MIG or TIG: Which is better?

[kruss77]

I know MIG and TIG welding both have advantages and disadvantages, but I don't know what they are. I did some basic TIG welding years ago when I worked in the tool trade, but never really understood why one would be chosen over the other. Can someone help me out with this?

 

[FlaDon]

I know MIG and TIG welding both have advantages and disadvantages, but I don't know what they are. I did some basic TIG welding years ago when I worked in the tool trade, but never really understood why one would be chosen over the other. Can someone help me out with this?

MIG is easier to build than TIG. Very simple to build a wire feed unit. TIG requires feeding the filler metal by hand. MIG is fast, TIG is slower. MIG can be done by machine, almost all TIG is done by hand. MIG results in more metal buildup while TIG produces neater/nicer looking welds with less buildup. Both are the way to go, along with a good stick welder.:thumbsup:

 

[RPW]

Different tools for different jobs. MIG is a general purpose welding process that is easy to learn. TIG is a more precise welding process that requires more skill to master. Over the years I have aquired all basic processes (O/A, Stick, MIG, TIG). Also with a addon of Plasma cutting. Although I have been welding for years finally made myself go take a college course so I can weld better and be able to use my tools more effectively.

 

[smfcpacfp]

What the above posters said is definitely true.

Tig (GTAW) welding is a like welding with an O/A torch.


Mig (GMAW) welding was developed for factory production welding (ie., putting a lot of filler in a weld in a short period of time) so it is much better where you want production. It can also be a lot less smokey than stick welding when using only a shielding gas thus reducing the need for a expensive ventilation system.

If I could only have one or the other, it would be MIG.

 

[bw_wis]

IMHO...
Mig is generally used for general welding on mild steel.
Tig is generally used on Aluminun and Stainless Steel.

 

[JCB]

IMHO...
Mig is generally used for general welding on mild steel.
Tig is generally used on Aluminun and Stainless Steel.

Everyone has given good advice, and BW really got down to the nuts and bolts of it. Both can do more, but MIG for steel, TIG for Stainless and Aluminum.

Stick with MIG because steel is "affordable". I thought steel was expensive until I bought some Aluminum. I thought Aluminum was expensive until I went to buy some Stainless Steel.

Joe

 

[sizzami]

tig is definately the more versatile I have used it to weld alluminum , stainless, steel , copper , brass, bronze, even my wifes ,silver ring , mig is more of a production type machine , yes you can weld alluminum and stainless with it , but anyone who has done either would probably say it is not Ideal.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

As the guy who has to approve the finished construction of new food processing machinery I love TIG... Smooth strong welds that are easy to clean and don't harbor bacteria and soil.

As the guy who has to repair busted farm machinery in my garage and fabricate stuff out of scrap, I love MIG... cheap to buy, easy to learn, and fast welding.

Actually, I prefer stick unless it's something very thin. I'm used to stick, and I can do repairs with much less prep.

 

[4shorts]

I do mig, tig, arc and gas welding. Most of my welding is mig and tig. Basically tig give you "control".
It is said and I know it's true that when you get good using the tig process you'll be able to weld a razor blade to a railroad track.

Mig on the other hand is used for production. It's the fastest and some say easiest way to weld. It all has it's place and no one way of welding will do it all but I sure wish it did because I's only need one machine then

 

[crbr]

A few years back in my early working career, I was a (visual) welding inspector on nuclear power plants. AWS certified, etc... I saw a lot of welds from all different processes. MIG, TIG, Stick, GTAW, all positions, all joint configurations. These welders had to be almost perfect by procedure. Most had to test out to a radiography NDE.

I knew a TIG welder at one of the plants and for the entire time I was inspecting (maybe 8 years), not once did I see a bad weld from this guy. One of the finest welders I have ever seen. TIG welds on mostly small-bore, stainless, socket welds, smooth, without even so much as a start or stop puddle. I have seen my fair share of crappy welds too, but this guy was extrodinary. Really a pleasure to see his work.

