Mig vs. Tig

[red baron]

Is there anything a mig can do that a tig can't? Reason I ask is I am gonna be selling a truck soon and I would be able to purchase a welder, and I can return the borrowed 110 Hobart to it's rightful owner. I would be able to afford a tig with the cash, but I would be givin up a mig to do it though (unless he let's me continue borrowing the mig). I have not tig'ed before, and I am still new to mig. If I go tig what should I look for? Water cooling? I will do mostly sheet metal and fab for automotive based projects. Thanks for the advice!

[anders nørgaard]

Tig will do a smoother looking weld, but MIG is way faster.

[Tisdelski]

the tig can do most all metals; steel, aluminum, copper,stainless etc.

the mig can do steel well and aluminum not so well. (i haven`t tried a spool gun yet with a mig, its supposed to be much better)

gary

[dabirdguy]

I couldn't get the hang of Tig...
I can do passable Migs if I take my time.
Tig welds ARE prettier!

[kfs]

Mig can weld wher you cant se, ore onley can get to whit one hand !
Mig are good at plug welds
Mig are hard to planish/bend/work

Tig are perfeckt and easy when working on a work benck, not so easy on a car, imposible when litle space, ore when you cant se
Tig are not so good for plug weld
Tig are easy hard to planish/bend/work

[ESjaavik]

Water cooling? I will do mostly sheet metal and fab for automotive based projects.

Then you can do fine without water cooling.
But don't buy a DC only TIG! You need AC to weld aluminum.

[red baron]

thanks for all the replys guys, I was looking at the base model miller tig, that they said on the website was good for that kind of work, it was air cooled, ac/dc, hf start.

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/tig/diversion_165/models.php

at that price i should be able to afford that and a mig of my own!

(of course i am gonna keep looking and try to find it cheaper elsewhere)

[Bill Gibson]

Get Both, That is a good way to go.
If you have never gas welded or TIG welded, you are in for a Loooooong learning curve! So I wouldn't give up the MIG for a TIG until you get good at the TIG.

[timothale]

I hadn't tig weldedin about 15 years so I signed up for a night class 3 years ago. when I was working in Calif.(no wonder they went broke) The cost was probably less than the material, gas,elect ,rod etc that I used. They had us gas weld for the first 4 classes before we got to use the tig. the instructor said it was easier that way. No contaminated tungsten the first 4 weeks.

[gliden07]

Mig is way easier!! I took a night class to learn how to Tig and even with lots of expert help I was not very good at it. I have a Hobart 140 Mig running flux core wire for now. It has the flow meter to convert it over to 75/25 mix. It was very resonable (bought it at Tractor Supply for $379 on sale) it will do most anything I will need to do. I will buy a TIG at some point and check Craigslist and Ebay all the time for a deal. While trying to learn how to TIG the hardest part was trying to adjust the current while moving the torch and feeding the rod while trying not to dip the carbide into the puddle. Learning to Tig Aluminium was harder than steel IMO.
Someone on here not to long ago posted some information about planishing and working MIG welded seams and panels and dispeled many of the claims that you could'nt do these type of processes on a Mig welded panel. I think it was Dutch Comstock?? Please correct me if I'm wrong. There was a lot of good info in the link.

[gliden07]

Ok I did a search it was Marty Comstock and the links name was "Shaping a Mig Weld". He did all the things your not suppose to be able to do to a mig welded seam with good results. Great info for people like me that dont have lots of $$ to buy a Tig.

Steve

[mindover]

I don't see it as an either- or situation - I think it depends on what you are trying to do. Mig is great for plug welding and for doing things like corner butt welds because it will cause very little distortion (basically where you don't intend to dress the weld after it is finished). For butt welding sections of panels I believe the amount of grinding involved is a pain. I saw a post someone put up recently by Randy and the results he was getting were incredible and Johny Arial also has done some great work using a mig so it can be done. Mig welds are hard and therefor hard to metal finish. Tig will give you a nice narrow even HAZ especialy if you weld with no filler rod. This is the way I teach. The down side to using tig is the difficulty of operating the foot pedal in general car work and avoiding touching the tungsten when in awkward situations. I find for day to day work the tig is just too much hassle. I would use it where I can work on the bench or downhand on the panel but the disadvantages out-way the advantages for most jobs. I use gas welding for day to day butt welding of panels If done with no filler rod little distortion is caused the HAZ is even and not much wider than you get with a tig and the weld is easily dressed out.

David

[CARS]

After reading David's reply I have to ask myself this question:

I can "WOW" some customers by showing them I can TIG. Most don't know the difference. But if I told them I gas welded......... I think most would think I was living in the stone age.

Not that some of those questionable customers wouldn't appreciate some good "old school craftsmanship". I just think that in the world we live in, if Chip, Troy, or any other TV car builder is using TIG and MIG, I better too.

[mindover]

Here is a photo of a gas weld, I dont think it looks like it came out of the stone age!

http://metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=96&pictureid=1013

[AndersK]

David, I dont think Chris meant it that way.

The customers watching TV shows would probably think you have tig welded that seam since it looks so good.
Most of them had only heard about MIG, before starting to look at Discovery, at best.

/Anders

[mindover]

I didn't take offence. I don't take offence at anything people say on here its only shaping and welding metal.

As you can see the results are very similar to tig but without the hassle.

The weld was done by James my employee by the way.

[CARS]

Anders is right, I didn't mean it that way David.

It's just that people who don't know any better see something on TV and think that it is better. If ESAB gives Joe the Welder a shop full of new welders and plasma cutters that must mean that those are the tools to use.

I am going to (attempt to) learn gas welding next weekend at the Route 56 spring MM. I'll post my trials and tribulations :rolleyes:

Good weld James!

[mindover]

Chris I understood what you were saying I just continued in the same vane. No offence taken. I just wanted to show that a gas weld is just as good as a tig if done in the right way and a lot less expensive to set up for. As I said above tig can have slight advantages in some circumstances, Mig has advantages in other circumstances.

David

[oldgoaly]

Do you think either one has a cost savings advantage??? Initial cost of equipment, consumables, time in finishing welds.

[James(Western Canada)]

David: You should try using a tig with a hand control sometime, much easier than the foot pedal. The pedal that came with my Lincoln 175 Squarewave is still in the sealed plastic bag it arrived in:):)

James


The down side to using tig is the difficulty of operating the foot pedal in general car work and avoiding touching the tungsten when in awkward situations. David