Of course Miller isn't the only company making welders, and companies such as Lincoln Electric and HTP America offer MIG and TIG welders. I'd suggest doing a little research and making a decision on what's right for you and what you'll be working on, or may want to work on in the future. All the welder suppliers have websites that are informative and can guide you through any questions, with Miller's being particularly helpful. In fact, if you visit the "Order Literature" tab at www.millerwelds.com, you can download a TIG Buyer's Guide.
One thing we haven't touched on so far is what size welder you might require. The small portable MIG welders are very handy and easy to move around, but are they up to the task of chassis fabrication for instance? They are classified by how much amperage they can generate at a given duty cycle, which is determined as the number of minutes the welder can operate in a ten minute cycle before it needs to cool. Thicker metals require more amperage than thinner gauges too, so while a 130 or 150 amp MIG welder with a 30 percent duty cycle may suffice for small shop jobs up to 3/16-inch thick, you may be better opting for a 200 or 250 amp MIG with a 40 to 60 percent duty cycle if you plan on tackling heavier fabrication. If you're going to spend the money, why not just spend it once?
So which to choose? MIG is easier to learn, is capable of welding light gauge or thick material, and will weld all common metals, from mild steel to stainless and even aluminum if you change gas and use Miller's spool gun (assuming you have a new Miller welder!), and is faster. TIG offers precise welding on thin material with less distortion than MIG, produced high quality, smaller, and good looking welds, can weld steel and aluminum with Argon, without swapping bottles, and offers adjustable amperage control while welding. You pays yer money and takes yer choice, though if it were my preference, I'd opt for the TIG, even though a MIG is perfectly capable of chassis work, but then I already have a MIG, so I would say that wouldn't I?!
Miller offers this spool gun...
Miller offers this spool gun to convert some of its MIG welders to aluminum welding capability. Aluminum wire is too soft to push through a regular MIG torch, so the spool gun pulls it from a spool directly at the torch. It's light and easy to use.
If you know you won't want...
If you know you won't want to weld aluminum, or don't have the budget for an AC/DC machine, the HTP Invertig 160DC may be the TIG welder for you. It works off 110 or 220 volts, and can handle steel, stainless steel or 4130 chrome moly.
Miller's Diversion 165 could...
Miller's Diversion 165 could well be the perfect 'starter' TIG welder, with simple to use controls and simple set-up, capable of welding aluminum or steel up to 3/16-inch, and supplied with a Weldcraft LS17 torch with hand controlled amperage. You will require a 220V power source though.
Most TIG welders require a...
Most TIG welders require a foot pedal to adjust the amperaage, and hence heat input, which will take some getting used to if you're used to MIG welding, where you just have a trigger on the torch.
We haven't mentioned safety...
We haven't mentioned safety equipment at all, but it's worth mentioning that as TIG doesn't spatter like MIG, and as you need more dexterity to operate the torch and feed the filler rod, you won't need thick, clumsy gloves like you would wear for MIG welding. They're MIG gloves on the left and TIG on the right.
A MIG welder is perfect for...
A MIG welder is perfect for autobody work, as it doesn't require such close tolerances between panels as a TIG welder, and is much faster, especially in an instance like this where a number of plug welds are required. Kevin Francis at KA Kustom possesses both MIG and TIG, and opted to use the MIG here. For higher finesse work, or exterior panels, he'd probably switch to the TIG.