Can Someone tell me the difference in these welders, and which kind is better?

Thanks!

 

well most people start on arc, and most say its easier. this is the welder with a clamp on a wire and you put a rod in the clamp and weld. mig is second easiest to most. this kind is wire fed and usually has some sort of sheilding gas. tig is the kind you see on moster garage and occ alot. it has a stinger that starts a arc and you feed the filler metal into the weld. arc=smaw=sheilded metal arc welding, mig=smgw=sheilded metal gas weldin and tig i cant remember. hope this helps

 

As chrono4 stated, some methods are easier to do, all require practice and they are for different applications (With some overlap). Some jobs can be done with Arc MIG or TIG and some jobs its best to use TIG or MIG. Many people recommend starting with Arc because it's inexpensive and it gives you a feel for the process. Arc is also the most limited of the 3 processes, but if you become good at it, the others will be that much easier to learn. Most important about all is they can be potentially dangerous and safety rules should be observed. BTW, I believe TIG = "Tungsten Inert Gas"

Chet

 

There are three stips in learning ANY of these welding methods. The three steps are:

practice
Practice
PRACTICE

That's the truth,
Doc

 

I am by no means an expert but this is what I've heard...
Like most have said already-

Arc - easiest, cheapest. Great for all around steel welding. Works well on thicker metal as well.

Mig - (metal intert gas) uses an automatic wire feed into the weld and uses a flux core or gas shielding. Its a great all around form of welding and works great for thin guage steel and sheet metal, and depending on the amperage/size can do some heavy guage applications as well.

Tig - (Tungsten Inert Gas) as far as I know it works great on sheet metal and is less likely to overheat and warp the metal. This method is the hardest to learn but can lay down the best welds at the hands of a well practiced welder.

I've had some expirience dealing mostly with arc welding and have done some limited mig welding and I can say for sure MBDiagman is RIGHT when he says PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! If you're looking for an all around welder though I'd probably suggest getting a decent MIG welder. (NOT a cheap 200-300 dollar wallmart unit!!) Deffnitly try to get one that uses 220v if possible - trust me, you'll be glad you did! They're very versatile and are easier to use than TIG and the wire feed is much more convienient than using welding rods and works better on sheet metal than ARC.

 

Thanks for the great responses everyone, My father actually has an Arc welder, I'm going to see if i can get some time on that to get the hang of it. That is IF he lets me near his tools( guess he doesn't want me to see all the ones of mine he has!)

 

What would you say that the best one for welding exhaust pipes would be?

 

MIG, no contest, just for east of one handed opereation and thin gauge metal applications. A TIG welder may argue a better quality weld, but they are the true "Artisens" of the industry

Chet

 

I may be wrong but it seems to me that TIG is geared more for production / bench welding, I don't think I have ever seen anyone TIG with the part attached to a car. Greg

 

TIG will work better for more precise work.

 

i think a tig bead is like welding with an oxy-acetlyne torch. they both create the best overall apearance bead, but i dont have a good feeling about penetration after im done with it. with a tig i would only weld thing as thick as say 3/16 and maybe a little bigger. mig for me is by far the easiest, the most universal (sheetmetal, regular steel, aluminum if you get an alumaspool and so on). regualar arc welding (stick welding) is the old school approach to thing but can lay down some nice looking beads and has great penetration depending upon which rod you use. i use a 6011 for real good and deep penetration and a 6013 for a good overall weld with a great appearance to it. so i would have to say that as far as i am concerned i would choose a mig (wirefeed) welder over the rest of them for compatability and ease of use.

 

Hard to say which is better.
I've never tigged (GTAW is what it is called "officially"-Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) but it sure looks fun.
I learned to Stick weld first and I still use my old buzz box from time to time. It works great on heavier metal and for metal that isn't real "clean".
I also have a little Lincoln Mig welder that also works great. I personally think Mig welding is way easier than stick. It is also a lot easier to weld thinner material with a Mig and tacking things up goes a lot quicker with mig. I guess it all depends on what the application is....

JEV

 

One thing to consider is where you will be welding. One of the advantages of stick welding is it has no need for shielding gas and therefore can be used outdoors in the wind. Try welding in the wind with MIG or TIG and you'll get so frustrated you'll scream.
So if you plan to do alot of work outdoors or in drafty conditions I would consider a stick welder. Also a DC stick welder is much easier to run 7018 and other out of position rods.
Hope this helps
Andy

 

well, I don't see how Arc is "easier" than Mig? I do agree it is better to learn to arc weld first. then mastering the other methods is much easier. for welding exhaust pipes I'd say Mig is the way to go. I've never Tig'ed, so I won't comment on that.

 

well i thought it was easier for a first timer many years ago. and also, its the cheapest usually, and most people dont want to dump 500+ on a welder if they dont know if they have a knack for it, or will use it.