Had to pick between a stick welder and a mig for a tight spot job last month

Got called to weld some brackets onto an old boiler drum in a cramped corner of a plant near Pittsburgh. Space was so tight I could barely get my arms in there, so I had to choose between my Lincoln stick rig or a borrowed mig setup. Went with the stick because I figured the rod would reach better than a gun in that angle, plus I didn't want to deal with gas bottles in a confined area. Worked out okay, but the slag cleanup was a nightmare in that position. Has anyone else regretted taking a stick into a spot where spatter just bounces everywhere?

2 comments

2 Comments

ward.kim5d ago

Nah man you're crazy for that one. Stick in a tight spot with gas bottles? That's exactly when you want MIG. You don't need gas if you use flux core wire. That stuff runs fine in tight corners and you don't have to worry about slag flying everywhere. Plus you can get a smaller gun and bend the nozzle to reach weird angles. Slag cleanup in a cramped spot is the worst. I'd rather deal with a little spatter from flux core than trying to chip slag while I'm folded up like a pretzel. MIG lets you just let off the trigger and move on. Stick you're stuck with all that post-weld cleanup.

james_bell5d ago

Wait, hold on - you actually made me rethink this whole thing. I used to be all about stick for tight spots because I figured you don't have to drag a heavy MIG gun around, but you make a solid point about the slag. I've definitely been in that position where I'm trying to chip slag off a vertical weld while my arm is jammed against a pipe, and it's such a pain. The flux core wire is really what changes the game though - I never considered you could just ditch the gas bottle and still get good penetration in tight spots. Honestly, I'm gonna give that a try next time I'm working on something cramped and see how it feels.