What welding process do you DIY guys use?

[bryant.cw]

I am thinking I want to learn to weld, and would like to get a welder to use for DIY auto shop type stuff. Exhausts, tubing, brackets etc.

Do you guys use stick, or MIG? Why?

I have read a little and seems like those two are the only ones that make sense. MIG seems like higher quality, price and hassle. Stick seem lower quality, price, hassle. Would seem like welding stainless, steel, iron(?) and maybe aluminum would be all I would ever do.

Thoughts?

Willing to spend for a good used welder like miller. I have no delusions about welding I beams with a $100 harbor freight welder.

[b*saint]

A good stick welder can weld better than most mig people. Its the learning curve and the equipment.

I weld with a gas torch and/or a tig welder depending on what I am doing. Mig is best for home use. You'll get better results if you DONT use flux core. Pony up the dollars and get a bottle of inert mix. Also better mig welders for home have a "cold" wire so it doesnt spark when you are learning to align yourself before hitting the trigger.

[FredK]

MIG is probably going to be your best bet for economy and ease-of-use.

I have a Miller 140 MIG that I bought as my first machine. It runs off a regular 120V outlet, and can weld most anything on an E30, from the exhaust, to chassis reinforcements, to some thin sheetmetal work.

I have not run it with fluxcore. I've only run it with C25 gas, with either mild or stainless wire depending on what I'm welding. My welds are starting to look OK. Haha. I have not tried aluminum, but i've heard that it sucks to run a long, weak aluminum wire 8 feet down a Teflon liner, because it breaks easily. Most people who weld a lot of aluminum use a spoolgun or TIG, since the wire is much closer to the workpiece.

[Burnera]

another vote for MIG. You can do sheetmetal (carefully) and pretty much anything you would need to do to a car. Get a gas cylinder for it, do not use flux core wire. MIG welding is much easier and much prettier when using gas.
You can weld steel, stainless steel, and aluminum.

Stick welding is more for farm equipment and structural steel. It makes strong welds, but they are pretty ugly even when done well. Plus there's the 'joy' of swinging a slag hammer. It's best used on really thick plate steel, like 1/2" and thicker.

TIG is what you get when you need to weld a lot of aluminum, bronze, titanium, and other things that aren't steel. Also when you want really really pretty and consistent weld beads.
TIG gives you a lot more control over how hot the peice is getting as well.

[newman]

I mostly use mig.

[jlevie]

A quality MIG w/gas will do most of what you need on a car, which is primarily welding steel. It can do a so-so job on stainless or aluminum (with a spool gun). But those are best done with TIG. Between stick, MIG and TIG, MIG is the easiest to master and TIG the most difficult.

[evil_twin]

Mig with the gas attachment.

[bryant.cw]

sweet, thats what I was thinking, although I was trying to avoid gas. But if thats what is best, I'll do that.

I feel a project brewing maybe over this winter. I want to build a swapped ruckus, or maybe do up a yamaha tw200 with an extended swingarm.

[b*saint]

Only thing is if you do welding outside you cannot use gas shield. The wind usually carries away the argon/helium