I want to learn how to weld

[red56]

I have always wanted to learn how to weld. I have no idea where to go or should I teach myself. I'll be just a little fixer upper, working on my car (floor) or anything around the house that needs fixing (lawm mower). I don't want to have all those tanks or have to rewire my garage. Can you guys tell me what is the best way to go and what is the easiest way to go for what I want to do. :bowtieb:

Thanks and Happy Holiday to you all ! :04:

[Ratpackin]

I went to a local community college. The instructor was great, and classes weren't very expensive - book was a bit pricey but I was able to sell it to a new student next semester.

[Bob McLaughlin]

I sure second that ; quite often you'll see night -school courses offered , and at all different levels . You'd want an entry-level course just to check it out ; I was taught at the school of hard knocks , and did lousy work until I took the course with a competent instructor . Bob

[roughneck424]

Lots of good info on youtube. To get an idea

[Dan Starnes]

Youtube is a great resource. Also don't forget about the public library. Read up on it. A small 120 mig welder is a great tool around the home.

[Chrome Lugnut]

I went to a local community college. The instructor was great, and classes weren't very expensive - book was a bit pricey but I was able to sell it to a new student next semester.
:tu:tu
I had learn some Welding by trial and error. Later I took Auto class's at local community college and part of the program was a welding class. The welding class really help me understand what I was doing. Well worth the time expensive.
:anim_25:

[Rick_L]

I was around welding and welders all my adult life but didn't do it myself for a long time. I did have the benefit of watching others and knowing the terms and the general differences between a good weld and a bad weld.

I am mostly self taught with the aid of books and videos, with a few tips from real welders and off the internet. I can now do mig and tig on light to medium material fairly well, and excellent at times.

"I don't want to have all those tanks or have to rewire my garage."

Starting out, if you're wanting to do work on your car mainly, I'd get a mig machine that runs on 120V that can weld at 130-140 amps. You say you don't want a gas bottle but you need one. In other words get mig instead of flux core. The machine I'm talking about will run off a 20 A breaker.

Mig welding using 75%Argon/25%CO2 gas gives you much better welds for the same skill level than flux core.

[tjsdelivery]

I'm a self taught learner like Rick. A guy who does our welding for a living at work showed me a few things. Find a friend who knows how to weld and ask him to show you a few basics and go from there practicing. You also don't need a big tank. You can get a small tank that isn't much bigger than a big fire extinguisher.

[edbannister]

The basics for all welding is the puddle. This is the molten metal that is achieved my a heat source it can oyy/acylene-arc- mig -or tig. You can borrow some oxy/acyelene torches with a small welding tip and practice making a puddle on a piece of sheet metal. Just make circles, figure 8s or Cs. This is the lines that you see on the edge of a welding bead. Keep the size of the puddle the same and you have a good bead. After a short time you can move on to a mig and keep in mind that there is always a puddle that you must keep moving. For sheet metal you want good pentration but not a lot of heat ( causing warpage) so you have to stop and go a lot and move from spot to spot a lot. Others with more knowledge can jump in and add more info.
Ed

[100%Chevy]

My dad taught me to weld when I was about 15 years old using an oxy/acetylene torch and wire.
Later I passed the stick welding course at the local college when working at a shipyard.
It's something you have to keep at to be good.
And welding is one of the best things you can do around the shop.Worth the time and money.
Definately get the mig set-up with the small gas bottle for the easiest and best looking welds.
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/4748/003vdyh.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/16/003vdyh.jpg/)
http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/2038/004koo.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/821/004koo.jpg/)
http://imageshack.us/thumbnmail.png (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/862/006ur.jpg/)
Mike.:):bowtieb:
:gba:

[Pack_Rat]

It doesn't matter which brand of welder you buy the Miller site can give you a lot of info.

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/articles/search/

I found the links to these on their site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU8WdV6k3rA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEDHR-Nst6E&feature=relmfu

Ernie

[angs1957]

I went to a local community college. The instructor was great, and classes weren't very expensive - book was a bit pricey but I was able to sell it to a new student next semester.

:tu

[GaryC]

I have always wanted to learn how to weld. I have no idea where to go or should I teach myself. I'll be just a little fixer upper, working on my car (floor) or anything around the house that needs fixing (lawm mower). I don't want to have all those tanks or have to rewire my garage. Can you guys tell me what is the best way to go and what is the easiest way to go for what I want to do. :bowtieb:

Thanks and Happy Holiday to you all ! :04:

As others have said, get a 120v machine and gas bottle. A small bottle is fine. I fill mine a couple times a year. You'll be good for anything but heavy frame work. The community college welding class is a great idea too if available in your area.

