We all know the importance of selecting the right tool for the job. When it comes to welding, the process you choose is every bit as important as the tools themselves.
Using the wrong welding process for a certain task can be like trying to saw a 2×4 with a screwdriver. Good luck with that.
If you’re new to welding, there is a lot to consider before just jumping in. Different metals will require different techniques or materials, and some methods are far more suited to certain jobs than others.
How can you know which method is right for any given job? That’s where this post will come in handy.
The three most common welding processes today are Stick and MIG. Each process has its own set of benefits and limitations. Choosing the correct process will save you a great deal of time and frustration.
To get a better idea of which process is most beneficial to you in any given situation, you need to understand each process inside and out. Let’s break down each of these three processes to help you decide which method is right for you.
What is Stick Welding?
If you have been welding for some time, you are likely to have learned how to weld using an arc welder. It involves using a metal stick that is charged up to create a high-temperature arc.
The process uses an electric current that flows from a gap between the welding stick and the metal to form metal joints.
Stick welding has been the dominant and most popular method of welding for many years. It is the preferred kind of welding for small, home-shop welders, and electricians. It is considered an effective method for welding most types of metal alloys or joints.
The stick welder can be used indoors and outdoors as well as in drafty areas and confined spaces. Stick welding is the most economical method of welding and offers the ability to form effective joints, even on rusty or dirty metals.
There are some limitations to stick welding as well. It creates a very powerful arc that can heat metal to a very high degree. This makes it difficult to use stick welding for metals that are thinner than 18 gauges.
With stick welding, you also need to frequently change the rod. It emits significant spatter and welds need to be cleaned upon completion of the welding process.
For a beginner, stick welding is also more difficult to learn and use. The ability to strike and maintain an arc is particularly difficult but once you learn how to do it, things become much easier.
Currently, stick welders are available in AC, DC, or AC/DC currents. Welders with AC input are the most economical. These welders are used for welding thicker metals that are 1/16 of an inch or greater in width.
Stick welders are ideal for farmers, home maintenance, DIY hobbyists, and home maintenance projects, such as fencing and grill joints.
Advantages of Stick Welding
The advantages of stick welding include:
- Environment: Stick welding creates a large arc that is not affected by wind, meaning that it can be used effectively both indoors and outdoors. Stick welding can be done in windy conditions and even underwater
- Paint and Corrosion Resistance: Stick welding can be used for repairing parts that have paint or corrosion at the welding point
- Easy-to-Learn: Stick welding is easy to learn, meaning that good quality welds can be made by someone with relatively little experience
- Changing Filler Material: It is easy to change filler material when you need to weld different metals such as cast iron or different stainless steels
- Reduce Burn-Through: By using the DC option for the arc, it is possible to alter the polarity of the electrode to reduce the possibility of burn-through when welding thinner metals
- Cost Effective: As there is no need for an inert gas supply, stick welding is an inexpensive option, as well as being easy to use in the field.
Disadvantages of Stick Welding
While there are a number of advantages with stick welding, it also has its drawbacks:
- Slag: Stick welding deposits slag on the metal that needs to be scraped or chipped away before more welding or painting can commence.
- Spatter: Stick welding produces spatter, although direct current (DC) welding produces less spatter than alternating current (AC) welding.
- Welding Interruptions: There can be interruptions to your welding work when you need to replace the filler rod, which will reduce your productivity.
- Welding Thinner Metals: Stick welding is not well suited to welding thinner metals of less than around 1/8” in thickness.
What is MIG Welding?
MIG welders generate a wire welding electrode on a spool that is automatically fed into the welder at a uniform speed. An arc is generated with the help of the electrical current that flows between the base metal and the wire.
The highly charged current melts the wire and the metal’s base, forming a joint between them. The weld created with this technology is quite sturdy and has very little need for cleaning.
MIG welding is considered easier to perform and clean up after the welding is done. It can be used on a variety of both thin and thick metal plates. It only takes about a week or two of welding to master the basic MIG technique.
Two of the more complex aspects of MIG welding are a selection of the correct shielding gas and the set-up of the parameters on the machine.
Once you take care of these two parts, it becomes more or less a “point and shoot” process also called a “hot glue gun of welding” technique.
This welding process can be used to make high-strength welds that offer a great appearance with little need for cleaning or sanding.
The application of a shielding gas allows the welder to generate an arc at a uniform rate, which makes the process very simple.
MIG welders can be used on all types of metal surfaces and have the capacity to weld materials as thin as 26 gauge for delicate, precise work.
MIG welding has some shortcomings. For a start, the equipment is fairly difficult to use when working outdoors due to the gases involved in welding.
Although you can work with all types of metals when using the MIG welder, some materials require different spool wires and gases.
Moreover, someone who is using a MIG machine must know the different combinations that should be used for the project and set up the machine accordingly. You can overcome this by using machines that come with auto-set features as they can save a ton of time.
It is also important to perform the MIG welding process on a clean metal surface to get the best results. Before laying down any welds, the welder must ensure that any paint, rust or any other debris is scraped from the surface of the workpiece.
Advantages of MIG Welding
There are a number of advantages with MIG welding, including:
- Precise: MIG welding offers a high level of precision, able to weld metal that is as thin as 24 gauge, as well as create intricate welding designs.
- Clean: MIG welding is a clean process with little spatter, allowing for smooth, high-quality, slag-free joins requiring minimal clean-up.
- Efficient: Because it is a spooled wire welding process, there is no need to interrupt your welding work to replace the stick rod electrode.
- Fast: MIG welding is one of the fastest welding methods, leading to high productivity.
- Easy-to-Learn: MIG welding is easy to learn and the machines are easy to operate, meaning that even a complete beginner can soon start to create acceptable welds.
