Control Arms

[Mathius]

Closer to accurate to say that MIG makes it easy for a novice welder to make a weld that looks good on the surface while having insufficient penetration and strength?

No, if you had said MIG is an easier process and left it at that, I might agree with you. I could probably teach a monkey to MIG weld, albeit not structurally.

But it's just as easy for someone to TIG weld a piece and have it not be strong.

Any time you run a bead on anything thicker than sheet metal, if you haven't had formal training, or plenty of experience, then you run the risk of not knowing what you're doing and leaving imperfections, or just plain poor penetration.

Not to mention, depending on the material you're welding, (such as cast iron for example) you could very well put down a beautifully layered weld and still have the weld literally just fall out if the piece isn't cooled properly.

I'm not saying everyone has to go to school to be a welder, but without practicing and having some method of checking what you're doing be it a destructive test with a vise, or someone else to look over your shoulder while you're doing it, you run the risk of creating something that is unsafe.

And it has nothing to do with the type of welder.

TIG has become a very preferred method of welding because it allows total control. You control the amount of filler rod added. You control the amount of heat with your foot pedal. You can also get into a lot of places with a TIG that a large MIG nozzle won't fit into.

But for these same reasons, it's harder to learn how to TIG, because you have to learn to use that control you're being given. That's why TIG welders generally get paid more. (although nowadays almost everyone requires you to be able to use all processes)

Somewhere along the line, someone figured out the "elite" welders were using the TIG welders, and that a TIG setup costs twice as much as a MIG, and they decided it makes for a better welder.

I'll say it again. Given that heat settings, filler material, and base materials are equal, you can do the same thing with a MIG that you can do with a TIG, and get the same results, and the same amount of strength.

There is nothing special about a TIG welder that makes it stronger.



Mathius