MIG or TIG

[CRNT918]

I'd like to take a welding class in spring. Should I take a MIG class or a TIG class, and why?
Thanx,
Pete

[Paul Thomas]

I'd take TiG. You would be able to do smaller, more precise welds and after you learn TiG, MiG would be a breeze. Also, with TiG you can do all types of metals including welding different types of metals together. I taught myself to MiG weld and am pretty good at it with no instruction.

The only downside is that TiG equipment is considerably more expensive than MiG, so your start-up costs would be higher.

Paul

[MotoSook]

Take the TIG class. Pete. Paul is spot on in his post.

With your machining skills, the TIG class and a TIG welder will make you a fabrication god! Go for it.

[Zef]

+1 for TIG...a more precise method.

[Matt-Man]

+2 for the TIG. As it was explained to me almost 30 years ago "Yer Grandma could weld with a wirefeed in fifteen minutes once it is set up correctly"

Matt

[dvkk]

IMO if you have never welded before, take the MIG. It is much easier to learn to be good at MIG than TIG. Since the welder is so much cheaper, you will probably be able to afford a MIG long before a TIG. What use is there learning to fly an F14 when you can only afford a Cessna?
In my garage I have a MIG and use it a lot. I also have 24 hr access to my buddy's TIG. For what I do, the MIG gets way more use.

[jmccarth]

I have both a MIG and TIG welders in my garage. I almost never use the TIG but when I need it I realy need it. The TIG will do everything that the MIG will do, just a little slower. The MIG ,with the proper wire, will do most of what you need it to do including alluminum just not as pretty. I use my TIG for welds that need to look good and when I don't want to go buy a roll of fancy expensive wire. It also works great as a stick welder for cast iron and for hard face steel rod. I would recomend the TIG, if cost is the issue Miller makes a good little suitcase unit called the econo-TIG. My friend uses one as a milwrite and he loves it. The cost about as much as a decent wire feeder. If you do buy a MIG don't waiste your money on the class.

[Porsche84]

Take the class before you buy. You probably will be able to use both types of welders. Then you can make a more informed decision. I have both and the unit I use depends on the project. If you buy MIG, buy a gas unit, not the flux unit. If you buy TIG, make sure to ask if it will weld Aluminum. The smaller units do not.

[mb911]

you should consider MIG it will get you use to puddle formations and then with that you can progress with you TIG welding skills much faster with better end results.

[kucharskimb]

you can weld unobtainium with TIG. that seemed like a good enough reason to me...

[DUK]

Listen to what Ben says. Even a short course with MIG and then a little time to gain experience will help with the TIG process. I've worked with many a person who learned TIG first and once I showed them how to correctly MIG weld they were 10 times the TIG welder they were before. Just my .02

[lendaddy]

You don't really need a course to MIG, so if you're going to pay someone to teach you....have him teach you TIG. Just learning setup and tungsten grinding will be worth it.

[Green 912]

Learn to gas weld first then Tig. good gas welders learn heat control and heat control is a key in good Tig welding.

I too have gas. MiG. Tig and stick welders. 90% of the work is via the Mig as it is fast and has makes good welds with little prep. Tool making and metals other than steel I go to the Miller 250 Tig. Mig? Read the booklet and make some non critical stuff out of scrap. Tig? Read the book, make some welds then take a class after you make a mess of the welds and foul the tip 20 times.
Learn to weld then learn to Tig weld. Doing both at the same time is a study in frustration.

I don't see the overall use in the small DC tig units. They are little more than slow Mig welders. A good tig unit in order to get all from the process needs AC, dig control and high frequency control. Better setup for Al and Ti. Mig and a spool gun will do al but Tig will make stuff you want folks to see.

[Jeff Alton]

In my late teens I could gas weld very well, know my MIG makes me look like an idiot. I am one who could stand a class on set up......

I want a TIG, but not until I get good with my MIG. I have to do some sheet metal welding on the car this week and it has me worried (putting an RSR oil cooler divereter in the front tub behind bumper. I have a Miller 175 which is a good machine so in my case it is clearly user error.

Cheers

[raygt3]

Learn to correctly metal arc first, then TIG. If you master those mig is a no brainer.

[BigD9146gt]

For someone who was lucky enough to have very extensive metalshops from 8th to 12th grade, and currently work as a fabricator, my 2 cents are as fallows.

Oxy-Acetylene is where I did, and would start for any beginner. This welding is the closest to TIG welding because with the torch you heat the metal and with your other hand you add the filler rod. With TIG you obviously use electricity, but the addition of the amperage pedal isn't as overwhelming after spending some time getting use to Oxy.

Next would be stick-arc, then MIG, and finally TIG.

Now, just becuase you take a TIG class does not mean you will have any advantages over the other electric welding processes. MIG is point and go. The difficulty is the amperage and wire feed settings. Stick is amperage and knowing which rod to select for the application.

I hope this helps... have fun with which ever class you go with.

[mb911]

Ok so here is the deal. I teach welding 4 days a week for 6 hour sessions. I see hundreds of students(college level) each year. And we follow the SENSE program which when broken down means you teach it in a certain order to ease the learning of the processes. We teach have whats called "stack classes" which means I have students in my class that are "advance" (the students that have prior experience which does not mean hobby welding but some sort of work experience) and then I have "beginers" which have really little prior experience but may have some basic hobby experience. When through a beginer into Basic Tig classes we TRY to get them to either do OXY or MIG first so they understand puddle control, distortion, amperage controls,Constant Voltage controls, IPM's, and proper filler metals , and gasses. and flow "CFH" . Once that is accomplished the student moves into TIG(heliarc for the laymen). At that point they have a much more functional understanding metal fusionand basic setup so everything clicks into place. On the rare ocassion a student will just go into TIG which we allow as we have the "stack classes" and they will do fine but the end learner does not accomplish the level that the person did when introduced to the easier processes previous to TIG. People may say what they want but very few are in the position that I am in to access a students skill levels and what works best for the learner..

All broke down it is up to you but if you want the skills to truely be that SKILLS then you should consider a class prior to that. Granted anyone can pull a trigger on a MIG welder but to do it nicely and with a high skill level and good fusion of base metals is harder to do..

There are allot of weekend warriors on the board and in life in general and check out some the pictures of what has been done.. I assume that at some point you would like to be able to perform a high quality TIG weld to look like an Intercooler, or sheet metal intake that we all are impressed with. not to just get by.. It most definatly won't be a waste of your time or money but will benifit you ability to do projects Like DarylD on this board who has down a wonderful job on his 912 project.. I hope it works out for you and best of luck. if you have anyquestions about let me know happy to help

[Tim Hancock]

I have a tig (Miller econotig), mig, stick and oxy acetylene. I grew up with a buddy that had a stick torches and a mig which I learned by age 12 thru experimentation whilst we built all sorts of dangerous contraptions as crazy kids.

When I started building airplanes as an adult, I first practiced oxy/acet welding, then purchased a tig which req'd some practice to make decent welds in thin walled steel tubing.

I rarely use my mig, torches or stick anymore. With tig, I can weld most anything with great control. IMO it is the best way to go if you have the funds and a bit of time to learn the skill.

For heavy production steel fabrication, a MIG rules, but for small intricate work where welding speed is not an issue, TIG is a sweet way to go.

I would rather have a MIG as opposed to NO welder, but now that I have a TIG, I am spoiled.