Roustabout.
I know you are RIGHT ! I actually may end up doing just that - keep the Miller Stick and practice more. For a lot of my "known projects" which, are arbors / fence sections, I may try brazing ? Do not know a lot about this process either.
I have "real" troubles with Stick however. The single biggest issue (being a novice) is actually when I start to weld. With a full size rod, I lose control, and cannot see very well - if that makes sense ? If I get my head closer where I can see, then my hand is above my head, which is difficult. I know, practice, practice.... Once the rod burns down, it is Much easier for me. Cut all rods to 1/2 length...
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I have used a MIG a total of 1 time. But, could get right on top of the work, so it was "easy for me to see what I was doing / see the puddle". That, and the "easier, so they say" to weld thinner metal is the reason I was considering a MIG, with the Everlast i-Mig 200 having the bonus of running on 110v, also having stick capability. Planning for retirement this year, so this adds a little- "get what I think I am going to use before retirement" ? Or perhaps, it is "I want a new toy".
So, I am one of those people who go to buy a computer, but do not "KNOW" everything I am going to use it for. So, I run some "what if's" and eventually decide to buy more capability than what I think I "need". Not quite apples to apples, but just a general thought process.
So, with a torch and coat hanger.... I would call that a brazing "type" job ? I don't have any real torch, just a hand-help map gas.
How about a perspective from someone who has been welding for over 50 years, for both fun and profit, and is also proficient in TIG, MIG, though rusty at Stick and Gas?
At age 14 I learned how to gas weld and braze and silver solder, AKA silver braze. That was in 1970. In the early 80s I decided I wanted to learn arc welding so I took night classes, got really good at stick welding and switched to TIG. After a couple years of night classes doing TIG welding the instructor told me I was now skilled enough to pass the "nuclear pipe" tests. He meant that I could apply for a job at a nuclear power plant as a pipe welder and would be able to be certified for welding pipe. This meant that I really didn't need night school to improve my skill. I did not do more than about 1/2 hour MIG welding though.
Then, a little over 20 years ago I bought a small MIG welder, a Lincon SP125 Plus. This machine was a ton of fun to use. I could lay down so much metal so fast. And it was easy! I was laughing as I was welding because it was so much fun.
I knew from talking to welders who did wirefeed welding as a job that it was easy to make bad welds. So I practiced a bunch. From my previous experience with other types of welding I knew how to test welds to make sure they were good welds.
So, after my bona fides posted above, for whatever they are worth, here is my pro and con advice, for whatever it is worth.
STICK: The least expensive. And almost the most versatile. Only TIG is more versatile. The versatility is because there are many different alloys available for stick welding. The inexpensive because the machines are the least expensive. The only process that has more alloys available is TIG. There are also several different stick sizes available, so thick and thin work can be done. Once again, only TIG welding wires come in more sizes. If you need to weld something that requires some less than common alloy you can usually buy only 1 pound of it in stick form.
MIG: First of all I am including both types of wirefeed welding into the MIG class. Wire that requires gas and wire that does not. MIG is not as versatile because there are not as many alloys available. Plus the wire must usually be bought in larger than 1 pound at a time if not a common alloy. So this can be expensive if many different alloys must be used. MIG doesn't require as many different wire sizes because the process doesn't need that many different wire sizes. MIG is also more expensive because the machines are more expensive. And if using a MIG welder with bare wire then a regulator, a flowmeter, and a gas bottle must be added to the price of the welder.
STICK: Stick welding is harder to learn than MIG. There is more technique involved and much of this technique depends on the alloy being used.
MIG: Fast. Fun. Easier to learn but also easier to make bad weld that look good.
STICK: Only the stick is needed. No extra shielding.
MIG: Fast. Fun. If using fluxcore, AKA innershield, then no extra shielding, but if using bare wire then shielding gas must be used, an extra expense.
MIG: When welding sheet metal you can use .023 bare wire with the polarity reversed to get good welds without burning through. Autobody shops use MIG welders like this all the time. Stick welding just can't do this unless the weldor is very skilled.
Now, finally, let's get to the meat of the matter. What do I think is best for you from what you have said. Get a MIG. A wirefeed welder. But one that you can add a gas bottle to down the road if you need or want to. Welding wire that has flux in the core, AKA fluxcore or innershield, is commonly available everywhere in the size you need for the jobs you say you want to do. It does not require a gas bottle. The weld don't look as nice, there is more splatter, but the welds can be done in fairly windy conditions. As your skill increases you will want to start welding with gas. Your welds will look better, there will be less splatter, and there are more alloys available. For example, I bought a spool of silicon bronze wire so I could do some MIG brazing. I needed to braze a lot of steel parts together and my two options were to TIG braze or MIG braze. I was restricted to silicon bronze brazing alloy by the customer. This is a common alloy. I chose MIG brazing because it was so much faster than TIG brazing. And the joints were beautiful.
You will need to practice to make sure your good looking welds are actually good welds. So you will need to break the welds. You will need to observe where and how the welds broke. You will need to be honest with yourself about the quality of your welds. Just like anything else practice is important to doing a good job. MIG welding has the unfortunate ability of being able to look good without actually being good. So you need to practice and test your welds.
But, finally, at the end of the day, MIG welding, AKA wirefeed welding, is faster than stick and is just plain fun. Once you are good enough to make welds that you trust you will find that it is just plain fun to get the metal squirt gun out and weld stuff up. If you need to build up the worn edge of that bucket get out the welder and just lay down metal. No problems with the electrode sticking like with stick welding. No changing stick electrodes. No worries about the flux coating breaking off and then getting porosity in the weld. And so on.
Cheers,
Eric
