Which way to weld? Mig vs tig vs stick

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So you guys that have lots of welders when you have a project to do what makes you decide on which welder to use? Does one benefit strength over another?Sooner or later probably in spring time I'm getting a new seat for my car and need a seat bracket. Should it be mig welded or tig welded or stick welded? And why? Going to be out of 1/8th steel.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Hello Gamble, that's one of those questions that could have about a thousand different answers, each one of them supported by a number of relevant and applicable pieces of additional information. If I were to be contemplating that particular task for myself personally, I would choose GTAW. Why you ask?, because I am really comfortable with the process and aesthetically I can make a much "prettier" weld bead with it. Strength wise, it has the greatest bead width to penetration ratio of any of the common weld processes (mainly the ones that you mentioned). You could receive the same type of answer for SMAW or GMAW from just about anyone else, possibly excluding the bead characteristic statement, although on 1/8" material all of those processes will have more than enough penetration provided they are done properly. So if you are really looking for suggestions/justifications for a particular process for you personally, I would probably choose the one that I felt I was the best at. That's my short answer to your question. Good luck and best regards, Allanaevald
Reply:Choice of process depends on a lot of things. Number one and two pretty much go hand in hand. That would be material and thickness. While it's possible, it's pointless to try and tig 2" thick steel  or try to stick weld 20 ga alum for example. Along with this would also be what equipment you have on hand. You can mig 1" steel, but you can't if all you have is a 90 amp mig welder...Add to that you need to think about where the work needs to be done ( tig outside is a PITA), what level of "finish" is required, and how fast it needs to be done. Denny is a good example of the last two. He tigs a lot of his alum  nick nack projects that he sells because that's the look the buyers are looking for. For production work however it's mig simply because he can go faster. Add in some processes are inherently better for some things, for example why David R is tigging those boxes even though he has a mig. Tig generally produces a better air tight seal with no leaks, even though it's slower than mig.1/8" is borderline "thin" for stick, but you can certainly do so with small 1/16" and 5/64" rods with basic skills, and I've even done so with 3/32" and 1/8" rods when I had no other good options. My lower level of skill with stick on thinner stuff, coupled with my other options and the need for clean up would put this as my last option in general, and my 3rd option if I had no choice but to work outside. However it's usually the go to choice for say patching holes in the bed of the dump body on a windy day if I don't have FC wire for the spoolgun for example.FC wire would be my 1st choice for outside work on a semi windy day if I only had a few welds to do. I hate the clean up and I don't do enough FC to do it as well as I can other processes.Generally my 1st choice would be mig. It's my best process, and my mig is large enough to do up to 1/2" with no issues. The only pain is that right now I have to mig outside until I get the Bobcat or I manage to get 230v wired to the "shop". Push comes to shove I can do small things at the tech school on the XMT's if need be ( one of the advantages of helping them out)I'd choose tig, if I needed precision, a leak tight seal, or at this time a year simply because I can work in the tiny area I have set up in the garage if the wind isn't howling thru the main door..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:If I have to weld 1/8" stock to each other layed on top of each other. So do I look at it as 1/8" or look at it as 1/4"? My mig will do 140amps, but I don't think that is thick enough for 1/4. On the tig I'm limited to tops 110-115amps.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Are you talking about a lap joint? If so your mig will do an 1/8" lap cranked to the max. Your tig will probably worked floored full out on 1/8" as well..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Yep lap joint. Well I guess I can do either or then. But is one stronger than the other?Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:simple answer, the more power you've got, the better the penetration, the better the penetration the stronger the weld. If you're maxing out your machines your duty cycle is going to drop. I would go with your Mig simply because it's got more power.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger