Otto Nobedder wrote:Nice repair, John!
I have to agree about the "TIG snobs" I encounter. One of the new-hires at work was like that, but as his MIG skills come along, he's beginning to appreciate it more.
I'll use whatever is appropriate for the task at hand. Stick, MIG, and TIG will all produce a quality result, but each is better suited for some tasks than the others. Give me a rust-bucket that has to be fixed yesterday, and I'll get out the 6010/7018 and save on the prep time. Give me some easily prepped structure, I'll MIG it. Thin tubing or small-bore heavy wall pipe, I'll TIG so I can control the root better. Just a few examples.
Of course, sometimes the process is dictated by the customer, and sometimes simply by what's available.
I don't think a welder should be considered a professional unless he can take whatever machine is available and get the job done. I suppose I should qualify that remark, though... There's nothing wrong with being a specialist in one process, as long as you apply it where it belongs and strive to be the best, but you're not "well rounded" if that's the only process you know how to apply.
Steve S
I totally agree on the different process's that are better suited for certain things.
And I'm not saying tig is not a very good process. We all know it is.
Just check out these links.
https://instagram.com/jonathangore/
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I just get annoyed by the ppl that say "once you get good at tig, you may never use mig or stick" again. Laughable.
Braehill wrote:John,
I have no problem using whatever they pay me to use, if they wanted me to Mig weld everything, I would. My job usually calls out that it be tig welded so that's what I use. My last job used stick welding almost exclusively and that's what I used. I personally have never had a job that used Mig or that 's what would have been in my hand. I'm not a "welder" by trade, it's just always been part of my job by choice, meaning they know I can weld and are willing to pay me overtime most days to do it.
In all honesty, most days would be a lot easier on me if I was allowed to stick or Mig most of the stuff I weld. Are my Tig welds better than my stick welds?, at this point yes, because of practice. At my old job, no for the same reason. Why don't I Mig more often?, because of the same reason, I'm not practiced at it.
You have the luxury of choice when it comes to process, some of us don't.
There's my story and if that makes me a Tig snob, I've been called worse for a lot less money.
Len
Honestly man, I don't know if I've ever seen pictures of any of your welds.
I'm not dissing tig, as a process, just the ppl who abuse the process.
~John
Just a couple welders and a couple of big hammers and torches.
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