Tig easier than MIG?

[LeeW]

From what I have read, I had the impression that TIG was awkward and hard and MIG was easier.
I've had a basic MIG welder for about a year now and have done a few bits and pieces with it. Last September I started a welding evening course at a local collage. I started off doing MIG welding. I had difficulty producing a decent weld, most of my welds suffered from undercut or cold lap. I completed the MIG course but was still not confident with mig welding (apparently I completed it very fast and the instructor said I was very keen and I often stayed until I was kicked out after everyone else had gone, it takes some people a year to do what I did in about 3 months). I started on TIG welding, on the first night it was just getting familiar with the machine and running some beads on a plate. The next evening I tried doing a T weld and managed what the instructor described as a 10/10 weld on the third attempt, no cold lap or undercut.

 

[Welderpaul]

Thats great. The general concensus, both on here, and in industry is that Mig is mastered a lot quicker than Tig. If your going the other way about it then great.
If you can Tig, you can Mig!

 

[Paul.]

Some people just take to it naturally, one of the quickest learning students I ever taught was a midwife, who wanted to learn to weld to do metal sculpture as a hobby, she put most of the lads to shame, good luck and If you've got a natural talent flaunt it and make some money.

 

[piman]

Hello Lee,

I bought a simple scratch start TIG for my business and after years of gas welding thought that I would adapt very easily. In practice I found it took a long time to get comfortable with it. (teaching myself, however) I can't compare MIG, as I don't use one but also have used an MMA set for years also.

Alec

 

[matt1978]

Hi Lee,

Thats good that you find it fairly easy. I know it sounds stupid, but it does come more easy to some than others, some people can practise all they want but they wont get past a certain level.

Do you have any pictures you can show? Maybe some of us can give you some pointers as to why you wasn't doing so great on the Mig to start with.

 

[Pete.]

From what I have read, I had the impression that TIG was awkward and hard and MIG was easier.
I've had a basic MIG welder for about a year now and have done a few bits and pieces with it. Last September I started a welding evening course at a local collage. I started off doing MIG welding. I had difficulty producing a decent weld, most of my welds suffered from undercut or cold lap. I completed the MIG course but was still not confident with mig welding (apparently I completed it very fast and the instructor said I was very keen and I often stayed until I was kicked out after everyone else had gone, it takes some people a year to do what I did in about 3 months). I started on TIG welding, on the first night it was just getting familiar with the machine and running some beads on a plate. The next evening I tried doing a T weld and managed what the instructor described as a 10/10 weld on the third attempt, no cold lap or undercut.

Sounds like you've found your vocation in life

 

[Tungsten Sharpener]

I took to TIG in a similar manner, BS4872 in five days, a year on my own and then coded to ASME1X and BSEN287, a few years down the road and its rare to have trouble with the process now.

I`m good but have done a few jobs at the side of real sharp guys and i understand that there is still some way to go before i can call myself a master.

Forming a puddle and making a few welds is only the tip of a very large iceberg, wait until you can follow a procedure that tells you

machine set up
travel speeds
deposition rates
inter pass temperatures

You have to adapt your own welding style to meet these and other criteria, when you can do that, then you start to learn. I`m a maintenance engineer but can be welding full time for weeks on certain jobs and am still learning with several codings behind me now.

Easy............no just a comfortable start mate, when your upside down in a machine welding xxxs pipe in position, you know how skillful a process this is to master.

TS

 

[dannyweld]

I took to TIG in a similar manner, BS4872 in five days, a year on my own and then coded to ASME1X and BSEN287, a few years down the road and its rare to have trouble with the process now.

I`m good but have done a few jobs at the side of real sharp guys and i understand that there is still some way to go before i can call myself a master.

Forming a puddle and making a few welds is only the tip of a very large iceberg, wait until you can follow a procedure that tells you

machine set up
travel speeds
deposition rates
inter pass temperatures

You have to adapt your own welding style to meet these and other criteria, when you can do that, then you start to learn. I`m a maintenance engineer but can be welding full time for weeks on certain jobs and am still learning with several codings behind me now.

Easy............no just a comfortable start mate, when your upside down in a machine welding xxxs pipe in position, you know how skillful a process this is to master.

TS

some good points, i remember having a lunch time row with a guy about how to judge a better lathes man, i said the most accurate, my mate said machining screw treads, it was the old man who settled it when he said neither, its who can make a good living out of it, day in day out, year in year out, and same goes for a welder. no excuses, get out there today and do it, mig, tig , mma. mig always first choice, always. tig and mma if you cant use the mig for said job for what ever reason.