No point, just sharing an experience. Man if I have seen one inch of weld, I have seen 10,000 miles of it, in all shapes and sizes. Even had a guy on the same job that welded in tight spots through a mirror. I had to inspect them the same way. He was good at it too. Bend a 7018 rod and go to town.

 

[ModMech]

MIG offers fast set-up and welding with good quality welds that will pass even FAA standards when done correctly. MIG is less expensive to get up and running and has lower process costs for small projects. It is also a LOT easier to learn than TIG, but beginners are easily fooled into thinking their welds are better than they really are (based solely on external visual inspections). It is harder to weld thin material w/o damage and you will always fight finnish quality of the weld bead.

TIG offers superior penetration on all materials and can weld "any weldable metal" with the right machine (AC/DC) and capacity. TIG process on AL will take at least 50% more amperage than welding the same material with MIG, but will produce a much nicer weld, both in aesthetics and strength. TIG is often the process of choice because it is more controllable than MIG and easier to manipulate the puddle charecteristics for good quality welds. It is more time consuming when done by hand, but second to none when done by machine. TIG can weld all common metals with a single gas, Helium (hence the term HeliArc(tm), which is a trademark of ESAB), something you cannot do with MIG, assuming you have the correct machine.

For general purpose welding, you just can't beat a full frame 220V MIG machine. But, if your needs range widley, a gas powered AC/DC stick with a TIG attachment would be the lowest cost way to be able to weld almost anything and do it well.

 

[_RaT_]

As the guy who has to approve the finished construction of new food processing machinery I love TIG... Smooth strong welds that are easy to clean and don't harbor bacteria and soil.

As the guy who has to repair busted farm machinery in my garage and fabricate stuff out of scrap, I love MIG... cheap to buy, easy to learn, and fast welding.

Actually, I prefer stick unless it's something very thin. I'm used to stick, and I can do repairs with much less prep.

Well said Mr Iplayfarmer. I use my MIG a lot. When it really counts like welding critical welds, I stick with stick. For penetration, its hard to do much better.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

I have a mig and a tig and am very good with either one. As others have said mig is faster. Tig is an art. Once you learn how to tig you don't use the mig as often. The main time I use the mig is in hard to reach areas, where it is hard to get a tig torch and a filler wire in at the same time. You almost never have to grind off an ugly tig weld. With mig you can be welding along perfectly an hit an contaminated spot in the steel and have a big ugly in your weld . Also with tig there is no splatter. If I could only have one it would be tig.
Bill

 

[Gary Fowler]

I dont think there is such a machine or process in welding whereby 1 is good for everything. That said, the best all around welding equipment with the least cost would be a good AC/DC welding machine with high frequency attachment and a TIG Torch with gas regulator and a bottle of Helium. A person with the skills to use them could weld anything weldable in Ferrous and non ferrous metals with that rig.
MIG is faster, easier to learn if you just want to lay down some metal, but MIG is more difficult to use when you want good xray quality welds as it is very easy to get non-fusion between your weld and the base metal. This may look good on top but be very weak in strength, so I personally prefer to use SMAW (stick) and TIG.

 

[AHNC]

Years ago I was a powerhouse welder. I was a hand, but not perfect! If you want to spend the time and energy learning, TIG is absolutely where it's at. Having been away from it for about 30 years I bought a tig machine and was going to get back into it for my projects. Turns out, I am just unwilling to spend the time to get my hand back and cannot stand the work I'm turning out. Tig is not someting you just do. You can make it stick together, if that's all you are looking to do but you won't want anyone to see your work and you will not have confidence in it. When done properly, as previously noted, Tig is an artform and, oh, it is pretty to look at and real satisfying to do well.:thumbsup:

I'm selling my heliarc rig and buying a Miller 252 with a spool gun. I can still do commendable work with mig that I don't mind letting folks see. My suggestion is to get the best 220 mig machine you can afford so you have something to work with and if you have the tig itch, then scratch it, but it will take time and a lot of practice:laughing: Spend some time on Miller - Welding Equipment - MIG/TIG/Stick Welders & Plasma Cutting Excellent information there.

