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Bob's right about stick welding being very affordable.
There's some other things about the four main welding methods, oxy is the other:
* The area heated by an oxy welder is very large, stick is large, mig's heat area is smaller, Tig's is the smallest and also gives the finest control.
* All electrial three welding forms produce huge amounts of UV radiation. You need to make sure you are covered completely, eyes, face, skin. You need a welding helmet, not goggles, for these welding forms. Oxy doesn't produce the light or UV of electrical forms of welding, so goggles are fine.
* All four welding methods also require different darkness of the welding lens, oxy the least dark, Tig the darkest. You can't safely use an oxy grade lens to do stick. Likewise, Tig requires a darker lens than stick and Mig. You can get away with a stick helmet with Mig, but not recommended.
* Gas Mig and Tig require the use of Argon gas to isolate the welding process. Gasless Mig can work, but it isn't as good as Mig using Argon.
* Oxy requires investing in acetalyne and oxygen bottles. You can do soldering and brazing with oxy-propane too, making it a little cheaper. Soldering and brazing can actually produce a strong union than welding can - not hearsay, but from seeing test pieces being loaded using all three oxy joins.
* Regardless of the type of welding you do, you do need to understand the various energy requirements of the thickness of the materials you are going to weld, otherwise you won't get the depth of weld if it is thick, or you may just blast a hole in the job if you go too hard on a thin material.
* All four types have different way of being handled too. Some you push away from you as you weld, others you pull towards you. Some require both hands to be used, one on the welder and the other holding the filler wire.
I would suggest you do a short welding course. You'll learn how each method works, how to do it safely, and what works best and where, and then you'll be able to make the best choice for yourself. I did such a course through TAFE some four years ago - best thing I could have done too. The course won't make you a qualified welder ready to get a job, but it will give the lay man the necessary understanding to not blow themselves up.
Mental.
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