[tubman]

About welders; I had a 250 AMP Miller "buzzbox" for years and used it a lot. It was great for building frames, etc., but there was a lot it couldn't do. I eventually ended up buying 220 volt Hobart MIG. I was never particularly enamored with it, but it got me through. A couple of years ago, I became intrigued with the newer, smaller stick welders using Inverter technology, rather than transformer. I ended up buying an Everlast unit from Amazon, so I could have regular arc capabilities, as well as being able to upgrade it to a TIG. What I found was that "regular" arc welders have a lot more capability these days than the old "buzzboxes" did. The main thing is you are able to use both straight and reverse polarity on DC and regular AC. That, and a thorough knowledge of the welding rods available and their properties and intended purposes opened up a whole new world for me. Do you know you can "stickweld" aluminum? You can with the proper welder and rod. The welder, though made in China, is of high quality and quite reasonably priced. I am going to update it to a TIG someday, but the tank, etc. will cost almost as much as the welder did. I hardly use my Hobart at all lately.