When it comes to trade work, welding is one of the most important and precise jobs that you can have as it determines whether a building or a product will work properly. Without a sufficient weld, buildings have the potential of falling apart at any given time. There are 2 main types of welding, MIG and TIG, both of which are specialties but they do differ from one another. Typically when you venture into an apprenticeship for welding, you will have to choose which one you want to specialize in, or you can become a journeyman for both.
What is Welding?
If you’ve never seen welding occur, you’ve undoubtedly seen a tack or a welded piece of metal before. It is essentially using an extreme source of heat to fuse two different pieces of metal together wherever you want them to be joined. In the majority of cases there will be a filler material used to help ensure that the metal is fused together properly. It is by far one of the most strict career fields out of all of the trades as an individual who makes one insufficient weld could find himself or herself looking for a new job.
Understanding Arc Welding
Arc welding is a blanket term that incorporates both MIG and TIG welding. With arc welding you will be using an electrical arc (your heat source) to merge two pieces of metal together. You’ll have to use a consumable electrode to complete the fusion process. Depending on the type of electrode that you use and the material that needs to be fused, you can either use an alternating or direct current while arc welding.
What is MIG Welding?
MIG stands for Metal Inert Gas and during this welding process you will use an arc to fuse the metal together. In this particular style of welding, the arc will be placed between the piece that you’re working on and the filler metal electrode. You will also be using either supplied gas or a mix of different gases. It is a substantially faster form of welding, meaning that you have to be skilled in your craft to ensure that the weld is done perfectly the first time. Though it is important to note that as a MIG welder, it can be much simpler to get an approvable weld than in comparison to TIG welding.
When you’re MIG welding you’ll have to make sure that you are continually bringing welding wire onto the spool. This welding wire is what will melt and fuse both of the metals together. With MIG welding you can work on a variety of different materials including aluminum, steel, and stainless steel. MIG welders can also work on various thicknesses of metal ranging from thin plates to heavy-duty industrial plates.
What is TIG Welding?
Tungsten Inert Gas, or TIG is the type of welding that requires the tradesperson to join both of the metals together by heating a tungsten electrode. These electrodes don’t become a part of the weld once it has been completed, unlike the filler material used in MIG welding. While welding you will have to use inert gas mixtures or argon gas, also, it is extremely rare that filler materials are ever used when it comes to TIG welding. Since there isn’t a need for any filler materials, it can be substantially more difficult to weld by using the TIG method. In fact, you need a substantial amount of years under your belt before you will be able to find a career as a TIG welder. Unlike MIG welding, TIG will take far longer due to the fact that there is zero room for error. The weld that you make is the only feature that will keep the two pieces of metal together, as there is no filler. It’s also important that you have years of experience TIG welding, as you will be using tungsten for the arc.
TIG is typically used on thinner materials, as it might not be as effective on thick pieces of metal. In most cases you might see TIG being used on sinks in the kitchen or on toolboxes. It’s also common for TIG to be used on pipe welding, but you will need special equipment to ensure that you have access to all of the power that you need.
What to Use at Home
There are many instances where you might be looking for a welding machine in order to complete projects around the house. Although it can be tempting to try your hand at TIG welding, it’s always advised that home owners consider finding a MIG welding kit to take on their own projects. It’s a faster way to weld and there is far less room for error regardless of the metal you are working on.
