Mig Welding

Mig welding is by far the easiest and most popular method of welding in this day and age.

Mig welding is the constant feeding of a mig welding wire into the welding arc. The continuous feeding of the welding wire enables the welding arc to stay established and produce deposits of filler material otherwise known as welds.

Wire feed mig welding is the most cost effective and efficient way to weld. It is much faster than TIG welding or ARC / Stick welding. It can be adapted to welding robots and used in high end production facilities where part after part is repetitively manufactured.

Some of the reasons why mig welding is so popular today are:

• Very easy to weld using a mig welder.
• Faster and quicker welding process.
• More economical
• Can be used for robotic welding.
• Can use gas when welding to give very smooth welding bead apperances.

Mig welding machines are well within the budget of the home users, which is great because it will allow you to mig weld at home. With a mig welder you can make projects like box trailers, garden and yard art, farm and tractor implements, use if for vehicle restorations and so on.

"The best thing about mig welding is that it's really so simple and easy to do."

This welding process is also called MAG welding, wire welding, wire feed welding, GMAW, Gas Metal Arc Welding, Metal Inert Gas and Metal In Gas.

For the mig wire to get to the welding arc it travels through what is called a mig welding gun or torch. Inside the thicker outer cable of the welding torch is what is called a liner. The torch liner can be made from metal, plastic or teflon. Depending on what welding wire you are running through the torch will dictate what liner to use. The liner will provide a smooth friction free passage of travel for the wire.

You can easily see if a welding machine is a mig welder by simple looking at the welding torch. They are all within reason very similar by design in the front end.

The mig welding gun or torch is the thing you hang onto when you are welding. When welding with this process, mig welding wire will travel through the welding gun and exit at the end of the torch.

The last part on the end of the welding torch is called a contact tip or contact tube if you are in the UK. Funnily enough the contact tip is called a contact tip as this is where the electrical power is transferred. It travels from the "contact tip" to the welding wire.

When mig welding you can use a solid wire that will require a shielding gas or you can use a self shielding flux cored wire commonly called gasless mig wire.

Also on the end of a mig welding torch is a nozzle or shroud nozzle or shroud which either screws on or pushes on over the contact tip.

The only purpose of the nozzle is to help contain the shielding gas around the welding arc. When you use a gasless flux core wire you can remove the shroud and put it aside. This is good because you can save buying nozzles all the time when gasless mig welding.

Here is a quick mig welding video

Understanding mig welding basics are the first thing that you would want to do before you attempted to have at go a mig welding yourself.

Mig Welding Basics: Mig Welding Machines

Mig Welding Basics: Tack Welding

Mig Welding Basics: Mig Wire Installation