RE: MIG vs TIG, for anyone reading who wants a quick primer. TIG is so much harder and requires so much more skill than MIG, that I would argue unless you just want to learn TIG (which I did) that MIG is the 99% solution. You can MIG steel, stainless, and aluminum (though you need a machine that scan specifically do AL so look for that in a welder if you plan to).
My first TIG experience was on stainless. Mistake. Stainless is a b*tch to weld. TIG requires a lot of additional equipment and is so different from MIG that you'll likely get a TIG specific machine and a MIG specific machine if you do both.
TIG uses a Tungsten electrode to melt the metal (hooked to the negative side of the machine so the electrons flow towards the workpiece, thus not eating up the tungsten). You hold a thin wire in your off hand and dip it into the weld pool IF you need extra metal. The tungsten never (ha ha) touches the work piece, it just sprays electrons to the metal like a tiny paint gun (which is one reason it's so hard). If the pieces are very close fitting, in small welds, you may not even use a rod at all - you simply fuse the pieces together. You can make very small and/or very neat welds with TIG. Bicycle frames are TIG welded.
MIG is hooked to the positive electrode, so it melts the wire feeding from a spool thru the "gun" onto the work piece (electrons flowing from the work to the wire to melt it). The wire normally touches the work piece and then melts (there is "spray transfer" if the voltage is high enough - it creates a plasma-like field between the tip of the wire and the work piece so that it vaporizes the metal before it reaches the weld pool. Kinda neat. Saw that in action last night. Not normally what you want though.) MIG is just dead easy - wire feeds out, melts, and you are done.
Stick welding is what you see clamping the welding rod and melting it against the work piece. Used for larger welds, is more messy, and is used less these days for body work and such, IMHO.
I bought a used machine that does all 3. The machine is a Miller XMT 304. New it is about $4000
I started with TIG but quickly learned that TIG would be for hobby level stuff, and MIG would be necessary for getting things done. So then I spent another $400 and some time getting the MIG attachment for the 304.
That's the extent of my welding knowledge. Typing this about doubles my welding experience.
Hoping someone with more knowledge with me pipes in about TIG - when and where it is better.
RE: Nashville.
Maybe we can grab a coffee or lunch if you get a break. Will PM you. You'll love Nashville - it's a cool town now. Perhaps we can get RainMan, VgtBeemer, ADistler1 to go too.
Hey Man, I'll be down in your neck of the woods next week for work - first time in Nashville - PM me with some locales for food/booze! Not sure how much free time I'll have but I'm hoping I can get "out on the town" at least a couple of nights. I'm also going to need to buy a welder soon - or make friends with someone up here who has one. I'm still not clear on the advantages/disadvantages to MIG vs. TIG - I understand the difference between the two systems, I just don't understand when one would choose one over the other. Your welds looks pretty good! Far better than the blobs my PO laid down on seemingly every part of my truck (remember the power steering nightmare, prior to chopping it off). Heck, even my junkyard bench seat is welded to the factory seat mounts.
