welders..stick,mig,tig

What do most of you use when working on your frames and heavy metal stuff? I do you know when it is better to use stick or a mig welder? I have a buddy that welds pipe for a living and if you hear him talk it is a better weld.Then I hear other say mig is better but then all of the really nice welds I see are done with a tig. Is one better for one job over the other? Sorry for the stupid questions but just wondering.

Stick: Classic, the welder of all welders, great for heavy beams, frames, pipe. Welds outside in the rain, wind and snow. Portable, versitile, with practice, sheet metal is no problem. Smoke is nasty, and should be avoided. Best used on mild steel, but different rods aluminum and hardened steel is okay. Specialty rods used for hard surface, and cast iron.


Mig: The most used shop welder there is. With the right amperage, and wire size, heavy metal is no problem. Works very well on sheet metals, Aluminium with a different wire set up. long welds look great, with no starts and stops, like rod.

Tig: Works great on aluminum, copper, brass, and other types of metals. Mild steel welds are no problem, but generally work better on thinner materials. Known for it's beautiful welds made from the hands of someone who has mastered the art. Best used indoors, out of any wind. Requires the most skill and practice


Oxy-Acyteline: One of the oldest welding methods, besides forge welding. Works great on sheet metal, but heavy metal can be done with practice. Brass rod, or brazing, is a common use as well.

I use this one for the heavy duty stuff. Lincoln Idealarc 250 It has reverse polarity,AC, DC and infinite amp adjustment.



This one for everything else. Lincoln Pro-Mig 175

I am a mud dauber when it comes to stick welding. I have dork control w/ that long stick. MIG works better for me because I seem to be able to better control the arc. Question for you expert welders, I am presuming that you are using a 220V MIG for the heavy frame work. If so, what size wire do you use and what settings on the machine (feed rate and amps) ??

Can you weld frame w/ a 110V ?? I have one of the Lincoln Pro 175 units w/ gas.

I bet it really makes dmw's day when he gets to post pics of his ideal arc. I'm gonna have to get some pics of mine and show him up! His appears spotless, where as mine has been kickin around 3 different shops since '78 and has turned black.

I'de say for welding a frame, the best way to do it is with a 220v running .035 or .045 wire.

I'd use an arc with lohi rod to weld a frame. But that's just me

hillbilly4008 said:

I bet it really makes dmw's day when he gets to post pics of his ideal arc. I'm gonna have to get some pics of mine and show him up! His appears spotless, where as mine has been kickin around 3 different shops since '78 and has turned black.

I'de say for welding a frame, the best way to do it is with a 220v running .035 or .045 wire.

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Mine's been in 4 shops since 1978. I have no idea how old it is. It was old when my father in law gave it to me in 1990. I don't think you can kill them, they are just workhorses. I think the duty cycle @ 90 amps is 25 hours a day and then some! You can weld a battleship together with it.

I have been Mig welding sheet metal on body panels, but several guys say O/A is the way to go. Last night I ran my first ever O/A bead w/o filler rod and it worked great!!! However when I tried to run w/ filler rod, I started burning through - just don't have a good feel yet for the speed and frequency to add filler.

Also, w/ the extreme amount of warpage you get w/ O/A - seems that you have to do ALOT of metal work as opposed to my Mig where it is not too bad when using the tack, tack technique.

Bonehead posted his preference for welding process for various operations on this thread. So I am really curious what everyone thinks - what is the preferred process for different operations - like body panel sheetmetal, frames, etc., etc....?? When do you use O/A, Mig, Tig or Stick?? Also, when using O/A, when do you braze, when do you weld, when do you use filler rod and when do you NOT use filler rod??

well i would say that arc is for welding ships,pipe and dumpsters....the mig is where you want to be for shop work...then depending on your skill tig will give you your best welds and look

i use
hobart 175 110 unit
hobart ironman 210
miller 250 syncrowave 250 tig....its the ****

thats just my two cents...i use all my machines and still my tourches and plazma 250 also...it takes a lot of tool for the right job,but i have been at it since 1994 also....rooster

When spot welding with a mig like the Lincoln 175 do you just strike it once and back off right away?

Generally, the spot is about as big around as a pencil eraser, then let off. Thinner metal, smaller spot. Just short of burning through.

Hey guys - not to hijack this thread - BUT - I posted a safety warning about using break cleaning spray to clean parts before you weld them - This is a "MUST READ" for anyone that does their own welding - IT IS A MATTER OF LIFE & DEATH !!!! Maybe even worth a "STICKY" You can find it in the welding sec. under Brake cleaner + welding

What's the minimum ampreage you would go with for body chopping?
I know for a frame I would need a high power welder but I won't be building my own just yet.

A 110 Volt welder will gererally do the trick if we are talking MIG, for sheet metal. As far as amperage goes, it really depends on the welder, wire size, gas, etc.

Well ........ I prefer my TIG (Lincoln Precesion TIG-275) for ALL jobs. I can crank it up & blast some thick aluminum or roll it back & weld some .030 aluminum & not burn through.

I do have a Miller MIG machine (175) & I use it primarily for sheet metal work for (OPP) other peoples projects.

Ratty 46

ratty 46 said:

Well ........ I prefer my TIG (Lincoln Precesion TIG-275) for ALL jobs. I can crank it up & blast some thick aluminum or roll it back & weld some .030 aluminum & not burn through.

I do have a Miller MIG machine (175) & I use it primarily for sheet metal work for (OPP) other peoples projects.

Ratty 46

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And for those who don't know they would be some of the best looking welds you have seen.

I blame my machine for that .....

Well ....... coming from a MASTER ..... I will take that as a compliment. No shame in your game either Bonehead!

THANK YOU ..... I must go to sleep now.

Ratty 46

is this a decent welder for body chopping?

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...1&catalogId=10053&N=5yc1vZ1xr5Zwp&R=100031840

Although it is widely known that a flux core welding unit can be used successfully around the garage I personally don't care for them. But again ....... that's my opinion.

Save your $$ & buy a 220V, GAS assisted unit. You'll thank yourself later.

Or don't ......

Ratty 46

ditto