Mig or tig, Which would you choose? Options

[r_towle]

Lots of sheet metal body welding, flares, patching, several cars.
I did use a mig for years, upgraded to gas mig.
My son took it.

So, I’m getting another welder.
I still have a gasless mig, and a scratch start tig
Neither are very good.

So, which would you choose? Why?
Willing to take the time and learn.

Rich

[Brett W]

Oxy Acetylene. It will take some time to learn the finesse, but it grinds easier, it hammers out easier and doesn't make a hard spot, plus its easier on tools.

It works on aluminum and steel, but it takes a bit of fine tuning. I have welded aluminum sheet, then hammered it to death in an attempt to break the weld or the panel. It hammered out nice and smooth. If you use base material you can actually polish the material and not see the weld.

That said, I use MIG with gas (no other way to MIG weld sheetmetal) or TIG weld it.

I haven't done any sheetmetal butt welds recently, but was told to use almost no shielding gas with the TIG welds, meaning no big cup, no shiney welds, etc. #4 or #5 cup, the weld will look terrible, but it will finish nicely as it doesn't get as hard as fully shielded weld. Will be testing this soon. Looking forward to testing this and then running it through my English wheel.

[mb911]

Oxy Acetylene. It will take some time to learn the finesse, but it grinds easier, it hammers out easier and doesn't make a hard spot, plus its easier on tools.

It works on aluminum and steel, but it takes a bit of fine tuning. I have welded aluminum sheet, then hammered it to death in an attempt to break the weld or the panel. It hammered out nice and smooth. If you use base material you can actually polish the material and not see the weld.

That said, I use MIG with gas (no other way to MIG weld sheetmetal) or TIG weld it.

I haven't done any sheetmetal butt welds recently, but was told to use almost no shielding gas with the TIG welds, meaning no big cup, no shiney welds, etc. #4 or #5 cup, the weld will look terrible, but it will finish nicely as it doesn't get as hard as fully shielded weld. Will be testing this soon. Looking forward to testing this and then running it through my English wheel.

Ugh on the shielding gas and cup recommendations. That is not correct as you want to use the largest cup possible for the application. This is coming from a national welding education instructor and a former aviation TIG welder.

All other comments I agree with.

[Brett W]

Ugh on the shielding gas and cup recommendations. That is not correct as you want to use the largest cup possible for the application. This is coming from a national welding education instructor and a former aviation TIG welder.

All other comments I agree with.

This is a specific sheetmetal specific application ONLY. When butt welding a steel component that needs metal finishing such as straightening, wheeling, bending etc, this technique will keep the metal from becoming as hard as a normal TIG weld with proper post flow and gas coverage. The goal here is to melt the metal quickly and minimize the "air hardening" applied by the shielding gas. It will be completely finished out and the weld needs to be invisible.


If you are doing structural or other components, absolutely, bust out the Furick cup and send it. Don't do this with TIG welding anything but sheet metal components on a body. Not chassis sheetmetal or anything else.