can be overwelming and too complicated for a beginner.
• not for fast welding, TIG takes great concentration and skill, steadyness and fine motor skills. you cant just press the pedal and make a weld bead.

hopefully this helps, i didnt spend alot of time on that list so some things may have to be added.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

here is the machine i have at home, i love it because it is small, portable, gasless, (just plug and weld) and it is very easy to get the hang of without lessons.

also comes with everything you need, but gloves, so get some good $10-$15 gloves FOR WELDING! you also might want to consider a better helmet than a face shield, because its easier to weld with 2 hands than one.... i have harbor freight's auto-darkening helmet and used it about 6 months..... great deal.. works good.

http://www.harborfreight.com/90-amp-flux-wire-welder-98871.html

i also bought a better ground clamp, one from harbor freight actually, that is more heavy duty and delivers more surface contact.

http://www.harborfreight.com/400-amp-welding-ground-clamp-66708.html

here is my helmet

http://www.harborfreight.com/blue-flame-design-auto-darkening-welding-helmet-91214.html

and also i bought a better brush and slag hammer after my 2-in-one harbor freight one that comes with it wore out.... i bought them at ABCO welding supplies but here is some similar ones.

http://www.harborfreight.com/welding-chipping-hammer-66389.html

and wire brush

http://www.harborfreight.com/wire-brush-with-wood-handle-40401.html

here is some gloves too,

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-pair-14-inch-split-cowhide-welding-gloves-488.html

 

[Rustydog2010]

For your purpose I think Mig or Arc welding will be fine, if you have correct settings and skill.

As for strength, Tig is the strongest, Arc next and Mig is the weakest. (Considering all things are kept the same.)

Im making a buggy with full independent suspension, capable of about 140km/h and will be using Mig for majority of the welds.

If I was making a a chassis for something on the road, I would look at using Tig.

Jeremy.

 

[oscaryu1]

As for strength, all methods of welding remain equal when designated welding procedures are followed.

 

[redsox985]

I believe that TIG is the most versatile. Stick is pretty much limited to ferrous metals. Mig can do aluminum or stainless, but this requires different wire, usually a spool gun ($300+), and different gas. TIG uses the same torch with different filler rods and gas. Plus, TIG can produce much more beautiful welds. What stick has going for it is that it can be cranked way up to high amperages for extremely thick metals and can be done outdoors in the wind. Wire feed can as well, but I just am not a big fan. It's very sloppy, IMO.

 

[oscaryu1]

MIG/gas shielded FCAW looks terrific IMO XD

Requires almost no skill for flat welding though lol.

 

[Gillgamesh64]

Ark makes very strong welds but takes a bit of skill and practice before you start producing nice looking welds, and electrodes are cheap but it is much harder to use when welding light material...

Mig is easyer to use and weld look good no slag to chip away so it speeds the process up considerably but weld penetration can be poor making welds weaker and cost a bit more than stick

Tig is just not practical for the average DIY and cost to much to set up!!!

I love my stick welder but in saying that you might be better with a mig as things will just look alot neater and welding lots of joints will be alot quicker...

 

[redsox985]

As stated before, when done properly, all welds will be just as strong. The two pieces of metal will be filled and fused together into one, flawless piece. I THINK, this is just me speaking, that stick is usually said to be stronger because it is used the preferred method to be used on extremely thick pieces of metal. TIG has the most applications but MIG is a relatively versatile and cost efficient way of welding. I would suggest MIG.

MIG/gas shielded FCAW looks terrific IMO XD

Requires almost no skill for flat welding though lol.

FCAW is Flux-Cored Arc Welding. This is what I think is splattery and smokey and overall, just not appealing. MIG, or Metal Inert Gas welding, uses a solid wire filler and shielding gas to keep oxygen out of the weld. This is what looks fabulous and very shiny. Not flux-cored. Which is shielded by a fluxing material inside the filler wire.

 

[devino246]

This is what looks fabulous and very shiny. Not flux-cored. Which is shielded by a fluxing material inside the filler wire.

:toetap05:

^ My flux-core weld. Looks nice and shiny to me.

 

[redsox985]

Now, what all did you do to that after welding? It's nice and shiny, but still spattery compared to true MIG. Below is what I meant by look all nice and shiny. These were still freshly laid beads that were photographed seconds after. They require no cleaning and there's no smoke. Some sparks, but negligible compared to FC.

 

[devino246]

Now, what all did you do to that after welding? It's nice and shiny, but still spattery compared to true MIG. Below is what I meant by look all nice and shiny. These were still freshly laid beads that were photographed seconds after. They require no cleaning and there's no smoke. Some sparks, but negligible compared to FC.

Chipped the slag off and wire brushed it clean.

 

[oscaryu1]

You kidding? Gas shielded FCAW bad looking?! Gosh, the slag comes off in one big piece and it welds terrific. I need to take a couple photos for you guys next week at school

 

[devino246]

You kidding? Gas shielded FCAW bad looking?! Gosh, the slag comes off in one big piece and it welds terrific. I need to take a couple photos for you guys next week at school

 

[redsox985]

If the budget is there, at least get a machine capable of MIG. It's less smoky and has less slag so it can be done indoors with less ventilation (i.e. garage in a cold winter). I like that FC can be used outdoors with a MIG machine, but if I were going to be welding inside, I would not hesitate to buy MIG if the budget allowed. IMO, the only application for FC is a tight budget or trying to use a MIG machine outdoors to no avail.

 

[devino246]

If the budget is there, at least get a machine capable of MIG.

No argument there.

 

[indianblood]

here in India we generally use the arc welder for the obvious reason.
use of mig welder have started off lately,but it is still very expensive to buy and maintain

 

[sexyvicta]

oxy-acetylene

 

[Walter Keller]

welding

Heres my take

Arc/stick welders work great for heavier/thicker steel material. When trying to weld thinner tubing pratice is the key - gather up a bunch of scrap tubing and play with rod diameters/types and amp settings. Do not use your project as your learning scrap (or at least dont post pics of it)

MIG - well I havent had to much experience with this type - looking at buying a MIG machine for tube/sheet metal welding. Thought about a flux core machine (cheaper) but I like a clean weld so gas MIG will probaly be the choice. I already have bottles of argon for my TIG welder so thats no problem.

TIG - I have lots of tig welding time under my belt - The firearms I build are tig welded together (www.safetyharborfirearms.com) I do mainly steel welding. Its great when you can sit the part on a table and sit down in a chair to weld. Seeing how you have to hold the wire with one hand, hold the tungsten with the other and use the foot pedal at the same time it makes it alittle hard to weld in weird positions. Since TIG uses a sheilding gas working in a windy environment is not possible. TIG does require a good eye and a shake free hand (a steady hand doesnt hurt with all types of welding)