The hinge on our pool gate finally fatigued the post and broke loose. I looks like the perfect opportunity for me to pick up one of these
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200471413_200471413
And finally teach myself to weld light duty projects around the house.

For those of you who are self taught welders, what do you think? How steep is the learning curve? Is flux core wire feed the way to go? At first i was thinking of getting a small acetylene torch set up so that I could also use it as a cutting torch but the wire feed welder seems like a better choice for a novice.

I own this little welder, it's perfect for quick smaller projects in a shop environment. If I'm going to be welding thicker material I'm dragging my welder trailer out with the miller bobcat on it.

Check around for better pricing. TSC has it for $550. Might be able to best that.

I self taught in the last year on a large driveway gate frame. There's a thread on here about my project somewhere. I'd suggest bumping up to 240V, if you can swing it. A *lot* more capability for not a lot of money. I'd recommend this unit for consideration - Link

Overall, with some practice, I found it pretty easy to pick up, but I spent a lot of time on YouTube University. Learned a lot from this guy: Link. Just personal experience, I burned through some metal before I got the hang of it. I used MIG instead of flux-core. To me, finding the right settings for the type of weld and the thickness of the material is more difficult than the actual weld. For example, an inside corner is different than a butt weld is different than 14 gauge is different than 1/4" thick steel, etc. So even when you get the hang out of how to weld, it's good to have some scrap of varying thickness to dial in the settings and practice before you weld the actual piece.

Couple of tips to consider - Clean the surface down to bare metal before you weld - Pick up a grinder from harbor freight, and a lot of flap discs. Also, a couple of wire wheels for a drill. Think about the sequence for your welds. A weld on a horizontal surface is much easier to control, and creates much better fusion than a weld 'uphill' or 'downhill' - orient your piece accordingly to help yourself out. Think about how you tighten lug nuts on a tire in a star pattern - welding a piece requires a similar mindset so that you don't warp the piece. Practice the motion before you do a live weld, and have something to support your arm for consistent motion. Keep some primer and some galv spray on hand. A good welding hood is worth it. My project was 14 gauge steel square tube - very easy to burn through. The frame required a lot of thinking through so that I could make the welds in the easiest positions and sequence. Totally worth it and fun!

Good luck!

Starting out, you just need to practice laying beads without joining metal. Acquire something like a 5x5x1/2" piece of plate and start making beads next to each other. Once you cover the face w/ beads, start making passes on top & perpendicular to prior beads.

This won't teach you setting up the machine, really just the motion. Since you're not trying to get penetration, I think the Hobart 140 would be able to do this. The above is how I taught a bunch of guys in HS with a Lincoln cracker box.

ETA: A wire feed welder will have the smallest learning curve, but if you start with a stick welder, learning to do wire feed later on is a walk in the park. An oxy-acetylene torch is extremely handy to have, but I've never used one for welding or brazing. With a torch, you can cut just about anything yourself and they're great for dealing with stubborn fasteners. Can't be tight if it's liquid!

I learned on stick. The best thing I did was "making things". I started out with welding metal to other metal but the real learn g was when I had a real task to accomplish. I started with welding my wood rack, then I made stand for my discada, and then on to cutting, gutting and welding the frame on our cattle trailer and repairing a rotted frame on our gator. Stick welding has been quite challenging but I don't think I'd trust my skill with thin metals. The gator was pretty crappy John Deere steel which was very hard not to burn through. This is a skill thing I didn't have.

I agree with the statement above that if you can stick weld, everything else is just making the task that much easier.

Either way, I'd buy some matching material to your project at hand and watch some YouTube's and go to town. You won't learn do you don't try.

Thanks for all the thoughtful and detailed replies! Man that sliding gate project really puts my little repair job in perspective! I think I will go ahead and pull the trigger on a little wire feed unit and will post some pics once I get going on it.