I've heard MIG welding is referred to as the glue gun of welding. But it's also supposed to be more efficient than TIG. For those of you who use MIG as your go-do, would you say it's because you started with MIG or prefer it over other processes?
Is MIG welding the easiest to learn?
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Ruddmanwelding
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I would say it is the easiest to learn for sure. But it also depends on the person. As for comparing tig and mig... they are totally different animals with totally different purposes. The thing to remember is that mig has hardly any penetration. Like basically none. However if you switch to fcaw-g.. flux core gas shielded.. it has probably more penetration than stick. And remember that penetration is what matters when sticking metal together. But if you do it right.. a good mig machine will do anything you need. ? hope it helps!
It depends on what you want to weld. Mig is good for thin and light welds up to quarter inch. I used to weld with stick. I like it but for me switching to mig was hard until I learned the trick. With both, the trick is the puddle and the distance from rod or wire to the puddle. I kept wanting weld with the wire like it was a stick. Nope. Watched one video and saw the trick. Keep the nozzle down on the puddle or the wire will shift causing lots of Splatter. Now I love it . Gas is ok for gates and the like if you are doing professional stuff. It is little to no flux. Flux wire pops but with practice you can make a smooth pretty weld. I was surprised how strong the weld is.
confederatemule
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Back in the late 50s when I was first around any welding I never saw but two kinds of welding. Gas (oxy-fuel) or stick. When I first tried to mig weld I had a hard time with it. I was trying to use it because the metal I was welding was fairly thin. I would still rather use a stick or on thin stuff, gas works just fine.
Biggermore
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Glue gun of welding? I've been welding for 46 years. Mig, stick,Tig, Submerge, Gas. Everything is determined by your welding amps, material,gas, wire, filler rod, welding rod, conditions, For instance Caterpillars can be big huge monster machines. I've been to the factory they use mig welders, Wire and gas, NOT flux core!. The penetration of the weld depends on the size of out put of welder, material, size of wire, and gas.I've got a mig welder that can not weld 1/2" thick steel because it's too busy blowing holes in it because it's too hot. Gas is used to keep oxygen away from the weld until it cools enough. Flux serves the same purpose but it it generally used because of high wind conditions that would blow the gas away also most people don't know what type of gas to use. Most metal is mig welded it's faster, just as strong, more efficient and cost effective. I've been certified in welding for Military and civilian aircraft parts and ground support equipment. Titanium is my favorite thing to weld also nickel. I'll do it but it takes a special gun to weld magnesium {water cooled). And magnesium burns on it self so if it gets on you or in your boot it won't stop burning until it burns it's self out. The only way to make it stop burning is get it off of you. Then it will burn until it burns out.
California
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"Is MIG welding the easiest to learn?" If you are learning starting from nothing, probably. Especially if you have someone to teach you.
Novice here, I started with AC 230 amp stick and it does what I need for farm repairs and occasional fabrication. Its simply a tool to get something done. Mig? as an occasional and novice user I feel there are more variables to learn, to get set up properly. Read, look at a couple of YouTube videos, practice on scrap (stick needs that step too), then get to work on the project. I want to like mig. But I find that I choose stick, (now with a modern inverter DC welder), because it seems more obvious to me. YMMV if you are a beginner doing the asking.
Novice here, I started with AC 230 amp stick and it does what I need for farm repairs and occasional fabrication. Its simply a tool to get something done. Mig? as an occasional and novice user I feel there are more variables to learn, to get set up properly. Read, look at a couple of YouTube videos, practice on scrap (stick needs that step too), then get to work on the project. I want to like mig. But I find that I choose stick, (now with a modern inverter DC welder), because it seems more obvious to me. YMMV if you are a beginner doing the asking.
Rancher Ed
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For someone who has never welded MIG (GMAW) is indeed the easiest to learn. With the correct parameters a good weld can be made by simply holding the gun at the correct distance and moving along the joint to be welded. The downside is using the wrong parameters can produce a visually good weld that has very little penetration or strength. This is especially common with small 110V machines with limited output. Obviously welder technique and practice are important, especially for out of position welds, poor fit-up, etc., but with a few basic pointers almost anyone can make a good quality weld in the flat position.
MIG (GMAW) is preferred to TIG (GTAW) in many industries due to its higher deposition rates. With 'manual' welding (GMAW is technically semi-automatic since the machine controls the wire feed speed) GMAW can more than double the weld metal deposition rate. Most MIG machines used by us hobbiest use 0.023", 0.030", and 0.035" wire, with some of the larger machines able to run 0.045" wire. In commercial settings 0.045" is the most common with 0.052" used for high deposition and 0.035" used for light work. To get even higher deposition rates submerged arc welding (SAW) is used. SAW can get extreme, with multiple 1/8" wires feeding into the same weld pool, but that is getting away from anything a beginner might do or is likely to see. ??
MIG (GMAW) is preferred to TIG (GTAW) in many industries due to its higher deposition rates. With 'manual' welding (GMAW is technically semi-automatic since the machine controls the wire feed speed) GMAW can more than double the weld metal deposition rate. Most MIG machines used by us hobbiest use 0.023", 0.030", and 0.035" wire, with some of the larger machines able to run 0.045" wire. In commercial settings 0.045" is the most common with 0.052" used for high deposition and 0.035" used for light work. To get even higher deposition rates submerged arc welding (SAW) is used. SAW can get extreme, with multiple 1/8" wires feeding into the same weld pool, but that is getting away from anything a beginner might do or is likely to see. ??
My Miller 252 MIG wil do 3/8" and 1/2" Steel very nicely. I use CO2 for shielding gas because it's inexpensive and I'm only welding for myself so a bit of spatter isn't an issue. I have a Miller Syncrowave 200 for TIG and they both have their place. With proper settings a MIG welder will provide excellent penetration.
Mshawn
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Couldn’t say it better myself!!!
You do realize that almost all industrial welding of machines and structures is done with Mig. Right?
Ruddmanwelding
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Thats not completely true. Most of your structural such as beams and collums and other types of steel is done with FCAW-G.
Victor Thomas
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Well I like mig personally cause a good name brand you can install gas tank and get a better weld all I have is a cheap harbor freight
I would agree with most that I think it is easier to learn how to weld with a mig. There is things you do different that with a stick but for someone who has never welded I think it is far easier to teach them how to learn the art of welding as a whole on a mig. Both have there places where they work better than the other.
Biggermore
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Thank you
Well I started with stick many years ago. I was never formally trained but welded pretty well. Then I got a MIG. I gotta say using it with gas, or flux core I have always struggled a bit to well as well as I did with stick. Granted I have not stick welded in many years... but I always preferred it over mig
Setting a mig machine is probably a little more tricky than a stick machine which will make it seem harder sometimes. My father was a welder for 50 plus years so he taught me alot about setting a mig which to me is probably the hardest thing about a mig to teach. Mig welding to me infidelity requires your surface to be cleaner and free of rust
The first process I learned was Oxy-Acetylene. This is a slow process but it allows a student to get to appreciate the input of heat into a joint. Doing brazing, silver solder, copper pipe, steel filler rod were all good to go through as stepping stones to quicker processes. So starting there and then graduating to GMAW, then SMAW and GTAW is usually the direction a student will take in learning to weld. I taught welding at Northern College for Welder Fitters, Millwrights, Heavy Duty Mechanics and night classes for industry workers from 1996 and until I left the college in 2003. Nice gig... loved the students.
We have an old school welder here
using 6013