Ac is used for tig welding aluminium
I know I will trip up here and someone who knows more will point out where I'm wrong, but running off the top of my head with AC V DC, (you are really starting to look into some very complex welding/electrical theory with this.) AC = alternating current = polarity switches constantly at a very high speed which is referred to as hertz. This speed and electrical wave can be controlled and you can control where and for how long the 'heat' of the weld is, either in the stick or in the job. DC = Direct current and polarity does not switch, you can still control where the heat of the weld by reversing the polarity, but in general not to such a high degree as in AC. But do you need to know this as a home/hobby welder? No (the same with brewing a beer really ie how much do we need to know about chemistry to make beer). Theory aside (I haven't really touched on much of it, I'm sure Wikipedia/google would have info if you are interested in finding out more, feel free to ask more if you want.) with AC you can weld nickel and magnetic plate. As a general rule AC requires higher current for the same electrode. You can tweak AC settings for finer tuning for very specific jobs. DC is considered inherently safer and easier to use. Most stick welding is done in DC. DC is quieter, which after awhile does count. Thats pretty much a quick run down, but really for what you want I don't think you will need to be concerned with AC and DC will be more than adequate for you needs.
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