Welding Tips and Tricks

G'day everyone,

Im at work and day dreaming about welding like usual these days haha.. A question comes to mind and no one is here to answer it so I thought id start asking my "newbie" questions here...

Besides the convenience of MIG and being able to use one handed, what can MIG do that TIG cant do?

Add lots of weld deposit fast.

not to mention welding extremely thin materials in the hands of a skilled welder
I have welded aluminium flashing and once did soda cans
but i have seen a guy weld a gum wrapper (steadiest hands i ever saw)

MIG is mostly for production work,
were you need to weld lots of material in a hurry.

If you want to weld more exotic metals like titanium,
you would choose TIG for it's better heat control and precision.

MickStephens wrote:G'day everyone,

Im at work and day dreaming about welding like usual these days haha.. A question comes to mind and no one is here to answer it so I thought id start asking my "newbie" questions here...

Besides the convenience of MIG and being able to use one handed, what can MIG do that TIG cant do?

gnuuser wrote:not to mention welding extremely thin materials in the hands of a skilled welder
I have welded aluminium flashing and once did soda cans
but i have seen a guy weld a gum wrapper (steadiest hands i ever saw)

So you did these things with MIG or TIG?

Im assuming TIG with such thin metal like cans or gum wrappers.

Id like to know what MIG can do that TIG cant do.

Im gathering MIG is popular for convenience and speed. Can a TIG weld the same metal as a MIG can?

TIG can weld the same metals as MIG. The difference is that TIG is slower and more precise.

MickStephens wrote:

gnuuser wrote:not to mention welding extremely thin materials in the hands of a skilled welder
I have welded aluminium flashing and once did soda cans
but i have seen a guy weld a gum wrapper (steadiest hands i ever saw)

So you did these things with MIG or TIG?

Im assuming TIG with such thin metal like cans or gum wrappers.

Id like to know what MIG can do that TIG cant do.

Im gathering MIG is popular for convenience and speed. Can a TIG weld the same metal as a MIG can?

- tack one handed
- weld in windy conditions (with flux core)
- reach in tight spots

Just to list a few.

WerkSpace wrote:TIG can weld the same metals as MIG. The difference is that TIG is slower and more precise.

Thanks for that. I just wasnt sure of the difference besides the convenience of MIG.

So if I wanted to have a MIG and a TIG set up in my garage, I would have to have two different types of gas also right?

Yep, pure for the tig and argon co2 mix for the mig. Most likely argoshield 51 or something.

Mick

also add a spool gun, straight argon and weld aluminum
craig

Tig can weld ALL metals and braze. Mig is a bit limited but still awesome for its intended purposes.

As it happens, I'm about to see this subject explored at the hands of newbies.

I've had my ACDC Tig for around six months and I love it. I weld a lot of aluminium but have also done carbon steel and stainless. A friend of mine who has zero welding experience has just made the decision to buy a MIG for welding panel steel. Something of a challenge I understand.

It will be interesting to see how he goes. I'm going to wade in with my TIG and some silicon bronze and have ago, too.


Kym

What can MIG do that TIG cant do?

At this point in my welding career, MIG (and stick) allow me to run a bead that does the job and looks pretty darn good. TIG, so far, has only provided me with a series of blobs that Jody would charitably describe as "looking like Fido's butt".

My practicing continues...

MickStephens wrote:what can MIG do that TIG cant do?

Get stuff done....