Types of Welders

[DaiSan76]

I am curious about everyone's favorite type of welding. I am just starting to get an A.A.S. in welding, and due to starting in the spring, I am taking TIG welding my first semester. Before now, I thought wire feed was hot sauce on a plate, but now I'm not sure. I should qualify that I have not used a quality MIG/Flux core machine yet. I've only used my Dirt cheap Harbor Freight flux core wire feed, and I like it, but now I am really into TIG. So which do you prefer, and why?



I also used stick welding, and Oxy/Acetylene back in high school, and I like both TIG and MIG better than either of them.

 

[fowler]

I think tig is as much astectic as anything
It is a painfully slow game

Mig is very easy use and great to learn on
Also very versatile ( u can mig ally )

Stick is also very versatile as u
Can weld upside down easier and outside in the wind

I like stick best

 

[jamyers]

My preferences in order: MIG, Oxy/Acetylene, then way down the list is Arc. Never done any TIG (yet).

 

[mckutzy]

I think of it as a person preference and affordable preference.
I have a 120v fluxcored, works great. I would like a gas mig, not affordable to me right now.
I am building my own tig welder, and that will be the direction I am going to go. I am almost done collecting the parts. That is the cheapest for me to build than buy a machine.

 

[kendelrk]

i like mig, mig is simple, easy, and works well. stick is down the list, and tig is easy, but nerve racking.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

and tig is easy, but nerve racking.

You're going to have to explain this. If it's easy, how can it be nerve racking?

 

[fowler]

yes hoe does that work
it can be hard but easy on the nevres but not the reverse

i can garuntee u tig is easy in princable (heat and feed in stick)
but in practice it is quite hard

i can join two bits together with tig but as to make a beed i couldnt
but i only got 1/2 an hour practice

if u are taurt by a profesional u will see stick is quite easy
i figured i may as well learn, as it is common to weld with a small inverter stick welder on a sholder strap half way up a haulpak truck

image carrying a mig on your back

 

[mckutzy]

For me, In high school I was taught how to stickweld from the shop teacher who was a tool and die maker, later I had an opportunity to do some OA welding. TIG and gas welding are almost the same. The basic procedures for how to control the puddle and heat, very similar.

Any one who has a tombstone welder (or any other DC stick welder I imagine), an argon bottle w/flow meter, a tig torch setup.. can make a DC tig welder for steel.

On this thread, a gent has done this and it works, I have spoke to a older welder friend and he also confirms this.
http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=38106

Here is some youtubes...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g72rCd8J9oA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lV4tzg4zn0

I am however using an alternator as I dont have a big tombstone or a dc welder.

 

[Franklin1283]

It's been a while, but I have used a bunch of welders, and I think mig is easy, and seems to be the best all around type of welder, Stick isn't hard, but can get annoying if doing a large weld, but sometime can get into smaller spaces ( using a full stick and a small weld hah). I'm not a fan of tig, I don't think I have enough patients for it but I hear its great of smaller work or detail work, people that do it well make very nice looking welds.

 

[DaiSan76]

Thanks for the opinions guys. I'm 90% sure that I'm going to end up with this Hobart MIG.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200479230_200479230

I like TIG, and I love that you don't have to add filler until you want it, but the ****ed torch gets so hot after what seems to me like a very small amount of welding. I also like that I can run this one on both 110 and 220, so I am not tied to wherever I decide to run a 220 circuit.

 

[mckutzy]

Tig torches shouldnt get that hot, there might be a problem with the torch or an improper technique your using. Thats an air cooled torch, water cooled are cool all day long and regardless of how long(typically speaking and when set up right).

 

[DaiSan76]

Tig torches shouldnt get that hot, there might be a problem with the torch or an improper technique your using. Thats an air cooled torch, water cooled are cool all day long and regardless of how long(typically speaking and when set up right).

It's air cooled, running about 110 amps most of the time. After half a dozen 6 inch welds it's too hot for me to hold onto. I'm pretty sure it's a brand new torch in that welding booth.