stick welder or mig?

[Dig]

I'm thinking I'll probably go with this guy here: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...7522_200407522
ln my price range and looks like it will do what I need it to. Good reviews.

[kps]

my .02 says buy a good name brand welder, preferable AC/DC not just AC, for learning, I dont believe you can beat a stick welder, they truely can be very versatile. from thin to heavy plate, & if you get a carbon arc torch to use with, you can braze, & even heat like you do with a torch, & even do some thinner metal work, using normal torch welding wire.

as for why I dont recomend a MIG, well it is called COLD WELDS! you think your laying down a nice weld, it may look pretty, but you only have welded the top edge, & the weld is weak. thats why when learning you need to cut cupons & do cross section checks to look for penetration, & to assure you have good welds.

as for the Torch, well, they are the most versatile, I love torch welding & have 4 outfits, however, learning takes time, & if you dont have the flame set right you can add or remove properties from the metal & have it weaker, plus you can have only surface welds & not deep penetration, but have a weld that looks great, it takes time to master. as for the remark about cant weld thin sheet metal? BS! thats how I was taught in body shop when dinosaurs roamed, we had to torch weld car bodies, & it is hard, but very possible, most people prefer to use MIG, & my second year of auto body we was allowed to use MIG. I do not recomend welding structural with torch until you have mastered it, as your life may be on the line.

so for a beginer, starting out, talking about welding tabs, where his life could be on the line on 2 wheels, hands down, arc welding, higher possibility of penetration, so part wont fail, & then add a MIG later as you learn.

as for the guy that made his own handlebars, I would never, I am scared of welded handlebars, I have broke 2 sets personally, 1 time 1 side came loose, the other I got home, but bars were flexing, but had not broke completely away. a guy made paper that was killed when a bike he had owned less than 1 week, handlebar broke & he lost control acording to witnesses, that happened the week my bar broke 1 side, plus I have removed over 1/2 dozen handlebars with cracks in the welds. & all these are drag bars with welded risers, what happens is the upper tripple tree, has rubber bushings, but the leverage applied to bars, plus the minute flexing of each riser, causes them to crack under the bar where they are welded.

[spookperdue]

+1 on the "Linc/Miller/Hobart".
Get at a minimum get a 140 so you can have the option of running a gas bottle.

[longlivepunk]

Now I'm no all-star welder, but I have used all forms and here are my thoughts:

MIG is all-around the most versatile. Stick is good for working with really thick material where you need a lot of penetration. They use it for heavy industrial applications a lot, but it sucks for smaller stuff, thinner stuff, or anything you want to look good. Since you said money is a big factor I won't bother getting into TIG even though for motorcycle applications it is by far the best option in every scenario.

With either MIG or TIG, if you get the proper machine you can even weld aluminum if you want to, which can be really nice, so keep that in mind also.

For welding on tabs there's absolutely nothing wrong with oxy/acetalene brazing! You can build a whole frame with brazing, it's a really fun, relaxing, calm way to weld, but it takes a while to get a weld done and do all the grinding. But it also carries a cool-factor, especially looking at the raw frame and seeing all the bronze on it, plus with the nice soft bronze you can grind/file your joints to make them flow really nicely, looking like it was forged on the frame, not welded on.

If you'd have to go super cheap to get a MIG I'd say oxy-acetalene. You can get a good torch and bottles used for nice and cheap, getting a second torch means you can cut material with it as well, and it's cool and fun to weld with. If you have the cash for a GOOD MIG, by all means go that route. Don't buy a piece of shit though, it'll just cost you in the long-run, whereas a good quality used torch for oxy-acetalene can last forever.

Wow, that was kind of rambling, I'm at work and getting distracted thinking about what all I wish I had in my garage. :P Hope it was decipherable and helped, though.

[YeaItsSlo]

Honestly if i had to choose mig vs stick.. im going with stick.. with the right rod and temp settings i can make some great looking and VERY strong welds with a stick.. Mig to me is always meh..

but tig vs stick, im going tig..

Im biased cause i work in a ship yard and regularly weld 1" to 2" plate steel.. Im more comfortable to stick..

[blackchop]

i was only taught oxy and stick welding in votech school.
ive seen a number of people able to lay down some super nice and super strong stick welds . like its art. and thats on various thicknesses of metal too.


nothing wrong with stick weld .

but i farm all my stuff out to have tig welded . since i totally suck at tig welding and no longer own a stick welder. and too broke ass and cheap to buy a mig.

[Guest]

I learned to weld with a stick welder and find the MIG is so much easier. I picked up a cheap 220 MIG I just use with flux core wire for brackets, sissy bars etc, made an adapter to plug it into the dryer outlet and bought a 50 foot cord. The adapter, 50' of welding cable, helmet and gloves cost way more than the welder!
I had a 110 MIG for a short time and found it was too much trouble - one minute of welding, 10 minutes waiting for it to cool.

[24beers]

I use a stick because it was all me Dad and i could afford when we got it.
If you don't weld very often it could be worth hiring one.
If you are planning on welding a bit do a course where they teach it and use their welding gear for your project..
Whatever you do practice, practice practice. Scrap metal is your best friend.
Good Luck , Show us how you go (Just my $0.02 worth)

[solo48]

all my experiance is with structural ARC welding, if it is good enough to stand a parking garage chances are it will hold its own... as far as motorcycles are concearned anything life threatening should be trusted to a tig. imo