MIG OR ARC

[peasey]

Right lads my question for to day is which one is easyer,im looking to buy a disco or defender to add to my collection that needs to have some work done, and as my budget is low i know that its going to need some welding.now i already have an arc welder and have no idea how it works.but i have read some of the welding articals on here and all of the fellas involved are using mig welders,why is this?is it because migs are easyer to use or just more readly available?or are there reasons that you cant use arc?i am willing to learn as it would be another string to my bow and fill some time as im off work due to a shattered right leg and im sooooo bored now i have done everything i want to do to my FAMILY discovery and decorated the house tidyed the garage up and done all of those little jobs she keeps finding :roll:  :roll:

[Ruprick]

Hi.
Well someone may well come along and give you some more detailed info but, as far as I'm concerned, Mig is a lot easier to use. It can be regulated easier and you don't have to worry about keeping the gap between the tip and the metal.
With mig you just pull the trigger and go. With arc you have to get the gap between the electrode and the metal just right to get a good weld and keep in constant.

And arc is not so good for thin stuff as it tends to blow holes all over the place.

Hope this helps a little.
Regards, Al

[Smego]

Oh god, no argument it's gotta be a mig.

Arc is ok for ship or tank building...

[chris9119]

or TIG  :idea:

[redhand]

Arc is best for structural welding and will weld thick metals better than mig will. So is great for Chassis, HD bumpers, Steering guards etc.  But is  too powerful for thin body panels. and as said earlier will blow holes in the piece. So Mig for bodywork and Arc for thick stuff. Although and just to muddy the water strictly speaking all types of electric welders are Arc welders and if you use CO2 instead of Argon/CO2 mix with your MIG then it becomes a MAG welder.

Check this forum out very informative and helpful. www.mig-welding.co.uk

[Guardian.]

YOU ARC IT MATE YOU WILL HAVE A SIV EFFECT DISCO IN NO TIME AT ALL.
HAS TO BE MIGGED REALLY, STILL HAS TO BE SET UP ABOUT RIGHT AND USED ABOUT RIGHT, BUT BASICALLY, IF YOU CAN HOLD THE TORCH AND MOVE IT ABOUT, YOU CAN MIG WELD.

[boss]

depending on where you are i would be willing to give you a crash course in welding :). i am a fully qualified welder in arc, mig, tig, ox/ac and alluminium :shock: .....any one want to give me a job???? :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

there is nothing wrong with arc welding, most structural members are welded by arc. as was said before its because its better at welding thick materials. it is not as strong a a mig weld(again depending on the application) because the flux is a coat around the electrode. its also alot easer to maintain, all you need is an inverter and a pack of welding electrodes but if your car has an arc weld on it it wont get though its MOT(or so im told)

mig units require alot more attention. granted the spool of wire lasts for a long wile but theres nothing more anoying than it running out of wire. also the gas is.....not difficult to get hold of but its hard to find something that will provide a good flux, alot of people think that pub gas co2 is a good replacement for argoshield but at the end of the day, its not! what alot of people forget is that when welding with co2 you need to keep a heater on it, i dont remember why because im an argoshield man! HA! but as was stated when mig welding it is a case of pull the trigger and go!

TIG welding is not something you wnat to go into its an expencive business and its not easey

there is also gassless MIG this gives you the best of both worlds between arc and mig, there is a spool of flux coated mig wire so you need not worry about gas. technecly its an arc welder....but its not its a mig. wolfonline are selling a no gas mig (130A) with helmet and gloves for £109.99 inc shipping i would go for that it you want the easey option

as i say i will be willing to show you whats what...im not really doing much myself apart from waiting for the college to sort my apprenticeship out.
PM me and let me know what you think.

[Range Rover Blues]

MIG is easier because it's D/C so you can work with a smaller arc, arc welding is A/C so tends to favour biger welds that would burn through 1mm steel.  I've tried it, it wasn't pretty and I used to be a good welder

TIG is the best of the bunch if you can afford it.  Think professional quality.  My mate uses it restoring MGs because it involves less heat than MIG so less distortion.  It's a bit like an electric version of Oxy-Acetalene welding though, you have to stir the weld pool with a welding rod.  Oh, and if you freeze the tip to the workpiece you need a new tip  :(kerching):

For us mere mortals, MIG all day long.

