Rudy,
TIG and heliarc are the same thing heliarc is ESAB's trade name for a TIG
welder.
The inert gas or shield gas used in both MIG and TIG is used to protect the
weld from contamination.
If you have the skills and the MONEY a TIG is far superior to a MIG for almost
any application except speed of welding a bead.
With a TIG you have total control of the heat, the rate of fill, and size of
puddle with out have to flip up your helmet or stopping your weld.
You can get a 110-120v inverter TIG that can also be used for stick(ARC)
welding but the 110-120v models are DC only TIG and you need AC to weld
aluminum and stainless steel. But is you only work with steel one of these
would work great.
TIGs have one very nice advantage over a MIG if you can do perfect but joints
when replacing your panels you can normally fuse them together with no filler
material and thus little or no grinding. TIG also induces less heat into the
panel than MIG so you run less risk of warping sheet metal.
So why don't most people use TIG instead of MIG? Starting price for a TIG setup
is over $1k you can get a good hobby MIG setup for under $400.00.
Some suggestions for you:
- first a good book "Performance Welding" by Richard Finch ISBN 0-7603-0393-2
www.motorbooks.com
- Check if there are any night classes in your area for welding, that way you
can sample each welding process and decide what feels good to you.
- When buying a machine it is worth the extra cost to be able to test the unit
in the store. The ergonomics of some cheap MIGs can make it very awkward to do
good work.
-If buying a MIG pick a machine that has a variable adjustment for all controls
not just multiposition switches(the setting you need always seems to be in
between 2 switch positions)
-If you plan on doing frame welding you might need to step up to a 220v unit
another reason to test the unit before buying.
My weapon of choice would be a Miller Econo TIG or Econo Twin had one at work
for years it was easy to weld anything from steel to aluminum castings with it
and the results were beautiful about 95% of the time with no grinding required.
What do I have in my garage? A Victor oxyacetylene kit with a jewelers torch
for body work, and a Lincoln 225 arc welder for the heavy stuff, the only thing
I had to pay for out of this was the jewelers torch the rest was a free bee
from the father inlaw's farm or I would probably have bought a Lincoln SP135+
MIG.
Doug Hamilton
1960 Triumph TR3A
1963 Fiat Cabriolet
1967 Chevy C/10
>Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2003 22:37:32 -0400
>From: "rudyeb" <rudyeb@adelphia.net>
>Subject: welder question
>
>Would someone please tell me the difference between MIG, TIG and heliarc
>welders? What is the purpose of using inert gas (CO2 or Argon) when welding?
>What type is best all around for restoration work: welding frames, body sheet
>metal etc.?
>Thanks,
>Rudy
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