[Chevynut]

I taught myself to stick, gas, TIG and MIG weld. I personally don't think you need a class to learn to weld. There's all sorts of information and videos on the internet that show you how, and the MOST important thing is to practice. I agree with Rick that you should go with MIG using argon/CO2, not flux wire. It will make a cleaner weld, and it's easier to see what you're doing. A 120V MIG will weld up to 1/8" steel ok, and if you do it right you can weld thicker material.

Welding is fun. Once you buy a welder, you'll wonder what you did without one, especially if you're working on a car.

[BAM55]

I'm more like chevynut. I'm self taught and I've never took a course. Mig welding is pretty simple and I believe anyone to teach themselves but a course can't hurt. Tig weld takes more finesse but can be learned it just takes practice.

[finn210]

just get a nice MIG and start to weld...I cant even imagine messing with these old cars without welding...fabricating your own parts is so much fun, sky is the limit what you can do.

[bowtie_nut]

Try metalmeet.com. I found that there is a lot of good info on that site too.
Keith

[jblack55]

just get a nice MIG and start to weld...I cant even imagine messing with these old cars without welding...fabricating your own parts is so much fun, sky is the limit what you can do.

No truer words were ever spoken like the people here trying to help others It just can't get any better than that :tu:tu and:anim_25:

[red56]

Ok, I'm going to give it a try in a couple months. But one question I have now is, should I go with the Mig with gas or go strickly flux wire. There must be pro's and con's to each and I know I'm at the right place to find out each. After viewing several video's online, I think I can learn this by myself, but I want to get the right unit, the simpler, the better. I think the ones with dual adjustments would be best. If I buy a used unit, what should I look out for in regards to functionality and is the unit any good or stay away from (certain type) and what do you guys recommend. :bowtieb:

[finn210]

Absolutely with gas! no doubt about it...you dont need really fancy unit with all the bells and whistles but try to get one with portable adjustments, both wire and lead. Some cheaper unit has only switchs for wire and electric and sometimes it´s really tricky to get it right...actually you need to adjust really often for different situations. Some new welders are fully automatic you just choose how thick stuff you are welding and the machine do the fine adjustments by your speed and heat production.

[GaryC]

Ok, I'm going to give it a try in a couple months. But one question I have now is, should I go with the Mig with gas or go strickly flux wire. There must be pro's and con's to each and I know I'm at the right place to find out each. After viewing several video's online, I think I can learn this by myself, but I want to get the right unit, the simpler, the better. I think the ones with dual adjustments would be best. If I buy a used unit, what should I look out for in regards to functionality and is the unit any good or stay away from (certain type) and what do you guys recommend. :bowtieb:

Really no pro's and all con's going with the flux wire.

[red56]

Ok now, everybody has been talking about Mig welders and I like the idea, but what about stick welders. How would those compare to the Mig and is the stick welder going beyond reallity for what I want to use it for? See first posting on page one.
Thanks again guys..........just some old :00000692:

[57throwback]

Ok now, everybody has been talking about Mig welders and I like the idea, but what about stick welders. How would those compare to the Mig and is the stick welder going beyond reallity for what I want to use it for? See first posting on page one.
Thanks again guys..........just some old :00000692:

the stick welder is really not at all what you want unless you are building bridges basically. They have a huge heat affect zone which can and will warp the panels, they make very very dirty welds that would require a TON of clean up as they have no gas and just a flux for shielding purposes, they are also big and bulky. For welding really thick metal like on a bridge, or something like 3/4 inch thick that does not require cleaning of the welds, or having to worry about warpage they are great.
Trust me, for body work, even frame work, you do not want a stick welder. Get yourself a nice MIG welder and learn with that. It will do everything you need it to on a body, just make sure you use Gas with it as well.

[F.I. 57 Belair]

Here is a link to a supplier local to me. They have a number of stores including three in Michigan. They are a dealer for all major welding brands and have very help full staff. They also sell on the internet. I just bought a Hypertherm plasma cutter from them and got a great buy. Also check out their site called Weldmyworld.com Lot of help and tips for a new welder there. I am also including a link to a site called Welding tips and tricks. Jodi has many videos on all types of welding. A very informative site.
My advice on a welder for a first time user would be a Miller autoset 140 or a comparable Lincoln. They will run on a 110V 20 amp circuit and can weld up to 3/16 material with no problem.
If I was in the market for a new Mig welder I would move up to the Millermatic 211. It will run on 110V or 220V, and has a capacity of 3/8 inch. It comes with an adapter plug so it can be used on either voltage with out rewiring the cord. If you buy a name brand welder and decide you want to sell it later you can always get a good price for it. If you can swing it attend a welding class. Then lots of practice. Good luck hope this helps.
Tom



http://www.bakersgas.com/?iorb=4764&utm_source=Sponsored&utm_medium=PPC&utm_campaign=BROI

http://www.weldmyworld.com/

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/index.html

[55shoebox1320]

i would look into a class - they can get you narrowed down fast, then you can hone your skills yourself. it is really nice having someone right there you can ask - you could get frustrated without it.

