Guides: Metals (Fabrication &amp; Mechanical): Welding

GMAW (MIG)

Learn to Weld Master MIG welding and the metal fabrication techniques you need to repair, create, and duplicate projects in your home welding studio. Learn to Weld starts with the basics: setting up your studio, the right safety gear and safety procedures, and the equipment and materials you will need to begin with welding. With the help of step-by-step metalworking photos and tutorials, you will learn detailed techniques for cutting and grinding, and for joinery using a MIG welder. Practice the techniques and projects, and you'll soon be able to repair, create, and duplicate metal fabrication projects in your own welding studio. Best of all, you will have both the fundamental skills and the confidence you need to create whatever is in your imagination. With Learn to Weld you'll be equipped to conquer a world of welding projects.

MIG Welding MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding, also known as Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), uses an inert gas – usually a mix of argon and CO2 – as part of the process.
What is Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Welding? Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding is an arc welding process that uses a continuous solid wire electrode heated and fed into the weld pool from a welding gun. The two base materials are melted together forming a join. The gun feeds a shielding gas alongside the electrode helping protect the weld pool from airborne contaminants.

MIG & PIPE This program covers MIG welding, including 3G MIG downhill root, 5F tube to plate MIG, inductance vertical uphill MIG, MIG welding platform build, uphill MIG techniques, 5G pipe 6010 downhill root, 6G 6010 7018 pipe, 6G 6010 root uphill, 6010 downhill pipe 5G, and 7016 pipe root. (2019: 96 MINS)
Different Types of Welding Tig Welding, Stick welding, and mig welding make up most of what you and I do at home in the shop. Sure there is gas welding, plasma arc welding, laser welding, electron beam welding, spot welding, and friction stir welding but Tig, Stick, and Mig is what Joe Welder does. Stick Welding is still called Arc Welding by a lot of people.

Flux Cored Welding Basics: Miller Welds Learn some welding basics on self-shielded flux-cored welding. Because this welding process does not require any shielding gas, it's the ideal wire welding process for use outdoors and for working with dirty metal. Miller® technician Joel Ort shares his tips for equipment setup and techniques that cover flat joints, lap joints, T joints, horizontal, vertical and overhead configurations.

Flux-cored Arc Welding Flux-cored arc welding (FCAW or FCA) is a semi-automatic or automatic arc welding process. FCAW requires a continuously-fed consumable tubular electrode containing a flux and a constant-voltage or, less commonly, a constant-current welding power supply. An externally supplied shielding gas is sometimes used, but often the flux itself is relied upon to generate the necessary protection from the atmosphere, producing both gaseous protection and liquid slag protecting the weld. The process is widely used in construction because of its high welding speed and portability. FCAW was first developed in the early 1950s as an alternative to shielded metal arc welding
Innershiled (FCAW-S) Welding Guide

GTAW (TIG)

What is Tungsten Inert Gas (GTAW or TIG) Welding? Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding, also known as Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) is an arc welding process that produces the weld with a non-consumable tungsten electrode.

TIG: Aluminium & Stainless This program demonstrates both aluminum and stainless steel welding, including #5 cup for aluminum, 3G aluminum butt 11ga, aluminum butt & tee, corner welds, aluminum hurricane project, aluminum crummy star fixture, hooking up a TIG cooler, rebel 205 aluminum casting, TIG corner & practice drill, abom stainless & aluminum welds, TIG stainless coped tubes, and TIG stainless steel pipe manifold. (2019: 124 mins)
TIG: Carbon Steel & More This program covers carbon steel fillet welds, corner joint ripple spacing, mini steel hurricane, pulse TIG miller multimatic 220, TIG brazing star & brazing tips, TIG weld versus braze, miller multi 220 TIG, arc length, titanium on abom fixture, and trench knife TIG brazing. (2019: 133 mins)
TIG Welding: Safety and Technique The TIG welding process produces extremely high temperatures which permits pinpoint control of heat over a small heat effected zone. TIG welding is widely used when fine, high quality welding is required, particularly when welding metals such as aluminium and stainless steel.

Tig Welding Articles on tig welding from Longevity Global, Inc.
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding The correct name for TIG welding is Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW). This is the name that most European and American Welding fabricators refer to on their welding procedures.
Tig Welding Equipment Using an inert gas shield instead of a slag to protect the weld pool, this technology is a highly attractive alternative to gas and manual metal arc welding and has played a major role in the acceptance of high quality welding in critical applications.
The whats, whys, and whens of GTAW If you are among those who want to learn about welding just for fun, or if you are considering a new career, knowledge is always the key to success.

MMAW (Stick)

Stick Welding Stick welding is an electric arc welding process that uses a metal stick or rod as filler material. These stick are usually covered in a flux material and are available in different diameters and lengths. To achieve high strength welds, it is important to choose the correct type of flux core wire welding rod for your application.
Stick Welding Vs MIG To fully determine the differences between MIG and stick welding, we will compare them over some key parameters: Weld Quality Indoor and Outdoor Applications Metal Types and Thicknesses Applications Ease of Use Portability Cost
Is Stick Welding Easier than MIG? MIG welding is much easier for a beginner to learn than stick welding. However, setting up MIG welding equipment can be quite complex as there are a number of variables including wire size and type, gas, contact tips and nozzle type. MIG welding also offers cleaner welds that require less post-weld cleaning.
Why is Stick Welding Stronger than MIG? Some argue that stick welding is stronger than MIG welding, since it offers better penetration for thicker materials. However, MIG welding can provide good welds despite not being as effective on thicker metals, and is better for joining thinner metals with a good finish and less risk of burn-through.
Manual Metal Arc Welding (MMA, SMAW or Stick Welding) Manual metal arc welding (MMA or MMAW), also known as shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), flux shielded arc welding or stick welding, is a process where the arc is struck between an electrode flux coated metal rod and the work piece. Both the rod and the surface of the work piece melt to create a weld.

Stick This program covers 3G test with 5/32" 7018, 5/32" 7018 3F tee, 6010 5/32" root practice plate, 6010 branch practice plate, 6010 downhill root & practice, 7016 open root tips, 7016 root 7018 fill/cap, 7018 5/32" overhead tee, 7024 drag rods, overhead 6010 root & practice, and overhead tube plate 532. (2019: 85 mins)
Stick Welding Basics - Arc Welding Explained In this episode of the Longevity Learning Lab, Bruce explains the basics of stick or arc welding. Stick welding is also known as SMAW.
What is Stick Welding? (SMAW) Stick welding (also known as Shielded Metal Arc Welding or Manual Metal Arc Welding) is one of the most popular welding processes. This video is an introduction to this process.

Stick Welding From Longevity, Global Inc. - Stick welders are considered old-fashioned today. But that doesn't mean they are out. Even though MIG welders are becoming a choice tool for fabrication needs nowadays, there are certain things a stick welder continues to be better at. Here are 5 reasons that you should still keep one around.
Shielded Metal Arc Welding Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), also known as manual metal arc welding (MMA or MMAW), or regularly as stick welding is a manual arc welding process that uses a consumable electrode covered with a flux to produce the weld.

Select Welding Practices

Online Videos

Spark Test for Metal Identification In this video of the Longevity Learning Lab, Scott shoes off a method for determining which metal you are working with by a spar test.
The Popular Arc Welding Processes
Welding Fabrication: Frames This is one of two frames that an oil tank will sit on we built in the field. It took one full twelve hour day to fabricate the entire thing which is pretty good considering we had no engineering diagrams to work off of. All measurements were taken in the field and that took the most time.
Welding Processes This is an educational video used in a teaching course of welding and Inspection. This video explains welding processes most commonly used in industry.