Welding Aluminum TIG vs MIG Spool Gun

Welding is equal parts skill and art. It’s easy enough to make an effective weld, but it might look like chewed-up bubble gum, and nobody wants to see that. You may be able to lay a perfect stack-of-dimes bead, but if you don’t actually get the pieces effectively welded together, who cares how pretty it is?

This video takes a great close up look at the difference in MIG and TIG welding aluminum and some tips for doing a better job of both. Jody from Welding Tips and Tricks has decided to put together this video about the differences between the two, and some things to try to improve your technique and get better results. Jody demonstrates using a little oscillation to get optimal coverage of a wider gap, but also shows he can get the same weld without oscillating by adjusting his speed a little bit.

He also shows us some footage of him TIG welding a beautiful bead on the joint of an awning that’s being built, and you can see he clearly has both the skill and the artistry nailed down.

It’s mentioned in the video, while demonstrating the technique, that MIG welding can be inconsistent, while TIG welding offers you a little more control of how the beads look when laying them down by hand. Toward the end, Jody cuts his welds to examine how they look from the end, and it’s pretty obvious that, as far as getting the job done, MIG and TIG welding both work very well. However, there’s no denying that the TIG joint looks much better than the MIG, so keep that in mind if you’re ever trying to decide on which method to use.

Jody ends with a few more tips about getting the job done before signing off. If you’re looking to expand your welding knowledge, this is a great source of info.