You can rent books now super cheap - lets you spend your money on tools and supplies you get to take away with you.

[Ratpackin]

i would look into a class - they can get you narrowed down fast, then you can hone your skills yourself. it is really nice having someone right there you can ask - you could get frustrated without it.

You can rent books now super cheap - lets you spend your money on tools and supplies you get to take away with you.

:tu
My thoughts exactly. I took a class from the local community college. Enjoyed it and learned a bunch. -They cover the boring stuff too- safety. Very important. :)

good luck

[bbird76020]

I have a Millermatic 140 mig welder and basically taught myself how to weld. It has the auto feed which is nice and I use 80/20 mixture of gas. I'm an IT guy and I can actually make a decent weld with this machine. And it's 110 powered.

[3 Tri-Fives]

I learned in ag & metal class in High School. I think that it might have been said but maybe not.....the flux core wire is also larger than what you can use with the gas so it is harder to control the heat. A 110V mig setup will do you well for car restoration. Good luck!

[bigblock261]

:tu
My thoughts exactly. I took a class from the local community college. Enjoyed it and learned a bunch. -They cover the boring stuff too- safety. Very important. :)

I just wanted to be able to properly attach new spring perches to a rear axle, without being ashamed of the beads.

When this thread started I was inspired to enroll in a MIG class at the local JC. I purchased a very lightly used Millermatic 180 (230v) unit off Craigslist so I could practice at home also.

Six weeks in I am learning, but I am not the valedictorian. My initial comment is without a competent instructor to help adjust the voltage and wire speed, and provide guidance, I would have probably already given up in frustration.

As a rookie I was absolutely clueless to diagnose problems with the appearance of the intended weld.

I now see why welding is taught in the Industrial Arts building, because expert welding is not just a skill, it is an art.

There are so many variables and techniques, someone like me can really benefit by taking a class.

[Aus 57]

Practice,Practice,Practice and you will be suprised how quick it will come to you... I weld for a living and one point I must stress is to make sure the area to be welded is clean from rust/paint and any other gunk. If you have a small migwelder-what size wire are you using? If your voltage is at its maximum and it seems to be cold with little penetration then maybe try a smaller sized wire.

Another tip is when your mig welding you push the mig wire along but drag a stick/electrode.
:anim_25:
Cheers,
Aus

[wagzilla]

I went to a local community college. The instructor was great, and classes weren't very expensive - book was a bit pricey but I was able to sell it to a new student next semester. This is my thought, You use there Gas and metal and there machines and they will have a few differant styles, See what works for you!!

[NickP]

This is my thought, You use there Gas and metal and there machines and they will have a few differant styles, See what works for you!!

I agree with most of what is said here - I am still of the opinion that time spent in a well-structured and equipped class is money well spent. One can certainly read a book, go purchase a machine and learn to puddle metal and apparently attach to pieces of parent metal with a bead of metal. What a class affords you is a person of knowledge to teach you technique, something a book just can’t illustrate by a bunch of zig-zag lines or a statement that the push method is how it should be done – When you test a weld by a prescribed method and see how your weld performs along with knowing that what looks good on the surface will hold up and the penetration is there with no voids, then you have learned what it takes to do the job.
Here is the thing to remember – other than putting floors or body sheets or some other little tab to hold interior parts together, what you do is to place a liability upon your skills that warrants serious consideration to the overall task. When you modify a chassis or some component within that may, given the right set of circumstances – FAIL, you endanger yourself, any passenger and or innocent bystander. You then become the liable individual. I take this hobby very serious and look at everything I do as a liability. 30 years ago, this great country of ours was not law suit happy. Today, you see advertisements from ambulance chasers, work related injury, mal practice from all arenas and on and on.
Learn your craft well, take no chances. The lives of people you love may be jeopardized by a small innocent un-noticed void in a four-link, a spring perch, a brake line tab, clutch linkage, steering link or a multitude of things we all do every day and never give thought to.
I HAVE SEEN THE AFTERMATH OF A WELD FAILURE – FUNERALS ARE NO FUN – TRUST ME.