One of the most common welders is a MIG welder. The Mig Welder uses Gas Metal Arc Welding which works by a wire which is fed through a welding gun. The wire is the electrode. At this instant shielding gas is flowed through which protects the weld while it is setting and cooling down.

For this type of welding carbon dioxide is most commonly used, one because it is the cheapest and two, because it makes great weld. Argon is also used because it makes a great mixture with carbon dioxide. This creates less “spatter” which in turn makes the weld more cleaner. Using argon has alone will create the best weld with aluminium.

This method has great advantages over other methods in welding. Mainly because the welding gun has a control which will aim the electrode so that you do not hit an arc by accident. The gun is positioned in the right place and then all that is left for you to do is simply aim the gun and start your welding.

To make the welds smooth and clean use the inert shielding gases, and there is normally no slag to chip off. Thinner metals and weld sheet metal suit MIG welders best, because they can be welded at a much lower amp than other welders. MIG welders strike the welding arc using DC current. Alternating current usually doesn’t give you a steady arc when welding.

The tensioner on the wire is variable and you can also control the flow of the gas with a valve. Also adjusting the voltage of the MIG welder as well as the power as the wire feeds through is very useful for creating clean welds.

You can use a mig welder without shielding gas, and this is called flux cored arc welding, FCAW. There is an option of switching the polarity of the arc for the flux cored wire. The process requires that the wire has a hollow core filled with flux for better effectiveness.

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