stick welders

[Hoonz]

picky picky picky but true

[Screwy]

with a gasless mig, the gas as such is in the wire , so u get the little amount of gas out of the wire rather than from a bottle.

gasless there isnt enough gas, ya tend to get dry welds that are weaker than anything thats done with a proper MIG.
also the slightest bit of wind at all and the gas from the wire is gone leaving u with a bird sh1t weld.
at least with the mig i can tolderate a little wind with the higher gas pressure.

though any stick welder can weld just as strong if not more so than a mig u just need good fitment.

with regards to ease of use. i would choose the harder option for the extras strength over the weak but easy option.....

i know how to stick weld farely confidently now so i dont need to worry about the ease of useing a mig, especially a gasless.

my 2 cents. Screwy

[Dicko1980]

The name MIG, does stand for "Metal Inert Gas" Welding, but for the home handy man this is not relevent. What is relevent is that MIG welding is far easier skill to pick up, but I do have to agree with the above posts, that stick welding, or MMAW welding for the scholars out there, gives a better grounding in the principles of welding, such as; speed, amperage, angle of electrode or wire, ect. As for gasless MIG's, they are simply a cheaper version of a Wire Feeder Welder, without the need for gas to weld. Instead of needing gas to shield the weld pool they use, different wire , which has the flux rolled inside the wire. This wire is commonly referred to as Flux Cored/Innershield and normal copper wire as Bare/Solid wire. For welding dirty, rusty, galvanised, painted steel, or in the open, flux cored/gasless wire is superior

[mickyd555]

i know how to weld, one main reason i was wondering why most guys have a mig is: in one of the posts in the FAQ, there is reference to an engineer not accepting a stick weld for shock mounts on a diff. untill i read that i was wanting an inverter welder (the little handbag size ones) mainly so i can take it with me to weld at someone elses house if i need to. but if i need mig welds for engineers to be happy, than that will be what id want to get........

[bad_religion_au]

thanks for clearing that up... i couldn't work out gassless mig, but now i get it

[hj75]

Be caeful to remember that migs are difficult to use in the wind,so if your welding outside like i do it becomes a lot harder.Try (hire) before you buy.

[Webbie]

i know how to weld, one main reason i was wondering why most guys have a mig is: in one of the posts in the FAQ, there is reference to an engineer not accepting a stick weld for shock mounts on a diff. untill i read that i was wanting an inverter welder (the little handbag size ones) mainly so i can take it with me to weld at someone elses house if i need to. but if i need mig welds for engineers to be happy, than that will be what id want to get........

that engineer has lost his mind if an experienced welder put a stick run down over a novice mig run,I would go the stick every time.Also in saying one of the best welds available is that done with low hydrogen sticks ,and unless your a v good operator on a mig this weld wil be better than a mig weld everyday just very verey costly for the sticks.

[V8Patrol]

Like I said before .....

Any fool can use a mig

The problem is that in most cases those that use migs only and have no training dont really understand the actual "weld" part of the process, sure thay can put down a good "looking" weld but have no real understanding of penetration, fillet size etc, that only comes with training &/or years of experiance.

I have recently seen two examples of welds by 2 differant so called "Qualified welders" ....
In one instant a 10mm thick perlin bracket which was welded to a 300UB beam "fell off" when the beam was rotated during the painting process. the perlin bracket had a perfect fillet weld but the mill scale on the beam had prevented any penetration what so ever.... to put is simply the DLI approved guy had welded the bracket to the millscale only !

In the other example a well know company ( Geelong based) had a rather embarrasing moment when erecting a large structure..... one of the columbs fell over after it had been bolted down to the concrete pad, a "slight breeze" was all it took for the 9 metre columb to topple back down to the horizontal position. After a quick inspection the guys onsite found that all that had been holding the base plate to the columb was the original tack welds ! The so called qualified welder had done the same thing as our first operator had done and simply welded the base plate to the millscale. No-one was hurt by the falling hunk of steel but a few guys were a tad warmer in the undies department.

Ok so these are rare phuck ups but even "qualified " welders get it wrong when using a mig

The apprentice I have just been given to train is brilliant, has a good understanding of the basics but has zip experiance with mig to date and I fully intend to keep him that way for the time being.......... once he has mastered the arc welder he will be twice the welder on a mig.
Fortunately his father only owns an arc welder and the kid has been taught enough to be quite a compentent welder with it, its an absolute pleasure to get an unspolied young boy

the force will be strong in this one

Kingy
Padiwin Master

[Screwy]

Like I said before .....

Any fool can use a mig

The problem is that in most cases those that use migs only and have no training dont really understand the actual "weld" part of the process, sure thay can put down a good "looking" weld but have no real understanding of penetration, fillet size etc, that only comes with training &/or years of experiance.

I have recently seen two examples of welds by 2 differant so called "Qualified welders" ....
In one instant a 10mm thick perlin bracket which was welded to a 300UB beam "fell off" when the beam was rotated during the painting process. the perlin bracket had a perfect fillet weld but the mill scale on the beam had prevented any penetration what so ever.... to put is simply the DLI approved guy had welded the bracket to the millscale only !

In the other example a well know company ( Geelong based) had a rather embarrasing moment when erecting a large structure..... one of the columbs fell over after it had been bolted down to the concrete pad, a "slight breeze" was all it took for the 9 metre columb to topple back down to the horizontal position. After a quick inspection the guys onsite found that all that had been holding the base plate to the columb was the original tack welds ! The so called qualified welder had done the same thing as our first operator had done and simply welded the base plate to the millscale. No-one was hurt by the falling hunk of steel but a few guys were a tad warmer in the undies department.

Ok so these are rare phuck ups but even "qualified " welders get it wrong when using a mig

The apprentice I have just been given to train is brilliant, has a good understanding of the basics but has zip experiance with mig to date and I fully intend to keep him that way for the time being.......... once he has mastered the arc welder he will be twice the welder on a mig.
Fortunately his father only owns an arc welder and the kid has been taught enough to be quite a compentent welder with it, its an absolute pleasure to get an unspolied young boy

the force will be strong in this one

Kingy
Padiwin Master

i also picked up the basics from the best hey kingy

[Tiny]

I am still getting over the unspoiled young boy I feel for you Jeff

[Screwy]

I am still getting over the unspoiled young boy I feel for you Jeff

hahahahhaha i am not kingys apprentice, he just helped teach me the basics, now i can weld decent enough with a stick depending on angles, and mig is twice as good

u always feel for me tiny, ull be feeling it wen ur helping me build my buggy

[mickrangie]

isn't a gassless mig not a mig any more

doesn't mig stand for metal inert gas or something

nah not true it uses differnt wire and no gas still a mig just not as neat.

[Hoonz]

isn't that what every one else just said