Thx for the welder advice, got a MIG

[Sergio & Ulrike]

Ok, I did it.

I bought a Mig welder. A Lincolin Electric SP-175 Plus 220v 175amp 30% Duty cycle. I thank everyone for the input on what I should buy and expect.

[64Trvlr]

Good choice, I hope you enjoy your new MIG......
:cool:

[desert_freak]

I'm green!


P.J.

[waggin'ear]

I wanted to ask this on the discussion post, but never got around to it.

I thought that a MIG was a Russian fighter plane,

a TIG was Winnie the Pooh's friend,

and a stick was a manual transmission.

Does anyone know a good (simple) website to describe the different types to an idiot.

TIA.

[wagdriver]

Well here goes,

TIG, Tungsten Inert Gas, is the welding process that uses an arc torch with a tungsten electrode that is sheilded from the atmosphere by an inert gas, usually argon or a combination of inert gases depending on the metal being welded. The welding technique is much like oxy/acetaline, where the weld pool is formed by the establishing an arc and feeding the filler rod in as needed.

MIG, Metal Inert Gas, is the welding process where the filler material is small diameter wire fed through the torch handle and shielding gas is also fed around the electrode that contacts the wire and produces the arc for welding. It is a very fast and efficient method of welding. Currently this process is call GMAW which I believe stands Gas over Metal Arc Welding.

Flux Core, is simular to the MIG process except that the wire has a hollow core and the flux is contained in this core providing the shielding from the atmosphere. Once the arc is established the flux blows the atmosphere away providing the shield.

Stick, refers to weld process where the filler rod is individual flux coated rods(sticks). There is a rod holder into which the individual rods and inserted and the arc is established at the end of the rod to produced the weld. The flux coating on the rod blows the atmosphere away when an arc is established providing the shielding as with the flux core process.

In all the processes the goal is to eliminate the atmosphere from the weld area. I hope this helps and is not to confusing. ;)