New person. Advice on Mig or gas welding please?

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Hello,I am currently taking a short introductary course in welding 50% gas 50% Mig. I would like some of your guys advice. I am mainly interested in welding car body work for crash damage & restoration. So I am likely to be welding in difficualt posisions such as upside down e.t.c if that matters at all.The course I am currently attending is 10 weeks long (1 evening a week) and although I feel like I have learnt a lot I was thinking of doing a follow up course of 1 year in either mig or gas welding? I wondered what the opinion of you guys was what was the best to concentrate on? What are the advantages of both. It seems as if gas is not used that much now acept for taking. Is this true. I am considering doing another course rather than just getting some metal and practacing because due to the fact that I am unfortunatly living in London I have no easy access to a work shop as I live in a flat and my fathers shop is about 2.5 hours away.Any advice and help would be of great help.T
Reply:I just want to clarify a bit...when you say "gas," you mean oxygen/acetylene.  It isn't used as much as it used to be, mainly because there are more efficient, safer methods...mig being one good example.  If you don't have access to a shop, the course will give you some good experience without the long drive.  Also, you will get better instruction than you can likely provide yourself...at least initially.  For car body work, mig is the first choice...for some, it's the only choice.  Personally, I would concentrate on mig for welding, but make sure to learn all the safety requirements for handling the oxy/ace...because, although you will use it more for cutting and heating than for welding, the dangers are still present.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Thanks for the reply smithboy you have cleared some things up for me. We have done some safty instructions for oxy / acet in this course but i sure there is probably some more! Yes i did mean oxygen/acetylene. I appolgise it is the way I reffer to oxygen/acetylene as gas in my head.I wonder if some one could also clear up one other question for me which is just out of interest rather than a need to know.As far as I undrstand with pure argon you can weld stainless steal and aluminum with a mig welder. What is Tig welding better for as I initially hought that tig was used for aluminum and such? I have notice that many fuel storage tanks tend to advertise that they are tig welded. Due to the fact that the weldeder controls the filler rod and arc separatly do you tend to get a more even weld with more regular / consistant penitration? Like I said just out of personal interest.Thanks Tommy
Reply:Originally Posted by TheBrickYes i did mean oxygen/acetylene. I appolgise it is the way I reffer to oxygen/acetylene as gas in my head....As far as I undrstand with pure argon you can weld stainless steal and aluminum with a mig welder.What is Tig welding better for as I initially hought that tig was used for aluminum and such? I have notice that many fuel storage tanks tend to advertise that they are tig welded. Due to the fact that the weldeder controls the filler rod and arc separatly do you tend to get a more even weld with more regular / consistant penitration?
Reply:Thanks a lot for your help guys. You have been very helpful.T
Reply:Originally Posted by TheBrickHello,I am currently taking a short introductary course in welding 50% gas 50% Mig. I would like some of your guys advice. I am mainly interested in welding car body work for crash damage & restoration. So I am likely to be welding in difficualt posisions such as upside down e.t.c if that matters at all.The course I am currently attending is 10 weeks long (1 evening a week) and although I feel like I have learnt a lot I was thinking of doing a follow up course of 1 year in either mig or gas welding? I wondered what the opinion of you guys was what was the best to concentrate on? What are the advantages of both. It seems as if gas is not used that much now acept for taking. Is this true. I am considering doing another course rather than just getting some metal and practacing because due to the fact that I am unfortunatly living in London I have no easy access to a work shop as I live in a flat and my fathers shop is about 2.5 hours away.Any advice and help would be of great help.T
Reply:just don't use a fluxcore mig for bodywork......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Both processes will do what you want.  MIG is the best for tacking because it only takes one hand to do which leaves the other free to hold your part.  MIG is generally preffered for bodywork nowadays because it is fast and fast means less warpage on sheet metal.  OFW has an advantage when lots of shaping of she sheet metal after welding is to be done because the weld is more ductile. OFW beads are flatter and require less grinding.  Grinding also equals heat input which causes warping.  Warping is the biggest enemey of the autobody welder.  Both proceses work equally well in all positions.  OFW might be slightly easier in overhead.  MIG can do mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminum with the appropriate shielding gasses.  OFW can do all three without having to buy seperate gasses.  You still need to find the appropriate fluxes, though.  The OFW torch can get places you couldn't even dream of with the MIG torch like the inside of small pipes and tubing.Both processes certainly have their uses.  If you had both setups, you would probably end up using the MIG more because it's quick and simple.  But, you can do most of what you do with the MIG with the torch as well.  The torch is just a more flexible outfit beause you can weld, bend, cut, braze, shrink, etc...  The MIG just welds.  Start-up costs (buying your own equipment) are abou the same.  As stated before, the MIG requires different gasses for different metals.  This may add considerably to your start-up costs.  Also, if you weld mostly mild steel but want to do stainless once, you can buy a pound of stainless TIG rod to use with your OFW torch for for $10 or whatever your shop charges.  For the MIG, you may have to buy a 10+ pound spool for $80+, even if you only want to weld one thing.  A pound of rod goes a long way with the torch as well because you can do autogenous welding.
Reply:OFW? I never heard that term before. I'm assuming that you mean Oxy-Acetylene. Sorry to show my ignorance.
Reply:Thanks soom interesting points. I do enjoy oxy / ace and really like the fact that you can do such precice and tidy welds with it. So being as I have the choice of two follow up course either gas or mig even though I may end up using mig more often in practice due to speed e.t.c it may good to do the gas welding course. Would it be fair to say that the mig welding will be some thing that with the skills aquired from gas welding I would be able to pick up relativly quickly?
Reply:Originally Posted by gnm109 OFW? I never heard that term before. I'm assuming that you mean Oxy-Acetylene. Sorry to show my ignorance.
Reply:Originally Posted by MAC702OFW means Oxygen-Fuel Welding.OFC is Oxy-Fuel CuttingOFC-A uses acetyleneOFC-P uses propaneSomewhere I've seen the master list of processes.  It was new enough to have these terms as well as GMAW, GTAW, SMAW, etc.
Reply:Oxy-fuel welding kind of implies oxy-acetylene because there is no other suitable gas for welding, except hydrogen.
Reply:Originally Posted by 76GMC1500Oxy-fuel welding kind of implies oxy-acetylene because there is no other suitable gas for welding, except hydrogen.