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Arc welder ~VS~ Mig Welder

16K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  willys36@aol.com 
#1 ·
Hey yall I dont have a mig welder. My dad has an ark welder in his garage. Whats the difference? Im thinking about buying new bear claw latches for the pinto and woundering if I can use ark welder instead of the mig.
 
#2 · (Edited)
arc(stick)uses a fixed electrode(rod), you feed it to the work. the rods have flux in/on them, creating a sheilded environment for the arc to occur in..... regular atmosphere (air) has impurities that cause problems in the actual weld itsself( excess splatter, crappy looking beads), hence the flux.
mig uses a variable electrode(wire), you pull a trigger, it feeds itself to the work. mig uses argon/co2 mix to create its inert field..
(no welding infront of heavy fan or outside on windy days)

mig has less spatter, generally produces a cleaner weld.....
if your good with the stick welder, you'll be fine.
just make sure you match your rod with the work your doing.....
 
#6 ·
You have to be really good to weld sheet metel with a stick.
really,really good.

Wire is the way to go.hth

Troy
 
#7 ·
I have a trusty old Lincoln buzz box (stick welder) I have used for over 25 years. Also have had a mig for the last 5 years or so. Both have their place. I have done miles of thin metal welding with the stick welder. Just get 1/16" or 3/32" rod and use low amp settings and burn through won't be any worse than with a mig. Concentrate the heat on the hinge if it is heavoer metal.

I think the rod you want is 7018 ( I get them mixed up - there is a number designation for reverse polarity and one for straight polarity. Ask for the 70XX for straight polarity). The 70XX series rod has iron in the flux and lays down a very pretty bead, almost spatter free, with little practice. Whole key is to use small rod and low amp settings for light material. But that is just common sense!
 
#9 ·
Sounds like a winner to me.
 
#11 ·
stonedchihuahua said:
Good tip is to take a welding class. Teaches you alot of things, even at highschool level. (I used to know what each number stands for with rods)

Gas welding is my favorite.... so smooth, so easy, all you gotta do is set your flame and you are good to go. Plus FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good point. That is where I learned to weld- at a junior college welding class. Took two semesters. Sometime remind me to tell you about my classmate (actually became my best-man) who arc welded in class with his shirt off to improve his tan. We welded in little booths so the instructor didn't see.
 
#13 ·
Hey, if they will let you in (don't know the rules in your state), go for it. Life is too short to worry about what other people think. When you go looking for your first real job, things like that look really good on your resume - the ability to be a self starter and overcome obstacles is a critical job skill.
 
#14 ·
Start by gettting a piece of scrap metal the same thickness as the metal you want to weld on like a fender of hood or something.
Make very short spot welds then increase your "on" time until you get good at burrning holes thru the metal. That will give you an idea of what it takes to get a good weld without burning holes in the sheet metal of the car because once you burn thru its a lot more difficult to fill the hole. It can be done with an arc welder with the right rod and setting, but its is easier with a mig. I had problems getting the right settings when I first got my mig, but now I find it easier on sheet metal. Just got an auto darkening helmut last mo. Had been using my busted up 35 yr old helmut since high school. Soooooo much better!
 
#15 ·
Hey yall been a while my keyboard got chewed up by my punk lil puppy. My dad and I were going over ideas on tha pinto out of the blue " I havent even welded yet " he said id rather see you braze then arc weld. Which would be better for simple body mods? Thanks for all the help guys :p
 
#16 ·
Brazing has it's place, but it isn't as easy as you might think. It requires a lot of heat; even though you don't melt the steel, you need to get it right at red hot with a torch. Chance of warpage of sheet metal is 100% for all but the most skilled welder. Also, brazing needs a little more TLC than steel to get bondo to stick. My experience as an amature, having tried gas welding, brazing and mig over the past 35 or so years, is that mig is far and away the easiest way to weld sheet metal with zero warpage. Brazing and stick welding have their place, I use them all the time, but for sheet metal, give me mig w/ CO2/argon & 0.023" wire any day of the week. As mentione above, buzz box w/ small rod is next best for attaching heavy hinge material to sheet metal.
 
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