I don’t mind though.  Do you know why?  The reason is because MIG welding is one of the most useful and desired welding techniques in the industry.  Once you figure out how to MIG weld, you are well on your way to becoming a very proficient welder.  I will begin this article with a little bit of background information about MIG welding, and then will discuss a few basic MIG welding techniques.

Properly called metal inert gas welding, MIG welding is a type of gas metal arc welding (referred to as GMAW).  MIG welding uses an electrical current to provide an electrical arc between a consumable wire electrode in the welding gun and the workpieces.  A shielding gas is also used in order to protect the weld from atmospheric gases that may interfere with its quality.

How long has MIG welding been around?  It was created in the 1940’s as a way to easily and efficiently create equipment and weapons during World War II.  It was (and still is) preferred in welding shops because of the ability to learn how to MIG weld quickly, and also the low cost and time associated with it.  Someone with a basic understanding of welding should be able to learn how to MIG weld and run good beads with just a few hours of practice.  MIG welding is also quite popular because of the low investment cost – a new, quality machine for your garage or shop costs around $500.  As good as that price is, you are still able to find new ones cheaper, but you definitely get what you pay for there.

For 1200 pages about not only MIG welding, but everything you can imagine to need to know about welding in general, check out Welding Secrets Revealed.

Now that you have a basic understanding about MIG welding, I think it is time to move on to some MIG welding techniques.  As important as background knowledge is when you are learning how to MIG weld, it needs to be coupled with practice.  These MIG welding techniques will get you on your way to creating strong, visually appealing welds.

For someone first learning how to MIG weld, a zigzag weaving pattern is probably the best starting point of the MIG welding techniques.  The zigzag pattern can either be done as push (welding away from you), or pull (welding towards you), and is performed exactly as it sounds.  Your goal is to make even, steady zigzags across the joint of the two workpieces.  This is a very easy pattern to learn and become quite efficient at very quickly.  Using this MIG welding technique, you would generally pause at the end of each zigzag (on the sides of the joint) for a brief second in order to help spread out the weld.  The key to this is to make sure that you get a steady rhythm going when working with equally thick workpieces.  Once you have become familiar with this welding design, you are ready to move on to how to MIG weld using a slightly more advanced MIG welding technique.

The next technique that I prefer my students to learn is a circular pattern.  For someone who is learning how to MIG weld, this technique is still relatively basic.  It does take a little bit more practice and concentration than the zigzag pattern, but it is still a very achievable design.  For this technique you will weld in slow, circular motions.  Depending on the workpieces, and the weld you would like to make, you can either use small, precise circles, or a larger, more encompassing pattern.  After a little practice with these MIG welding techniques, you be know how to MIG weld nearly any basic project that you wish to do.

You can find pictures and diagrams of these (and many other) MIG welding techniques at Welding Secrets Revealed.

While no single article can teach you all of the information you need to know about how to MIG weld, this should have been a good basis for your entry into the world of MIG Welding.  For more detailed information, images, and diagrams, I strongly recommend checking out Welding Secrets Revealed.  Pat, that put together that website, has been an industry-friend of mine for many years, and has helped me with quite a few questions and problems I have had over the last twenty years.

Related posts:

1. How To Weld: An Introduction To Welding
2. How To TIG Weld: A Guide To TIG Welding Techniques