MIG like TIG

One of the hottest topics in mid-October on the weldingweb.com Internet forum was about the quality of MIG welds.

Apprentice welder, RyanB, wanted to know how to get ripples in a MIG weld, which according to the old pros on the site, would have made the apprentice's MIG welds look like TIG welds.

While some old pros said they believed MIG welds should have a smooth and glassy finish, others weighed in saying that it took years of experience to acquire the torch technique that would make the apprentice's goal possible.

The discussion included several photos that were posted, including one by a welder named Paul (ZTFab on the forum site), whose photo elicited the following exchange:

"Damn, Paul, that's MIG?!" posted dnm, and "That is a nice MIG weld," posted by drive sector.

Paul responded to questions saying that he made his weld without a spot time, nor with pulsing, nor with "TIG sneaking up on it," as some old pros thought. Instead, he declared, "That is MIG, welded continuously with my Lincoln Power-MIG 200 (which has no feature for spot/stitch/pulse welding)."

To see the discussion and Paul's work, visit www.weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t =6595.