stick or torch

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which is easier to weld using a torch & holding the rod in other hand or just putting rod in stinger & welding. reason i would like to know i am thinking about getting the torch set up.already have everything except tanks.thanks for your help.
Reply:I think electric arc welding is easier. Stick (arc) welding, called Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), is simpler. Though Oxy Acetylene or Oxy Fuel Welding (OFW) is capable of producing very durable welds, in the right hands. For steel body work, it is quite possibly the superior process. City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Originally Posted by wheelerbuffywhich is easier to weld using a torch & holding the rod in other hand or just putting rod in stinger & welding. reason i would like to know i am thinking about getting the torch set up.already have everything except tanks.thanks for your help.
Reply:If you learn to weld with a torch, in the end you will be a better weldor.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:I have always thought gas and tig were the easiest forms of welding.  The dexterity is the challenge.  However, they are slow and the puddle can be easily seen and manipulated easily.  Unless you have other uses for the torch, I would go with a stick welder.What parts do you have for gas welding?   What are your reasons for considering stick vs. o/a.
Reply:O/A would be my choise if you are new to welding.  That has always been the backbone to all the processes.  John G..SMAW,GMAW,FCAW,GTAW,SAW,PAC/PAW/OFCand Shielding Gases.  There all here. :
Reply:I think he is asking is it easier to hold the O/A torch in one hand and the filler in the other, or if it is easier to lay the filler in the weld groove and melt it in holding the torch in both hands. Personally I would say you would have a better time using hand held filler because you can control the puddle better.
Reply:In my opinion I think gas welding is easier to control. You have the torch in one hand and the filler in the other, you can stop a second and hold the puddle there so you can reposition or whatever.With stick you strike the arc and off you go! if you wanna stop you have to stop completely. just my two cents. and it might be biased because I am alot stronger with oxy/fuel than I am with stick