- Flux Core: MIG welding can also be used on flux-cored welding projects.
Disadvantages of MIG Welding
Despite the many advantages, there are also some disadvantages with MIG welding:
- Environment: MIG welding is difficult to perform outdoors as even a slight breeze can disrupt the shielding gas, leading to weak and porous welds.
- Contamination: If the metal is contaminated at the weld point, it can lead to a porous weld, meaning that MIG welding is not ideal for metals with rust or paint on them. As a result, the metal surface must be completely cleaned before welding can commence.
- Spool Changes: Although the wire spool means that there is rarely a need to change the electrode during welding, the spool will need changing when you weld different metals.
What’s The Difference Between MIG and Stick Welding?
Although MIG and Stick welding can both produce a quality weld, their setups, pros, cons, and applications are quite different. Generally speaking, MIG welding is the easiest form of welding to learn, and the easiest torch to operate.
And while Stick welding can also be a quick study, it’s more difficult to master. Stick is the oldest form of arc welding — around since the 30s — and is still considered the only choice for many veteran welders.
Quality And Quantity
Both MIG and Stick welding systems can produce high-quality welds, but the type of metal makes a big difference in which machine works better.
For thinner metals, MIG welding is the better choice for creating a clean, strong joint. On thicker metals — over ⅜ inch — the Stick has better performance.
The MIG gun’s ease of use also means it can produce a great volume of work with little downtime. For that reason, it’s often used in fabrication and is also the choice for robotic welding operations.
Stick welding takes longer, including a warm-up period when first turning on the gun and the more frequent downtime that comes with changing out electrodes.
Cleanliness
The MIG and Stick welders have opposite pros and cons when it comes to cleanliness and cleanup, with one requiring more work upfront and the other post-weld.
Because a Stick welder can form a strong joint on even an unclean or rusty surface, the pre-weld prep of cleaning the workpiece that’s required with a MIG setup isn’t necessary.
However, the electrodes used in Stick welding are covered with flux, which creates spatter during the weld that must be chipped off after it cools.
With MIG, however, the shielding gas not only protects the weld as it cools but also blows away any spatter. The end result is a lot less cleanup.
Versatility
One of the biggest advantages of Stick over MIG is its ability to weld outside, in windy conditions, or anywhere that the MIG setup’s shielding gas would be compromised.
In fact, it can be wheeled to wherever you need it, where the MIG welder is bound by the length of its cable. Another advantage of a Stick welder is the ability to change the angle of the nozzle in order to weld in tight corners or obtuse angles.
Maintenance And Cost
Stick welding is considered one of the most inexpensive forms of welding, while MIG welding tends to cost more due to its high number of consumables (and downtime required to change them.)
That cost may be somewhat offset, however, by the long welds that are possible because of the MIG gun’s continuously feeding wire.
Even though a stick welder doesn’t use consumables other than the electrode, a weld can only last as long as the length of the stick before it needs to be replaced.
Is Stick Welding Easier than MIG?
MIG welding is much easier for a beginner to learn than stick welding.
However, setting up MIG welding equipment can be quite complex as there are a number of variables to consider, including wire size and type, gas, contact tips, and nozzle type.
MIG welding also offers cleaner welds that require less post-weld cleaning.
Why is Stick Welding Stronger than MIG?
Some argue that stick welding is stronger than MIG welding, since it offers better penetration for thicker materials.
However, MIG welding can provide good welds despite not being as effective on thicker metals, and is better for joining thinner metals with a good finish and less risk of burn-through.
MIG Welding vs. Stick Welding: Which is More Cost-Effective?
The cost differences between MIG welding and Stick welding per inch of weld can vary based on several factors, including the specific materials being welded, labor costs, equipment expenses, and the welding process efficiency. Here are some general considerations for the cost differences:
Labour Costs: MIG welding is generally faster and requires less skill than Stick welding. Therefore, labor costs may be higher for Stick welding due to the increased time and expertise needed to complete the same length of weld.
Electrode Costs: In MIG welding, the consumable wire electrode is continuously fed from a spool, while Stick welding uses consumable coated electrodes. Stick electrodes are typically cheaper per pound, but they have a lower deposition rate compared to MIG wire, which could lead to higher material costs for Stick welding per inch of weld.
Welding Speed: MIG welding is typically faster because it is a semi-automatic process, whereas Stick welding requires frequent electrode changes and more starts and stops, slowing down the overall welding speed. This difference in welding speed can impact the cost per inch of weld.
Waste and Cleanup: Stick welding produces slag, which needs to be chipped off after welding, generating more waste and potentially increasing the cleanup time. MIG welding generally generates less waste and may require less post-weld cleanup.
Equipment Costs: MIG welding machines are generally more expensive to purchase than Stick welding machines, which could impact the overall cost per inch of weld if the equipment cost is factored into the calculation.
Power Consumption: MIG welding can be more power-efficient compared to Stick welding, which may result in lower electricity costs for MIG welding per inch of weld.
Joint Efficiency: The welding process used can affect the joint efficiency and strength of the weld. If Stick welding is better suited for certain types of joints or materials, the potential cost savings from using MIG welding may be outweighed by the need for additional welds or stronger materials.
What’s Better? Stick Welding or MIG Welding?
There is no “best” option. The differences between stick and MIG welding mean that both have their places and purposes.
Stick welding is great for beginners because it’s easy to learn, and very affordable. The results may not look clean, but they will be strong, and if you don’t care about a neat bead or are willing to spend time cleaning and sanding the bead, stick welding is a good option.
In contrast, MIG welding is faster and more efficient, and cleaner than stick welding. However, MIG machines are more complicated to set up and learn and are also usually more expensive.
A MIG machine is a better choice for more advanced hobbyist welders who weld often, or for professional welders who may be looking for freelance work.