On Tue, 08 Jul 2014 06:12:54 -0700, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Tue, 08 Jul 2014 08:29:26 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 08 Jul 2014 06:27:39 -0500, Ignoramus2738
wrote:

On 2014-07-08, SteveB wrote:
On 7/7/2014 5:14 PM, wrote:

I'd just stick weld it. But then I have a LOT more stick welding
experience tha wire feed experience and I can make a MUCH better job
with a stick welder. A 6010 or 6011 "tack rod" would be a lot better
than the 7018 or 7014 for the application. 6010 requires DC electrode
positive to make a decent weld, so in most situations I'd be stuck
with 6011 on a "buzz box" The application has no need for the extra
strength of a 7000 series rod. And 7018 that hasn't been kept
perfectly dry can be a trial. (like all Lo-Hiy rods)

If you can stick weld that well, wirefeed should take you until lunch on
a bad day to learn.

But should he? Does he need to learn to use wire feed?

The reason why I am asking is that we have both a stick and mig
welder, and I historically used only stick.

Just welded with 7018 for two days straight, making ramps for the
30,000 lbs forklift.

And so I am wondering, will I benefit somehow from using MIG instead
of stick?

i
Mig is a lazy man's welder. Don't need to keep changing electrodes. As
far as I can tell it has no other advantage for most applications.


There being nothing wrong with that btw. Stick allows you to use a
smaller machine to weld thicker materials. An equivalent sized MIG
will be a big assed workhorse of a beast in most cases.

That being said..for normal 1/8-3/8' weldments..MIG works pretty
darned nicely and its a heck of a lot faster and easier to weld
aluminum with a proper feeder/gun than it is to weld with aluminum
electrodes

Ive got a MK products feeder and an Prince XL gun and welded up a
friends aluminum rear bumper on his racing pickup truck a hell of a
lot faster than I could have with TIG and did as pretty a weld as TIG

There is a place for all three technologies. With some over lap.

Gunner


Gunner
Gas sheilded welding of either stripe is an advantage for aluminum
and stainless - for sure. But we were talking mild steel - where I'll
still use the stick welder or the O/A torch for most welds (and get my
friends to tig the fussy stuff - like fussy body patches - and the AL
and stainless stuff. I "braze" aluminum with the torch too, on
non-critical stuff (even aluminum bike carrier rack for the camper,
and canoe rack for the van roof-rack)