Welding with Greggs: The Basics of Welding

Have you ever gone to look for new MIG wire, or STICK electrode, only to be bombarded by the never-ending types and variations? Well worry no more, because in this series, we’re going to chip off the slag on exactly what you need to know when picking a welding consumable. So, pull down your visor and get some gloves on, it’s going to be electrifying!

Understanding Welding Processes

All welding processes tend to have the same general setup for creating enough electricity to melt metal. A welding machine is hooked up to a power source, which feeds the hand-held equipment used to do the actual welding, a grounding lead clamped to the welding surface is then returned back to the welding machine, creating a current. This current, then forms an electric arc that is so hot, it turns the joining work pieces into a pool of molten metal. Finally, a filler metal is melted into the pool, strengthening the joint and creating the weld itself.

Welding with Greggs: The Basics of Welding | Gear Up With Gregg's Blog

An Overview of SMAW, GTAW, and GMAW

Now, there will be some variation in the setups between the different processes, but they all achieve the same goal of strengthening and creating structures.

Stick Welding - SMAW

First up is Shielded Metal Arc Welding, or SMAW, commonly referred to as Stick Welding! It’s been around for a very long time and is one of the most inexpensive forms of welding to get into. It works by sending the current from the creatively named “Electrode Holder”, down the electrode stick consumable and when touched to the work piece, creates the arc, melts the material and acts as the filler metal in the weld.

TIG Welding - GTAW

Next, we have Gas Tungsten Arc Welding, or GTAW, also called TIG Welding in the industry. This process uses a “Torch” that has a small piece of tungsten in it that carries the arc to the work piece, but, unlike a stick electrode, the tungsten does NOT become part of the weld. Instead, a “Cut Length” or Rod is inserted into the molten weld pool as the filler metal. Protecting the welding process from any outside contaminants is a gas, like CO2, that is sent through the torch and over the weld. Even though TIG welding is more complicated and slower, due to its 2 handed nature, many industries prefer it, as it results in much cleaner welds.

MIG Welding - GMAW

Finally, we have GMAW, which stands for Gas Metal Arc Welding, and is commonly called MIG Welding. This process will also use a shielding gas to protect the weld, but instead of a Torch in one hand and a Rod in the other, it uses a “MIG Gun” that feeds a spool of wire. The wire is then fed through a contact tip, transferring the current to the wire, creating the arc, and melting the workpiece, all while acting as the filler metal. The wire will either be fed from the welding machine itself, a Wire Spool MIG Gun, or a wire feeder box, that is connected between the welding machine and MIG gun. This process can be much faster than TIG Welding, and is generally the easiest to learn.

GMAW Processes

There are 2 other processes that fall under the GMAW umbrella, as both use wire feeding.

1. Gas Metal Arc Welding - Cored (GMAW-C)

First, there is GMAW-C, which stands for Gas Metal Arc Welding – “Cored”. In this process, instead of using a solid wire, it has a “Tubular” wire that contains a metal powder inside. That metal powder helps increase the weld deposition rate, or, the speed of the weld.

2. Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW)

Then, we have FCAW, which stands for Flux Cored Arc Welding. This process also uses a tubular wire, but instead of a metal powder, the wire is filled with a material called “Flux”. This flux turns into a solid coating called slag on top of the weld, keeping the molten weld pool in the joint as it cools, as well as protecting it from oxidation and the environment.

Flux Cored Arc Welding Types : FCAW-G (Gas-Shielded) and FCAW-S (Self-Shielded)

Flux Cored Arc Welding itself has two different types. FCAW-G stands for Flux Cored Arc Welding – “Gas-Shielded”, which simply means that, like GMAW, gas is required to protect the weld.

FCAW-S on the other hand, stands for Flux Cored Arc Welding – “Self-Shielded”. In this process, the flux alone protects the weld from the environment, no gas required! In industries that do outdoor welding, this is a huge advantage, as they no longer need to lug around bottles of gas, and don’t need to worry about wind blowing the gas away which, in turn, negatively affects the weld.

Importance of Welding Consumables

There are many other types of welding out there, from Submerged Arc Welding to Laser Beam Welding, and even Atomic Hydrogen Welding, but the processes we will cover in this series are the main types that you will encounter on a day-to-day basis.

Now, one thing that all these different processes have in common is that they all use consumables! Welding consumables are the Filler Metals used in the welding process so this covers Stick Electrode for SMAW, Cut Lengths for GTAW, and Wire Spools for GMAW. It is very important that the correct consumable is used for the correct job; otherwise, the weld could be compromised and not meet its structural requirements. Thankfully, the “American Welding Society” or AWS, has created standardized classifications that all welding consumable manufacturers follow. So, whether you use Lincoln Electric, Miller, ESAB, HOBART, or any other options on the market, you’ll know that they’re all made with the same specifications!

Alright, I think that’s enough information for now. On the next episode of Gear up with Greggs, we will cover the AWS Classes for stick welding and, more specifically, break them down so we know how to read them! If you have any further questions, visit our website at greggdistributors.ca. And while you’re still here why not subscribe to our YouTube channel!