stainless steel welding with MIG or TIG

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What is the advangate of welding stainless stell with a TIG vs a MIG..Everytime I say aluminum or stainless steel somebody always says TIG.What is the deal?
Reply:Mig has the advantage of faster travel speeds which can lead to less distortion, less heat input. Tig has the ability to weld thinner materials because the heat can be controled much finer. Mig is easier to automate. Those are just a few. Other ppl will answer too. --Gol'
Reply:Originally Posted by Go1lumMig has the advantage of faster travel speeds which can lead to less distortion, less heat input. Tig has the ability to weld thinner materials because the heat can be controled much finer. Mig is easier to automate. Those are just a few. Other ppl will answer too.
Reply:Originally Posted by pyroracing85Then why does everybody say to weld aluminum and stainless with TIG?
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterSuperior quality with the right person behind the wheel.....zap!
Reply:Tig gives the operator more control of heat, filler additions, travel speed.......Mig IS faster.  It can look as nice, but isn't supposed to or doesn't have to.  A bottle of argon and an AC/DC tig torch and you can weld a LOT of things.  Not too fast, but most anything even in all positions.For thick aluminum, mig is easier.  You can get a LOT of heat spray welding aluminum and it needs it.  I am talking spool gun for mig, not trying to push through a 12' liner.  That is a pain in the azz.  DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Originally Posted by David RTig gives the operator more control of heat, filler additions, travel speed.......Mig IS faster.  It can look as nice, but isn't supposed to or doesn't have to.  A bottle of argon and an AC/DC tig torch and you can weld a LOT of things.  Not too fast, but most anything even in all positions.For thick aluminum, mig is easier.  You can get a LOT of heat spray welding aluminum and it needs it.  I am talking spool gun for mig, not trying to push through a 12' liner.  That is a pain in the azz.  David
Reply:Originally Posted by pyroracing85Then why does everybody say to weld aluminum and stainless with TIG?
Reply:Mig welding stainless is a production process for speed and low cost, where cosmetic appearance is less important.If you are building stuff that can look ugly, and need it done as quickly and cheaply as possible, mig is fine.I am a pretty good mig welder, my mig welds on stainless look darn good- but they are still nowhere near the appearance of my tig welding.And in my experience, mig welding stainless is messy- stainless spatter is mighty sticky. I have done my share of migging stainless, and it gives me no pleasure.Noisy, smoky, spatter flying everywhere, you can have it.Tig, on the other hand, is quiet, clean, fun, and more suitable to old cranky guys like me. No hot stuff falling down your socks, no pants on fire, and best of all NO CLEANUP!I tig a couple of tons of stainless a year, and wouldnt do it any other way.I suppose, if I was building giant factories out of 1" plate, I would mig- I only run about 350 amps on my power supplies, so really heavy stuff is not too feasible- if I needed to run a 600 amp machine with .045 wire, I might mig. But I leave that to young guys who have more masochistic tendancies than I do...