Welding

[Clive]

It's been a few days since I asked a stupid question , so here goes!

What's the difference between Mig, Tig and Arc welding. Do they work on different surfaces, produce different results, or are easier (or harder) to use?

Next project will have to involve some welding, so guess I should get clued up on it!

Clive

[Manky Monkey]

Ooh, techy question! Techy people?

[tbone]

long version answer or short version? 

[Clive]

Whichever one explains it to a thicky please buddy!!!

Clive

[brock]

   Not sure where I got this from but it gives fairly basic descriptions of the processes

http://www.ajeepthing.com/welding.html

[brock]

....and this will link you to far more information than is ever necessary

http://www.khake.com/page89.html

[Clive]

Cheers buddy!! My heads full now!

Clive

[tbone]

Thick is something i doubt very much you are.
Arc welding:- Was the first metal welding process developed, it uses a flux covered electrode as the filler metal, the flux burns to produce Co2 that protects the weld area from oxidation. Modern Arc welders facilitate the electode to be fitted into the welding gun, and a steady uniform pressure is needed to maintain the arc as the electode burns away.Having never arc welded i cant really tell you about the benifits or drawbacks, it strikes me as trickier to master than mig but it can be used on much thicker material, although not so good on thin plate.

MIG welding:- Metal Inert Gas welding, here the electode/filler metal is the wire, a seperate gas supply shields the weld area. Some say mig is the easiest to learn and the most versitile of the welding processes. The arc is maintained by the wire self feeding through the welding gun, controlled by the trigger. The only movement involed is in following the line to be welded. In my opinion (for what its worth), its easy to learn, produces neat looking welds with very little clean up or dressing needed, you can weld in all directions and a vast majority of metals, with proper preperation a reasonably powerfull mig can weld thickish steel, as well as thin plate.

Tig welding:- absolutly no idea, apart from a brief conversation with Byzmax about it, so i`ll pass on this one.

[tbone]

Dam, i wrote all that for nothing 

[Clive]

Oh no you didn't buddy!, yours was pitched at just my level, thanks!

Clive

[reliantman]

Tig is the same as arc but you have a fixed tungsten insert in the holder instead of a rod.

[tbone]

is tig not clearer and quieter but needs the parent metals to be spotless?

Clive, we have a few coded welders in our ranks, I`m sure someone will be along shortly to explain better.

[ByzMax]

Tig is..... Fab!

With Mig or Stick/Mag your source of heat is the wire/rod that you use to fill the gap and join the metal. With Tig you use a Tungsten needle to generate the arc and create heat. You add filler seperatley with you free hand. It's is neat accurate. No smoke or sparks and you can see what you are doing!.

If you have an ac/dc welder you can weld just about any metal. You would almost always use argon as a sheilding gas.

It's slower than most other forms of welding but is so versatile once you have mastered it.

As stated. Objects to be welded must be spotless and preperation is everything

[Manky Monkey]

That counts out most of the cr*p parts I have to weld then!