Welding Tips and Tricks

I recently completed an intro welding stick / oxy-fuel class at the local community college. Unfortunately due to work schedule I can only attend during the winter semester so just 1 class a year.

I want to continue on and complete the MIG and TIG classes. Other than making you start with the stick / gas class there is no restriction on which to take next.


Just looking for some guidance. For someone looking to eventually learn both is it generally recommended that one follow a specific path, or is it simply up to what fits my needs / what I'm more interested in pursuing next? I wouldn't be so concerned about it if the class I don't take will have to wait almost 18 months (Jan 2021).


My primary reason for getting the welder, taking the classes was to learn MIG. I got ahead on my required welds during the last class and was able to get a little bonus instruction on running MIG, enough to at least get me going on my own at home. With my next class being January 2020, that leaves me several months to practice, and I'm already doing adequate welds for the projects I have waiting.

With MIG as my goal, it seems like it is a no brainer to do MIG next. Just to throw a wrinkle into things, I ended up buying a multi-function stick, MIG, TIG machine. I have zero time, and minimal instruction on running TIG (I've watched a few videos, that is it). TIG seems much more complex so likely to benefit more from a real class vs reading a book, watching videos and asking what I'm doing wrong here.

I'm leaning towards TIG, since I paid a premium to include that feature on the machine, and will likely not use it much until I've taken a class (Jan 2020 or Jan 2021). I could have gotten away with a $500 115v MIG welder for my true needs, but wanted to get a machine I could grow with, not just get by with.

Mig is the easiest to mess up but the easiest to learn. I would recommend doing the tig class. Lots of the experience from your oa class will carry over. And it’s the process that you can benefit the most from direct instruction. Stick is good too but you can get the hang of it with just brute practice, IE run 100’s of pounds of rod.

That was my thinking on it. Certainly room to mess up with MIG but the little bit of instruction I got and watching a pile of videos seems to have set me on the right path.

So many more moving parts with TIG, from different grades of tungsten, to grinding the point, types of filler rod, cup options, end cap options etc etc. Plus might as well practice with the schools machines, save the big mista... er learning experiences for their machines.


I did get some 6011 to keep on hand, but can't really see myself doing a lot of stick, other than just running some occasionally to remain semi-proficient (and semi-proficient is giving myself a lot of credit).

Do you have the Argon, and all the other stuff needed to do Tig with your welder? If you do, I would suggest watching the Beginning Tig Welding series of videos by Jody. Clean up some scrap steel, and run a few beads without filler. After a few dozen beads, go watch the first video again. It will make a lot more sense with just those few beads under your belt. Do more beads without filler. I'll bet they come out better this time. Try adding filler, then go watch that part of the video again.
The hands on experience helps you get useful info from rewatching the videos. In return, the videos show where to focus your attention during practice. By the time class starts, the instructor can focus on the finer points with you, rather than just the basics. The WTT videos should help avoid any bad habits. The best part of learning Tig is the control. Ramp up the current at your pace, and back off as needed to feel comfortable. Work up to speed, and heat input, as you feel ready.
One last thing, order another wheel for your grinder........ you will be needing it.

I have everything but the argon and filler rod. I'm sure with 5 months before the class starts I'll break out the TIG and give it a try. I do know a few people who can give me some basic in person instruction and I've watched a bunch of Jody's TIG videos. It does look quite similar in principle to oxy-fuel. I may even email the instructor and see if I can't sit in on the class session where he goes over the basic TIG set up, I just can't commit to attending the whole semester until January.

Agree completely on seeing something, then doing it and then re-watching it. I was just thinking to myself last night while watching a video, that I actually understood some of the stuff being done on the side (not the point of the video), that I hadn't even realized I picked up during my class.


Mostly my question was to make sure that the response wasn't, oh no learn MIG before TIG or you will struggle. The two seem quite independent of each other, but you don't know without asking.


Do the TIG electrodes require a special grinder or will a standard bench grinder be adequate? I've seen they sell special grinders, but they seem to be more of a convenience item, not a necessity.

Aaron W wrote: Do the TIG electrodes require a special grinder or will a standard bench grinder be adequate? I've seen they sell special grinders, but they seem to be more of a convenience item, not a necessity.

A standard bench grinder, preferably without aluminum or other materials embedded in the wheel. Yes you can spend quite a bit of $$$ for a dedicated tungsten grinder, until you have customers giving you code work that needs x-ray, just use what you have, the most important thing is to just practice welding.

You should have a course and a fine wheel and try to get consistent grinds (angle and finish)

So many discussions on tungsten blends and sharpening, IMO it's not very complex and no need to fret over it (not implying that you were). Just venting a little...

Thanks, I've ground HSS tool blanks for my lathe, so putting a point on the electrode shouldn't be too difficult. Kind of like sharpening a really hard pencil right?

I agree 100% with LtBadd. By the time you get in a situation where grinding wheels matter, you will be expert enough to write a book on the subject. Hood time is good time!

You are going to learn a lot about sharpening Tungsten. Every time you dip........ you get grinding practice!.
The only 'technique ' that matters at this point, is grinding marks need to be lengthwise, not around the Tungsten.

I am no expert. My 2 cents is go for the tig class. Also, don't underestimate Jody's videos. I find myself using the tig alot more than i ever expected. If you have piles of fabricating, mig is much faster. But i find the tig versatile and superior in quality (and looks)

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Simclardy wrote:I am no expert. My 2 cents is go for the tig class. Also, don't underestimate Jody's videos. I find myself using the tig alot more than i ever expected. If you have piles of fabricating, mig is much faster. But i find the tig versatile and superior in quality (and looks)

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Prior to taking the stick / oxy class I had no interest in TIG, the little I knew about it, I thought it was just for kind of exotic stuff. I really only took the stick / oxy class since it was a pre-req for MIG. I'm glad they required that because it really was an intro to welding and it covered at a basic level all different types of welding and their uses, with the practical application focused on stick / oxy.
That showed me I had enough potential application for TIG, that I chose to buy a Miller multi-process machine instead of a cheaper MIG only machine. My thought being I would eventually find a need for TIG, and having a very small shop an all in one machine is a big plus vs buying and storing a separate TIG machine when I got there.

I only recently discovered the WT&T videos, which I have been binge watching along with some from Weld.com. Watching these has shown me how misinformed I was about the uses for TIG, with my seeing that I probably have even more use for it than I had thought after my class.


Now that I have a welder, I am finding it is the same as owning a lathe. You get the machine, and then you make stuff for the machine, not work on the projects you thought you were buying it for.

My first projects (currently in progress / planned) are building a rack to store my metal stock, a cart for the welder and a welding table. All use a significant portion of tubular steel, so lots of short welds that don't really take advantage of MIGs main advantages other than being easy to do. The MIG is working, but many of the welds are so short that I can barely identify the puddle and then I'm done. TIG would actually probably have been ideal for these projects, making me realize I have far more use for it than I ever expected to.



Thanks to all for your replies, they are appreciated.