> Could someone please tell me the difference and advantages of a mig
welder vs.
> an arc welder?
A mig welder allows you to produce a long continous weld. Arc initiation
is generally easier. Welding tends to be more controlable, at least for a
novice. The quality of a CO2 or Argon-CO2 shielded home MIG is not as good
as an arc welder (SMAW/stick/manual metal arc/whatever you want to call it)
but it is MORE than adequate for any repair a novice should attempt. In
most instances mig is probably going to do a better job on thin material.
> I know a mig is new and state of the art, but I have an old (but it still
> works!) arc welder. It is adjustable down to 30 amps. Would I be able
to use
> this to weld thin sheetmetal ? I am not sure which gauge. I am just
> brainstorming.
mig isn't very new but it did come along a lot later than stick welding.
"Solid state" mig units, similar to the home shop units that are popular
now, hit the market a little over 20 years ago. Arc welders do not wear
out. The on/off switch might die and fan equipped models may lose a fan
occasionally but you have to do something intentionally stupid to break a
transformer.
With practice, you'll be able to weld 1/16 inch sheet with your welder.
With lots of practice you can tack/spot weld 0.045 inch. It's possible to
stitch together lots of spot welds on thin stock to make a continuous weld
but it's rarely worth the effort. You'll want to use 1/16 inch diameter
E6013 (US AWS designation - you did say the project is a camaro) to weld
sheet metal.
We all have predjudices and preferences. I KNOW I'll have a sanity lapse
someday and drag home a Lincoln torpedoe welder just because it will look
"right" sitting in the garage next to my 59 Morris.
Bill Ruof
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