I tend to like my welding machines in Blue.

 

[_RaT_]

"I tend to like my welding machines in Blue."


I think it is more involved than simple color. It seems to come down to the process and even in that a model in the process. There are machines like MIG that many manufacturers make well, some that make better TIG and some that make better multi process. My MIG is a Miller, my stick a Lincoln. Sometimes when you open up and look at the guts, you will see some short cuts made by a company on various componets. My uncle worked for Union Carbide (Linde) for many years and eventually bought a large welding business in San Jose. I got to play with lots of stuff. By the way, the money he told me was not in selling the equipment, it was selling the consumables.

 

[yomax4]

I sell Mig, Tig, Stick, Plasma, Torch and Arc Gouging Equipment.. I is all Good, Get as many types as you can afford and dont discount one process or the other. Side Note: Sub Arc and Tig is used in all High Pressure situations and Critical Welds for food service and AeroSpace is all Tig.. Mig and Stick everywhere else. Want to take it to the next level? Look up Synergic Twin Pulse Mig. You can do Tig welds on Aluminum with a Mig Gun. All Possition and high speed. Or, Spatter Free welds on Steel. The future of Welding is ready to take on a whole new light.

 

[_RaT_]

I sell Mig, Tig, Stick, Plasma, Torch and Arc Gouging Equipment.. I is all Good, Get as many types as you can afford and dont discount one process or the other. Side Note: Sub Arc and Tig is used in all High Pressure situations and Critical Welds for food service and AeroSpace is all Tig.. Mig and Stick everywhere else. Want to take it to the next level? Look up Synergic Twin Pulse Mig. You can do Tig welds on Aluminum with a Mig Gun. All Possition and high speed. Or, Spatter Free welds on Steel. The future of Welding is ready to take on a whole new light.

Thanks Mike, very cool. My uncle sold equipment out of Chicago in the 60's and early 70's. He went to John Deere as a salesman and introduced them to MIG, they were using stick to weld much of their equipment. He showed how little splatter there was and they could eliminate jobs by going to this process. They did. Sorry to those of you who lost your job grinding away splatter.

 

[AHNC]

"I tend to like my welding machines in Blue."


I think it is more involved than simple color. It seems to come down to the process and even in that a model in the process. There are machines like MIG that many manufacturers make well, some that make better TIG and some that make better multi process. My MIG is a Miller, my stick a Lincoln. Sometimes when you open up and look at the guts, you will see some short cuts made by a company on various componets. My uncle worked for Union Carbide (Linde) for many years and eventually bought a large welding business in San Jose. I got to play with lots of stuff. By the way, the money he told me was not in selling the equipment, it was selling the consumables.

Certainly, the Blue line is more than a bit arbitrary, but for my uses my equipment has been excellent. The problem with most equipment is "operator deficiency". That is certainly the case with me. Having spent thousands of hours on the hot end of "red" machines, I know they are just fine

Your uncles observation on the consumables is, what I call, the Gillette school of marketing. "Giv'em the razor, sell'em the blades!"

 

[ModMech]

Certainly, the Blue line is more than a bit arbitrary, but for my uses my equipment has been excellent. The problem with most equipment is "operator deficiency". That is certainly the case with me. Having spent thousands of hours on the hot end of "red" machines, I know they are just fine

What you say is true.

I have used the RED ones for most of my career, and started with them over 25 years ago already. I have spent a good amount of time with the BLUE ones too and in fact own a MM251. To say one is "better" than another is personal preference, nothing more because they are BOTH VERY GOOD.

HTC is another brand (Made in the USA, Chicago to be exact) that has a VERY good reputation and loyal following.