Old Angus explained it like this to me...
Oxy-Acetaline is like crazy glue. It will let you melt the soft brass to flow and bond the seams you are trying to weld but the brass is soft and you have to get the area you are welding very hot which makes it prone to warping and become brittle.
A stick welder ( when properly used ) will heat the area as you weld and help acheive better penetration and actually bonds the metal together mixing it with the rod used but it's messy and prone to splatter.
Mig uses a thinner rod and introduces a gas to help with penetration and keep the splatter down
TIG is the best of both worlds as it uses gas, compressed air and electricity to get the area hot and you use rod ( loose or on a reel like mig ) to flow the rod into the area to be bonded and water to keep the tip cool.
For a home shop ( or even most workshops a TIG is overkill and not portable ). I prefer my stick welder as it's cheaper for me to purchase a small box of rods as needed for the job needed. MIG would be my choice if I needed to weld on a regualr basis. I have had Oxy-Acetaline for years and still use them often but mostly for heating rusted nuts and bending steel.
Oxy-Acetaline is like crazy glue. It will let you melt the soft brass to flow and bond the seams you are trying to weld but the brass is soft and you have to get the area you are welding very hot which makes it prone to warping and become brittle.
A stick welder ( when properly used ) will heat the area as you weld and help acheive better penetration and actually bonds the metal together mixing it with the rod used but it's messy and prone to splatter.
Mig uses a thinner rod and introduces a gas to help with penetration and keep the splatter down
TIG is the best of both worlds as it uses gas, compressed air and electricity to get the area hot and you use rod ( loose or on a reel like mig ) to flow the rod into the area to be bonded and water to keep the tip cool.
For a home shop ( or even most workshops a TIG is overkill and not portable ). I prefer my stick welder as it's cheaper for me to purchase a small box of rods as needed for the job needed. MIG would be my choice if I needed to weld on a regualr basis. I have had Oxy-Acetaline for years and still use them often but mostly for heating rusted nuts and bending steel.
