[Oletrucks] MIG Welder Opinion

[Robert Swanson]

Kent,
	I concur with everything that Gale has written.  I wasn't going to go beyond 
the basics of my first posting, but in addition to the MIG and stick welders, 
I also have a TIG and a pound gun accessory that I can use with my big Miller 
Dimension 400 amp unit..  
	His comments on the bottles one has to have to do the gas welding are also 
very appropriate.  To reduce the cost, over the years I have purchased an 
oxygen bottle, acetylene, argon, and argon/ CO2 mix.  This gives me the 
ability to weld anything including aluminum and stainless, but just the 
bottles represent a $1000 investment.  Renting the bottles for home use is 
too expensive and not a good option.  
	Gale's comments on welding outside are also very appropriate, but I have 
found that I have no problem welding outside as long as there is no more than 
a light breeze.  Sometimes when welding outside with a breeze, I have made a 
shield from the breeze using plywood or even cardboard, and this has worked 
extremely well.  I have not been a great user of the flux core wire because 
most of my welding is on sheet metal, and I find that there is a considerable 
amount of splatter with the flux wire, which makes for a longer cleanup. 
	My first chop and channel was on a 34 Ford 1/2 ton back in 1959.  This was 
done using an oxygen / acetylene torch, using the hammer welding technique.  
Today, the same job could be done using a MIG unit in less than 1/4 of the 
time because there is so much less heat and distortion of the metals being 
joined.  I have also welded aircraft fuselages, 4130 tubing, using oxygen 
acetylene, which was the only way they were welded in the early days.  This 
is just to make the point that you can use almost any welder to do any job 
with a little experience. 

	Good luck whichever way you go.  This is one skill that will pay you back 
1000 times over.
Bob


On Wednesday 18 August 2010 08:18, Gale Gorman wrote:
> Kent,
>
> I was taught to weld at 13 and I'll be 70 in a few months. Learned on stick
> and probably still consider that the easiest way to learn. I currently have
> stick, MIG, TIG, and oxygen/acetylene and usually choose stick.
>
> I usually use MIG with a flux core wire so the gas isn't necessary. If your
> work is outside a breeze will affect the effectiveness of the gas to shield
> the weld from oxygen. If the work is inside and positioned flat then MIG
> will produce the best (prettiest) result. Be aware that to use gas you'll
> need to go to a welding supply company and purchase a cylinder. Once you've
> purchased the cylinder, refills are pretty reasonable. There are a lot of
> little incidental supplies needed to keep MIG welding afloat.
>
> I use TIG for exotic metals (stainless or aluminum) and also like it on
> sheet metal repair for the pinpoint heat. Much better control of warping.
> You still need the gas cylinder but it can be swapped off to the MIG setup.
>
> Stick welding requires little other than welding rods. The main difficulty
> newcomers experience is the rod sticking to the metal when they try to get
> an arc started (called striking an arc).
>
> Do you have 220 readily available? If so, how many amps? The 110 volt MIG
> unit will probably be a big disappointment. Well, not a big disappointment
> because they don't cost much. They don't do much either.
>
> Now if you have 220 the stick welder will need more amperage than MIG. My
> MIG or TIG is plugged into a 30 amp breaker while the stick welder is on a
> 50 amp.
>
> The fellow who taught me to weld years ago said, "Hell, I can teach a
> chimpanzee to weld, but I can't teach him to build anything."