MIG or Stick?

[BlacknTan]

I will be running on 220 voltage for repairs and modifications on mild steel from maybe .093 sheet to probably no thicker than 5/16".. Much of the work could possibly be done outside.
I worked in machine shops my entire adult life as a tool & die maker. Used to do a fair amount of stick welding before getting a job in a union shop.. No more welding for me! But, I had access to extremely talented certified high vacuum welders... Many of them were true artists and forgot more about welding than I nwill ever know..

But, for my purposes, what is the best solution... MIG or Stick??

Whatever I get will be Blue, otherwise my old buddies would never speak to me again!

 

[J_J]

BlacknTan,

Do yourself a favor and get away from that mentality that there is only one way to go. You will never know unless you have used them all. Just like women, there is always a better one somewhere. Most times in life, you don't have time to check them all, or the product out throughly.

I have both, and use whatever seems best for the situation.

 

[westcliffe01]

Just make sure that whatever you get has an acceptable duty cycle for what you want to do. Consumer rated machines are typically 20% duty cycle. Pro are 80% to 100% rated. I do not use the welder too many hours per year, but when I do, I don't want to take a break 8 minutes out of every 10 because the thermal overload kicks in.

My observation is that there is little "middle ground" in welding machines. There are the consumer grades for $400 & up and then pro equipment that starts at about $1200 at the bottom. I would love to have a small, light compact inverter tig welder, but can't justify the coin for one (yet).

That was what prompted me to look at used industrial style equipment and I consider the Miller Dialarc 250 I got yesterday to be a bargain at $500. You may have to keep looking for a while, but every now and again you will find a good deal on craigslist.

 

[Willl]

I love my Mig.

 

[Dargo]

Working on rebuilding a bucket for my excavator I've burned 10 pounds of wire with my MIG and have burned 5 pounds of rods with my buzz box. I really have no preference. It all depends. On areas where it was impossible to get all the rust and contamination off the metal stick was the only way to go. With clean new steel I was putting in my MIG was what I used. For really thin material or aluminum I always use my TIG. Clear?

 

[JohnDeere4300]

I Like my MIG for small jobs and use a stick for large jobs.

 

[framer]

I like my mig easier to weld much better looking beads.Framer

 

[bobodu]

A good looking bead don't mean squat if it DON"T HOLD!!!!
Unless you have a LOT OF MONEY for a decent MIG and since you said you will mostly be welding outside...go with the tried and true stick. Use the several hundred dollars difference for something else.

 

[suncoast]

I agree with JJ that there is advantages in both. I like my mig and use it much more than my stick. You can weld outside with a mig welder using flux core wire. If I were in your situation and was only going to purchase one type, my choice would have to be the mig. Much easier for me to use in odd directions and you have the choice of gas or not. A Hobart 180 would be plenty for you and it is a good machine that is not outrageously expensive. I know you want Miller, which are great, but they do make Hobart.

 

[wushaw]

Buy the stick machine it does everything you may want (so I've been told), if it doesn't then go buy a 220v mig (blue of course) and see if that is what you like and if that doesn't cover all you want to do then get ya a tig (also blue) and play with that.....now after you have used all these for awhile then you will probably know what you want.

It is really hard to say what one person really wants since his/her needs and wants are usually different from from mine or anyone else on this board but if you just want to stick two pieces of metal together cheaply and and don't care about chipping, brushing and scraping every weld you do then a stick machine is in your future.

 

[Eagleview]

If the work is in a shed , use a Mig . If it going to be outside , use a stick . With a Mig outside , the slightest breeze will blow away the shielding gas and leave you with a porous weld . If you are working at an elevation , windmill repair etc. a mig is a pain . The lead will be too short , if doesn't have a separate wire feeder you have to try and hoist the welder to the job and then there's the problem with the bottle . IMHO , a stick welder is the best all rounder on a farm .

 

[whistlepig]

I have been a welding supervisor for 27 years. That's how old and mouldy I am. I have worked with some of the best stick welders that has ever lived. Before mig even came out.These guys could do things with a stick back then that I doubt very few could do the same with a stick today. The old stick welders were terrified when mig first came out. They thought they couldn't learn mig but they did. Mig is faster and cleaner. Mig is easier to learn. Mig puts less heat in to the product. I can't imagine someone choosing stick over mig.

 

[bobodu]

I can't imagine someone choosing stick over mig.

I can't imagine the opposite unless I only used perfectly clean new steel in a shop doing basically the same job. Stick is simply far more adaptable to varies needs.

