arc welding vs. mig/tig

[johnjon]

what's the lowdown on this how does old school arc welding compare with mig/tig strength wise?

is a good arc weld strong enough  to create safe recovery points?

[mudbillyredneck]

Yes 

[TopFist]

Yes 

['the DON']

yes

[Bo Duke]

They all have their ups and downs, all depends on the welder and their preference... I prefer TIG welding since it really does not throw sparks and slag all over the place.

[burl]

Imo if your good with with an arc, you can build anything and it will be very strong...I mean that's what they use to build bridges and weld under water arc is the way to go but it can take some time to get a good technique down, I love it and especially for the reason I can weld anything big small steel to aluminum with one welder just different rod, don't have to spend alot of money on a spool gun or gas 

[four_by_ken]

I agree with everyone.  I just wanted to add that as different mig is from arc... it is also just as different but in different ways from tig.

[old school truck dude]

If youre welding with electric, its all arc welding whether its its mig, tig, or stick. There are MANY different processes and ways of doing things. It ALL depends on what youre workin with and what youre tryin to accomplish. 90% of the weld is in the preparation of the material, 5% is the operator and 5% is the machine you use.

[Eroq]

X1000000 on the preperation   comment     clean metal means a good weld!   Arc mig and tig are all strong, normally around 60,000psi tensile strength or higher, depending on filler metal and whatnot

[Disturban]

Personally I like arc for thicker metals because you can get very good penetration, I like tig for thinner metals because you can control the voltage and I also like it if the weld needs to look pretty (Stacked dime effect) and I like mig for quick repairs and the ease of use.

[HockeyGuy]

I agree they all have thier place and Cleanliness is deffinantly the key....

['the DON']

and dont clean it with brake clean than weld

[Bo Duke]

and dont clean it with brake clean than weld

Caught my mustang on fire doing that.... Oooops

['the DON']

http://www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm
welding with brake clean its a long story but worth reading

[mudslayer2008]

That's a good read and great info

[old school truck dude]

Stick is not necessarily "old school".. Still widely used in many very high-tech and high-precision applications. 

[Cannaert]

Arc welding is used on heavy steel to this day b/c it has much penetration on thicker steel than a Mig or Tig can do on on pass.

I like ARC for Frame, MIG for doing finish welding and anything for wanting it to look nice, TIG if I need AL, SS or anything that need to have a nice clean weld, but that is just me.

But seeing as I only have a ARC and MIG here I use them for what ever I need done.

[flintpunk]

TIG will give excellent penetration too.  It all depends on the amperage of the welder.  My TIG welder will get so hot, the arc will literally burn the gloves off my hands!  I have one TIG setup that clamps in the electrode holder of my arc welder!