That decision between stick and mig for heavy plate work

Back when I was starting out, I had to choose between buying a good stick machine or a mig setup for thick boiler plate. I went with the mig because I thought it'd be faster, but honestly it taught me the hard way that mig doesn't always cut it on dirty or rusty metal. Now I keep both in the truck, but if I had to do it over, I'd get the stick first for field repairs. Anyone else find themselves relying more on one process depending on the job site?

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.grant27d ago

Same boat man, I learned that lesson fighting rust bucket farm equipment. Stick is king for dirty steel, mig is great for new clean plate but you'll be chasing porosity on anything with mill scale.

drew5527d ago

Torch is even better for rusty farm junk if you've got the bottles and patience...

hannah_perry27d ago

My uncle always said it's the same reason he keeps a flip phone for hunting trips - the simple tool that works every time beats the fancy one that only works when conditions are perfect.