arc vs mig

[cmesic]

I weld a little but would not consider myself a welder. I do OK. I was recently told that a mig welder will not make as strong a weld as an arc welder. Q. #1 Is this true? I weld on go karts, trailer frames and dirt bike frames and am considering upgrading to a mig.Q. #2 Will it work for this?

Thank you

[HAWK]

cmesic,

A. Not true. MIG welds can be as strong as Stick weld.
B. Yes. MIG will work for you.

It sounds like a Millermatic 210 is just what you need. Given proper joint preparation a mig welder meets or exceeds penetration of the stick process. It's perfect for what you are doing. Standard short arc mig will do all you want up to 3/8" in a single pass. For anything thicker there are other wires and methods to achieve excellent welds. Put it this way: I would rather pull a trailer with a hitch I mig welded than stick welded. Just remember proper joint preparation and welding technique are the keys to a good sound weld. You may want to research mig transfer methods to give you a better background for your decision making. They are short arc, globular transfer, spray arc, and pulsed spray arc. There are also flux cored filler wire, dual shield (shielding gas and flux in the wire), and plain wire. I think the short arc transfer mig process with ER70S-6 .030 or .035 filler wire and 75% Argon/25% Carbon Dioxide shielding gas will do exactly what you want.


I prefer the TIG process for the kart and bike frames, especially If I am on it.

[PISTOL8]

MIG vs STICK

I'M OF THE OPINION THAT MIG IS AS GOOD IF NOT BETTER THAN STICK FOR SEVERAL REASONS #1 NO SLAG CHIPING AND YOU SEE THE QUALITY OF YOUR WELD RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. #2 CLEANER BY FAR SPEND 1/10 THE TIME IN CLEANING UP AFTER THE JOB AND OR YOUR CUSTOMERS HOME OR BUSSINESS.#3 IF YOU NEED ADDITIONAL PASSES THERE IS VERY LITTLE DOWN TIME FOR CHIPPING CLEANUP AND ADDITIONAL PASSES HAVE COMPATABLE MATERIAL TO BOND TO. TIG WELDING CART FRAMES IS TOP OF THE LINE EVEN CLEANER THAN MIG AND EVEN PRETTER. PISTOL8 I HAVE A MM210 AND HAVE WELDED JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING KNOWN TO MERE MORTALS PISTOL8

[HAWK]

PISTOL8 is right in the money including no slag for the bare wire. Just be sure you are in a shop where the breeze won't blow away your shielding gas. I have stick welded many a project because I had no shop at the time. Good luck and like PISTOL8 said the MM210 IS HARD TO BEAT!!!

[ASKANDY]

10-4 guys! The MM210 or 251 is the way to go.
No worries about strength there. Any trailer manufacturer that is using a stick welder is leaving production on the table and loosing money. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us.

A-

[HAWK]

cmesic,

Andy mentioned the 251. If you can spare the extra cash go for it. I have never wished I had bought a smaller machine for any reason!

[RawkRash]

Re: arc vs mig

Originally posted by cmesic
I was recently told that a mig welder will not make as strong a weld as an arc welder.

It's much easier to get cold lap and lack of fusion with a MIG than with a stick welder. That's most likely what the person who made the statement was referring to. With a stick welder, penetration and fusion are practically a given. A nice looking bead takes practice. With a MIG welder, a nice looking bead is practically a given and proper fusion is something that takes a good understanding of the process.