[peasey]

thanks for the replies lads you have all been really helpfull and explained it all really well so after christmas im going to invest in a mig welder and boss you are the man!!!!!ill give you a call after the frame work has been removed from my leg and i have got my new toy to weld thanks again lads,cheers

[lurch_917]

when my mate bought his 300 tdi he found it needed both rear arches / sills / and both front inner wings now he had been quoted £300 for one rear arch so i bought a clark te 135 its a gas mig for £200 i chse this one as it has a built in cooling fan nothing like stop start welding for a crap job but the fan means you just start welding and stop when the jobs done its also got variable power so you can weld from 1mm-4.5mm with ease

[Guardian.]

if your buying a little welder, i would suggest getting a 150amper with fan, cuz on car metal they will weld all day without cutting out, and not much dearer than a 130 ish, pluss that bit more power should you want to do some structural welding at some point.

[Ja1983]

i have only ever used an arc welder, and can confirm that it does not go well with thin bodywork! however, if your wanting to make chunky bumpers etc, its the best way, especially if your not working with new metal...

i`d like to get to know a mig a bit better, but lack of time, and the faff off getting it set right has put me off so far.

[Range Rover Blues]

The trick with MIG is setting it up for the job in hand.  Once it's "tuned" the welding is a peice of pee.

The trick is relatively short runs or stitches to get the workpiece secured then join them up later once the work has cooled, otherwise distortion will happen.

I replaced the inner sill on a MkII Fiesta and even though I though I was letting it cool down I managed to shorten the car by about 1/3 of an inch because of the distortion :shock:

[hairyasswelder]

I would have to agree with Guardian  8)

if your buying a little welder, i would suggest getting a 150amper

 Buy a half decent mig welder and forget the ark.  There is nothing an arc welder can do that a MIG cant  

As for TIG, forget it, unless you welding lovely nice clean material it is a PITA. Gas is pure Argon and it is not cheap.

Get the right set up on the welder and practice on some scrap.
My weld instructer told me 10% knowledge 90% practice  :D

The main thing about welding on used metal is preparation, clean everything as much as possible and check there isnt 6 coats of waxoil on the back of where you weld as it will set on fire  :shock:

If you need any heavy fabrication then take it to a local  fabricators and let one of the lads weld it in their dinner time  :lol: Like me they will be using a 400 amp machine and be gratefull for the beer tokens  8)

 

but if your car has an arc weld on it it wont get though its MOT(or so im told)

Load of poo   so long as it is a continuous weld it ok

[Les Henson]

I have been a gas welder for years, and can also stick weld. I have a 170-amp Butters MIG, which I use the most now that I have practised with it to get the welds right.  For bodywork and chassis I use the MIG, but if the metal has to be shaped as I weld it I would use gas as this is where it is perfect for the job. I rarley use the stick welder now, but would do if I was welding thicker metal on the bench, such as roll cage saddles/brackets. For a first timer I would say get a MIG - they are very versatile and will weld thin stuff such as bodywork. Buy at least 140 amps though - the welder will struggle with thicker metal and may well keep cutting out with the thermal overload stopping things from getting too hot.
I used to use Co2 and it's 'ok', but Argoshield is better.


Les.

[L90OOK]

I have one of THESE no gas welders...although I am using Argon gas at the moment.
It does all the jobs on the Landy no problem.

As said by someone on a previous post...Any heavier duty welding for bumpers/winch cage etc I take to local fabricator & gets done for beer tokens  :D  

I would buy a better Mig but couldn't justify it as I don't/wouldn't use it enough...get yourself a decent welding mask too...I have recently got an arc activated one that makes the job so much easier  

[boss]

get yourself a decent welding mask too...I have recently got an arc activated one that makes the job so much easier  

flash screens are a necessity! the regular ones with out the sensor and adjusting power are not worth it at all!


butters welders are good, i was looking at getting a butters TIG/MMA welding plant but there too much so i started looking at migatronic, they both make very good welders, all way too much though :(  :(