 

[BlacknTan]

Quite honestly, I have zero problem with cleaning down to bare metal before welding, which IMO should be done anyway, MIG or stick..
I'm starting to lean toward MIG because of the sometimes thin sections that I have in mind, and because of the fact that loss of sheilding gas due to outside conditions can be overcome by the use of flux core wire, with or without added shielding gas.
I'll never be yanking the machine 300' in the air to work on rotor blades, or going submerged to repair a submarine.

I'm still interested in pros and cons however, but with ideas that support one's reasoning... I like MIG, I like TIG, I like stick is not enough...

 

[Avondale]

Hi

I took a night course at local community college. It was good exposure to four types, Oxy/gas, Stick, MIG and TIG. I highly recommend it for new welders if only to show there are plenty of ways to get a job done. Once you have used all types, a decision becomes easy based on your own personal needs and budget.

Good luck.

Bob

 

[LD1]

To summarize the advantages and dis advantages

Mig agvantages-Faster, Cleaner, Easier to make multiple passes without chipping slag, long runs with no/fewer restarts, easier to run all position, better than stick on thinner metals

Disadvantages- More expensive, everything has to be CLEAN, need bottle, bad with wind outside

Stick Advantages- Cheaper, No cleaning required at all, better outside, fewer consumables, better on thicker metals

Disadvantages- Slower, not as good on thin metals, harder to run all position, Have to chip slag berore repass or paint

This is assuming you get a good quality mig which as mentioned, start at about $1200 or about 600 used. You can usually get a good stick for under $200. If you are just an ocassional welder/repairer I'd say save your money and get the stick. If you plan on welding a lot I'd get both because if you decide on a MIG, finding a good used stick is not expensive, and there are times where it will come in handy ( outside, or tight areas where you just cant clean to bare metal)

 

[BlacknTan]

Hi

I took a night course at local community college. It was good exposure to four types, Oxy/gas, Stick, MIG and TIG. I highly recommend it for new welders if only to show there are plenty of ways to get a job done. Once you have used all types, a decision becomes easy based on your own personal needs and budget.

Good luck.

Bob

I have been meaning to do this for years.. A couple of my old co-workers used to teach this course in the local trade school..
Time to do it, or pay one of my buds for hands on learning..

 

[J_J]

It is evident from all the post on this subject that there is no one piece of machinery that is the magic answer. What one reads on here and talking with friends, is subjective.
There is probably not a simple answer for [ WHAT SHOULD I GET ], because everyone tells of his experiences, good and bad, and the reader/listener adds that data to what he already knows, and then looks in his wallet/bank account, in order to make a logical decision. You can almost wish there was a certain machine that is the best of the best, and can do no wrong, and even a kid can operate it. I haven't seen it, but it may be out there some where. I have oxy/acetylene, MIG, stick, plasma, and I make a decision at the moment what I am going to use. All these were purchased over time, so the cost was spread out.

 

[Dargo]

Quite honestly, I have zero problem with cleaning down to bare metal before welding, which IMO should be done anyway, MIG or stick..
I'm starting to lean toward MIG because of the sometimes thin sections that I have in mind, and because of the fact that loss of sheilding gas due to outside conditions can be overcome by the use of flux core wire, with or without added shielding gas.
I'll never be yanking the machine 300' in the air to work on rotor blades, or going submerged to repair a submarine.

I'm still interested in pros and cons however, but with ideas that support one's reasoning... I like MIG, I like TIG, I like stick is not enough...

I mostly use MIG, but some observations; at times when repairing in the field, it's impossible to get the material to be welded perfectly clean. After 20 years of using it, flux core MIG wire just plain sucks. I absolutely hate flux core wire and have thrown the last I have in the trash long ago. You can rather easily weld sheet metal with smaller rods (electrodes) and a decent machine.

Although I'll readily admit that I probably use my MIG 3 to 1 over any other welder, if I had to only have one welder, I'd buy another Hobart stick machine. If you just follow the table printed on the top as to what rod and settings to use, you'll be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to use one. I have a 30 year old Lincoln machine that is rather finicky and isn't exactly user friendly.

 

[Dargo]

I have oxy/acetylene, MIG, stick, plasma, and I make a decision at the moment what I am going to use. All these were purchased over time, so the cost was spread out.

And, to confuse things more, I've moved from O/A to O/P. It works just as well and is considerably less expensive. I use the O/P when the material is too thick for my Hypermax 1250, and I've used my Hypermax to cut railroad track in half.