Mig or tig

[JPRain]

I'm thinking to take a night welding class at the local votech. They have both mig and tig classes but I can't take both. I haven't welded since high school and then I only did arc welding.

My Dad has both a mig and a tig welder sitting in his shop that he doesn't use all that much so equipment cost isn't really an issue for me.

So my question is this... If cost isn't an option which is the better to learn?

I'm kind of assuming that tig is the harder to do of the 2 and that if I can learn that with help that mig would be no problem. Is that correct?

I'd like to hear the opinions of all the welding guru's out there.

Thanks,

Joe

[Apogee]

TIG is definitely the harder of the two...and the more versatile. MIG is typically faster and more convenient for laying down big welds or doing a bazillion little tack welds like when you're doing body work. I would take the TIG class and teach yourself how to MIG as the fundamentals of welding between the two are essentially the same.

[roadracer55]

i wish i could tig. cost is what stopped me learning it..

[DRJDVM's '69]

It really depends on what you are planning to do and which skill will actually be more useful to you.

TIG is harder and therefore has more "mystique" to it, but from a practical standpoint, in my opinion, MIG is more versatile for the average car guy. TIG is a great skill and unquestionably can do stuff MIG cant, but alot of the stuff that the average car guy does can be done with the MIG.

If it were me, I would do the MIG class first, get alot of that under my belt and then do the TIG class later.

[toxicz28]

If cost isn't an option which is the better to learn?

TIG. A monkey can teach itself MIG.

[ty1295]

Mig class would be 2 nights?

Tig class would be years. Once you learn Tig you hate to even pick up a mig. I have both, my mig has been at a buddies for 5 months or so and I have not missed it yet.

[DLinson]

I'd go for the TIG. You can weld anything with the TIG and it's not that hard to learn. I have the Lincoln 175 square wave TIG and love it. They now have a pulse frequency feature to help weld thin gage metals. TIG welders also have a stick welding wand.

I've used mine to weld steel, stainless, aluminum, and bronze. I've also used it to heat and shrink body panel when doing body work instead of using a torch. It's way more versitile than the MIG

I also have a MIG but that was real easy to learn on my own probably not worth spending money on a class. In engineering school we had to take a manufacturing process class that included various welding techniques. The teacher only taught stick and gas welding. He figured if you could learn those two you could easily MIG weld. TIG welding isn't much different that the gas welding.

Dennis

[OH6 G35]

Lincoln SquareWave....ahh...nice machine !!

[MonzaRacer]

Well as for me I like both.
I would use a TIG to do all my fab work, on the flip side a mig can be picked up (with or with out gas shielding) and you can weld in a matter of minutes if not for a few hours of practice.
I have an Astro Pneumatic 110 mig and right now it has 030 flux core.
I have found a decently priced auto darkening helmet. Its and Arc One Black Hawk. $80 at the local Indiana Oxygen distributor.
Its a solar powered sut works very well.
I am looking around for my next welder,,,a TIG with frequency control(ie it has the square wave) The one I am looking at is a Thermadyne unit.
TIG gives you enough control that you can weld the sharp edges of a pair of razor blades together and have no warpage and need no filler rod to do it.
The neat thing about TIG is that if you get good you cna make smooth welds too. Most of the rippled welds are for the inspection people.
I really dont care what most people say I have seen TIG welds that were able to be cleaned up with scotchbrite before that parts were painted and looked like a single piece,, so I know it can be done.
Also practice makes perfect.
Good Luck
Lee Abel
AFTERMARKET PERFORMANCE.