MIG with solid wire also requires a gaseous shield, but does not stand up well in the wind. Usually a mixture of argon and 10 - 25% CO2 or straight argon and in some cases, straight CO2. Typically, MIG is easier to learn than than stick, which is why, besides it being cleaner and cheaper to run, it is the common practice in commercial welding including DOT products. It still remains however, that done properly, stick welding yields better penetration hence a stronger weld.
I've welded auto body metal with oxy/acet because thats what I had, although I had to deal with the heat distortion. With the right equipment, however, I'm comfortable with stick or MIG on most any steel thickness, down to exhaust pipe where I would then opt for MIG, TIG, or gas (oxy/acet or oxy/mapp)
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While never issued evenly,
common sense should always be deployed uniformly.
Semper Fi! Its not just for breakfast anymore!!
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