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- Nov 14, 2016
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MIG and MAG are basically the same thing just more specific terms based on the gas being used. Fluxcore is basically Stick welding (SMAW) using a wire feed instead of rods. MIG you are using a shielding gas so no flux is needed, and you use a solid alloy steel wire. Fluxcore is like stick but instead of having the flux on the outside, the wire is hollow, with the flux inside the wire. Kind of like flux core solder. In the hobby shop, flux core is usually used because it is cheap. In industry there are other uses for it. It is less susceptible to wind blowing the shielding gas away, and there are times where they use flux core wire and a shielding gas (dual shield welding), this is probably way beyond what most home welders ever have a need for but with a MIG welder, you could do it if you had the need. Really inexpensive flux core welders are basically just a MIG welder without a gas inlet. This saves them money, as there are no gas components, and they don't have to include a regulator. This also saves some weight, so even people with a good welder will occasionally buy a small cheapo Flux core as a very mobile repair welder. Harbor Freight sells a little 125amp flux core welder that only weighs 15lbs. Add a 100 foot extension cord and that is a pretty mobile little welder for light repairs.
So on the MIG vs the Stick, just my opinion on why MIG is easier for most. All the focus is on the puddle. Is your gap right, is the wire feeding the right speed, are you following your line etc. The wire just keeps feeding, no stopping until you want to. It seems like with Stick just as I start to get into a groove, it is time to change rods. Unless you run tiny spools, or weld an huge amount, you rarely run out of wire. I started out with a small 2lb spool, and that got me through several medium size projects. I replaced it with an 11lb spool, I might need to get the book out to remember how to change it when it is time.
Also since you set the wire feed speed, you are also sort of setting your welding speed. Really watching your puddle is the best way to determine your speed but it is an extra hint that you don't get with Stick which is all on you.
Probably even more, starting and restarting is much easier with MIG, just pull the trigger and go. With Stick some rods can be really fussy to get started, and when you stop you have to clean up your weld again removing the slag before you get going again or you risk getting slag into your weld.
Since MIG is a cleaner process and the shielding gas replaces the flux and associated gas you can weld an and inch, stop and look at your work, weld another 2 inches, stop and evaluate. Being able to conveniently weld in short bits helps keep you on the right path, and can help with warping. If I have a long weld I will usually tack the ends, then do a bit in the middle, then move to one end, move to the other end, back to the middle. This spreads out the heat, and piece by piece secures the part I'm welding, both of which help to prevent the part from warping. You could do the same with Stick, but it would take a lot longer having to clean off the slag every time you move to a new spot.
Something I haven't seen mentioned is the interface with the welder. The cheaper MIG and flux core welders just have a knob with preset clicks, usually numbered, 1,2,3 etc. These change both the power and the wire feed speed with one knob, easy to use but very little room for adjustment, you are stuck with the preset values.
A step up from this you have the same style of preset "clicks" but with separate knobs for power and speed so a little more control. Next step, you have continually variable adjustment with 2 knobs (think of these as a lathe using belts to control speed vs one with a variable speed motor).
Then you get into the machines with a digital display, these tend to offer more precise control, and where the knobs might have just given you numerical value (1-10 etc), or possibly an approximate range, now you get a very specific value 153 volts, 257 inches / minute so you can make sure to use the exact same setting when you come back to a job.
Yes voltage, I mentioned MIG was different than TIG and Stick. You don't set amperage on MIG / fluxcore machines, you set the voltage and wire speed, the amperage used is a result of those two values. MIG machines are still rated by amps though.
Many of the newer machines also offer helpers. My Miller has an autoset feature, so I can dial in the thickness of the metal, type of metal, and the diameter of the wire, and the machine gives me the appropriate set up. I can then fine tune it from there, but it is a handy feature and I find it is usually pretty spot on (better than my welding anyway).
Invertor vs transformer was briefly mentioned. The two most sited differences are weight and longevity. Transformers are pretty bullet proof, solid state electronics with not much to go wrong with them. They are also much heavier. I can't find specs for the older transformer Miller 211 to compare with the new inverter Miller 211, but ad copy claimed a 40% reduction in weight (the current weighs 38lbs, so the old one probably weighed around 52lbs?
Inverter machines are all electronic, so they are more delicate, and have more ways they can fail. Inverter machines can do things that simply were are possible with transformers. The more complex the machine, the more the difference between transformer and inverter. A Stick machine is probably 90% weight savings, with a TIG machine there may be features on a "cheap" TIG welder that top of the line transformer machines are incapable of.
Insert argument for a 1960's car with a carburetor vs a modern car with computer controlled everything, change the argument to welders and you are set.
So on the MIG vs the Stick, just my opinion on why MIG is easier for most. All the focus is on the puddle. Is your gap right, is the wire feeding the right speed, are you following your line etc. The wire just keeps feeding, no stopping until you want to. It seems like with Stick just as I start to get into a groove, it is time to change rods. Unless you run tiny spools, or weld an huge amount, you rarely run out of wire. I started out with a small 2lb spool, and that got me through several medium size projects. I replaced it with an 11lb spool, I might need to get the book out to remember how to change it when it is time.
Also since you set the wire feed speed, you are also sort of setting your welding speed. Really watching your puddle is the best way to determine your speed but it is an extra hint that you don't get with Stick which is all on you.
Probably even more, starting and restarting is much easier with MIG, just pull the trigger and go. With Stick some rods can be really fussy to get started, and when you stop you have to clean up your weld again removing the slag before you get going again or you risk getting slag into your weld.
Since MIG is a cleaner process and the shielding gas replaces the flux and associated gas you can weld an and inch, stop and look at your work, weld another 2 inches, stop and evaluate. Being able to conveniently weld in short bits helps keep you on the right path, and can help with warping. If I have a long weld I will usually tack the ends, then do a bit in the middle, then move to one end, move to the other end, back to the middle. This spreads out the heat, and piece by piece secures the part I'm welding, both of which help to prevent the part from warping. You could do the same with Stick, but it would take a lot longer having to clean off the slag every time you move to a new spot.
Something I haven't seen mentioned is the interface with the welder. The cheaper MIG and flux core welders just have a knob with preset clicks, usually numbered, 1,2,3 etc. These change both the power and the wire feed speed with one knob, easy to use but very little room for adjustment, you are stuck with the preset values.
A step up from this you have the same style of preset "clicks" but with separate knobs for power and speed so a little more control. Next step, you have continually variable adjustment with 2 knobs (think of these as a lathe using belts to control speed vs one with a variable speed motor).
Then you get into the machines with a digital display, these tend to offer more precise control, and where the knobs might have just given you numerical value (1-10 etc), or possibly an approximate range, now you get a very specific value 153 volts, 257 inches / minute so you can make sure to use the exact same setting when you come back to a job.
Yes voltage, I mentioned MIG was different than TIG and Stick. You don't set amperage on MIG / fluxcore machines, you set the voltage and wire speed, the amperage used is a result of those two values. MIG machines are still rated by amps though.
Many of the newer machines also offer helpers. My Miller has an autoset feature, so I can dial in the thickness of the metal, type of metal, and the diameter of the wire, and the machine gives me the appropriate set up. I can then fine tune it from there, but it is a handy feature and I find it is usually pretty spot on (better than my welding anyway).
Invertor vs transformer was briefly mentioned. The two most sited differences are weight and longevity. Transformers are pretty bullet proof, solid state electronics with not much to go wrong with them. They are also much heavier. I can't find specs for the older transformer Miller 211 to compare with the new inverter Miller 211, but ad copy claimed a 40% reduction in weight (the current weighs 38lbs, so the old one probably weighed around 52lbs?
Inverter machines are all electronic, so they are more delicate, and have more ways they can fail. Inverter machines can do things that simply were are possible with transformers. The more complex the machine, the more the difference between transformer and inverter. A Stick machine is probably 90% weight savings, with a TIG machine there may be features on a "cheap" TIG welder that top of the line transformer machines are incapable of.
Insert argument for a 1960's car with a carburetor vs a modern car with computer controlled everything, change the argument to welders and you are set.
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