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Can anyone on this forum tell me the difference between MIG and TIG welding and the pros/cons of each?

Thanks to all who reply.

First hit on Google for "MIG VS TIG":
http://www.ridgenet.net/~biesiade/weld.htm

I have been curious about which type of welding to use and where. I am pretty sure that if i do my floor pans I use mig welding, or stick, right? What about for roll cages? Can these be mig welded too or would a tig be prefered? Opinions welcome! Thanks!

Allshow68 a mig would be fine for what your discribing and then some.

Gerico for most hobbiest the mig is more then enough, unless you got alot of extra cash on hand for a Tig then get that.

I have a Tig set up. this allows me to do almost any thing i want. small stuff, bug stuff, Aluminum goodies.
But many times i wish i had a Mig for doing those quick bigger steal stuff.
Tig just takes some time to do big stuff.
Ideally, having both would be awesome. I have looked into a spool gun already to add on to my tig machine. then i can have both and only use one unit. (i can already use stick on my machine as well. Most will)
Basically im re-enforcing Coil's idea, if you have money go tig.

As far as welding roll cages. NHRA rules dictate, if it is made of Chrom moly, then it must be tig welded. Mild steal is ok to use with mig.

mig welding is faster.used more in production

I cant recall the company, link is on my work computer, but there is one welder out there that uses some newer technology so that it is lighter & can be used as either a MIG, TIG, or stick welder. For the serious hobbyist or small business this is the way to go. One machine to do it all.

Now if they just made one that had a plasma cutter in there I'd sell certain parts of my anatomy to get one.

Freq2002 wrote:I cant recall the company, link is on my work computer, but there is one welder out there that uses some newer technology so that it is lighter & can be used as either a MIG, TIG, or stick welder. For the serious hobbyist or small business this is the way to go. One machine to do it all.

Now if they just made one that had a plasma cutter in there I'd sell certain parts of my anatomy to get one.

there's a bunch of models like that (made by most big welder companies)and some can do plasma as well. I see them permanently attached to truck beds on construction worker's company trucks. They do cost an arm and a leg, not priced for the hobbyist

I can't beleive this post is still going.

My $.02, unless you get a great deal on a TIG just get a MIG welder. For most of the things that a hobbiest does it will do what you need & then some. If you got or are starting a FAB shop then spend the extra money on a TIG.

And since this thread is still going. Has anyne bought one of those cheap hobby TIGs from Harbor Frieght yet? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/D ... mber=91811
I'd like to hear how they work, since it's cheap. I have a few non-automotive prodjects that it might work on but I don't want to spend $200 on it if I can't find other uses for it.

One of the most important things to remember with TIG and MIG welding is that you can have a perfect looking bead when MIG welding, but it does not mean that you got proper penetration. TIG welding you are guaranteed proper penetration.

MIG is much faster for many things (and cheaper), but TIG has the most flexibility.

I cannot survive without my MIG and Tig. I have 3 welders in the garage. I like Lincoln. I thought I could do everything with my Lincoln 250 Mig. Wrong! I needed a smaller one..135 amps for the sheetmetal stuff. I wanted to do Aluminum heads ..so I bought a 250Amp Lincoln Tig.

Penetration is all about knowing the preparation for the weld versus the process. You are not going to weld a 1/2 inch plate in one pass.

A welding class might be a good idea.

Right tool for the job.

Peace.

So the mig is the most common setup for vw?

allsierra123 wrote:So the mig is the most common setup for vw?

I would say it is the best set up all around.