Welder For Home/Car Projects - MIG Or TIG?
 

All this talk of welding has me interested.

I've done a little TIG welding. Never MIG. For car and home projects, which is better - if you had to choose just one?

The little 110 volt Lincoln MIG is great.

I've done lots of projects with it.
3 roll cages and loads of repairs on sheetmetal, etc.

It will weld up to 5/16" material.


KT

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Solid!


KT

Assuming you take the time to learn, TIG is the most versatile but obviously costs quite a bit more than a 110 wire welder.... You can weld anything with it. I would love a 180 + amp mig to speed up non critical larer welding projects, but my Miller tig has served me well over the last ten or so years welding chromoly aircraft tubing, auto repairs, stainless tubing, aluminum repairs, misc shop projects etc.

for car and home projects, definitely MIG. I LOVE TIG, but nothing beats the speed and versatility of having a MIG around the house. Imagine lying on the garage floor while trying to TIG a leaky exhaust in the back of the Vanagon, and having to hold the torch with one hand and pressing down the foot control with the other...not fun.

that said, if my garage was fully equipped with a lift or where I didn't have to be lying on my back welding, I'd weld everything with TIG.

I have a thumb-wheel on my tig torch.... It was nearly a necessity for welding in every position when welding up a 4130 tubing airplane fuselage. Mig is certainly MUCH easier to learn to weld with and obviously works pretty well for most general steel fabrication, but the OP asked the question "if you could choose just one"...... For me it would be TIG. Because I know I can get high quality welds if I need them on any type of material I find myself needing to weld whether mild steel, stainless or aluminum.



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Money no object i'd get a tricked out tig machine.

As it is i have a 110 miller mig and like it just fine.

John,

I am not a welder but I used to work for a company that sold welding supplies. The above answers are pretty valid. the one thing I would add is that if you get a 110V mig machine, make sure it has variable wire speed. Last I checked, Miller and Lincoln both had a machine with this feature. Some lesser machines don't. Word is, this makes all the difference in MIG.

Larry

I too prefer TIG because of versatility (all metals). Longer learning curve

MIG is fast and easy. Great for mild steel. Most forgiving process.

Which ever process you choose buy a good brand name machine.

Miller
Lincoln
Esab
Used is Fine

Steer clear of the harborfreight stuff. It will just make you mad.

What about Mig for aluminum?

Not ideal for high quality welds in non production settings.

Thanks Tim.

Tim, never heard of the thumb wheel for the TIG (Air Force Guard units don't have that fancy stuff :p ). How does it work?

If output is adjustable with your thumb I'd go with TIG!

John - you're welcome to come over to my house and try out my ESAB 250. If you have a portable project, bring it over or just bring some scrap (house is for sale, so scrap has been elminated).

Thanks Josh. No need now -I've got to focus on getting the garage set up for making my kitchen cabs. The welder question is for the future plans - unless I see one on Craigslist . . .

We have a lincoln set up for aluminum and dedicated just to that... Its a BEOTCH... You have to have the metal perfectly clean with a CLEAN stainless brush... Then you have to hold your mouth just right and hope no flies in Zimbabwe fart while you are running the bead...

We are looking to buy a tig at some point FWIW....

That's what it does. The foot pedal is replaced with a thumb operated device allowing the user to weld lying down or on his knees, etc.

Here is the one I have on my Miller Econotig. It takes a little bit to get used to, but once you do, you will likely use it all the time even for easy bench work.



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thanks guys, in that case I stand corrected, and would definitely go with TIG if it were just one machine.