Will and arc welder work?

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Hello all.  I'm looking into welders right now.  I was really considering a mig but to be honest I'll probably use it like once a month and did not really want to spend the money on a decent mig.  So now I'm thinking of maybe getting an arc welder.  I'm thinking of one at Home depot for under 300 bucks.  It's a Lincoln brand.Now, I've used both style welders before.  A mig about 15 years ago and an arc about 10.  So I'm rusty for sure.  I'll be using it mainly for motorcycle part most likely.  Like welding frames, brackets, making custom brackets, and maybe some exhaust work.  Will an arc welder be alright for this type of work?  This is actually the welder I had my eyes on:http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053Thanks for any input.
Reply:FYI both mig (gmaw) and stick (smaw) are forms of arc welding. Some anal bastard might jump you for that on here. For what you are wanting to do I would advise you to get a mig welder. Hobart 140 or bigger and certainly one capable of using solid wire and gas. The projects you have in mind can def be done with a stick welder but it will require a lot more skill to pull it off in my opinion.
Reply:Originally Posted by i4sillypwrFYI both mig (gmaw) and stick (smaw) are forms of arc welding. Some anal bastard might jump you for that on here. For what you are wanting to do I would advise you to get a mig welder. Hobart 140 or bigger and certainly one capable of using solid wire and gas. The projects you have in mind can def be done with a stick welder but it will require a lot more skill to pull it off in my opinion.
Reply:Glad to hear it works. Even more surprised that it works! Those speed controls are meant to work with universal AC motors that have brushes. Go figure? wrong location for this reply.Last edited by transit; 11-06-2009 at 09:49 PM.
Reply:My first choice for that would be tig.  Second, mig.  Last, stick.If you do get the stick welder, at least spring for the AC/DC model, rather than the AC-only model.  Stick welding is much better in DC.If it were me, I would look for an older used tig/stick machine.  Dialarcs, Idealarcs and other similar machines are sold off for cheap these days.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Stick welder spells BURNTHROUGH  with the thin stuff you're thinking of doingYeah, you can use a stick on that stuff, but you better be pretty good at it"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Thanks guys!