I learn all my welding by watching Flashdance.

Something to pay attention to when welding is the welders duty cycle, that one can weld at 150A for 2min then needs too cool for 8min, can run longer at lower settings.

I saw my first 911 in Flashdance but I'll never forget the big coffee table book in the front of B. Dalton's with a white Turbo on it in either late 70s or early 80s. That's when I fell in love with these cars. Wasn't until after college "apprenticing" at a local Independent that I got my first one, a beat to hell 76 with flares for $2000, had to sell a few months later, motor was spitting oil, needed a full rebuild. Even with the shop doing the work, it was too much and had to go.



Thanks, I know all about them with my little beloved 135.

I didn't need to learn how to weld until I moved to the farm.

I took some night classes at the local Tech Center in welding and leaded the most important lessons: Material preparation and welder, for lack of a better term, settings on the welder for the job at hand.

That and, since I don't weld that often, practice on similar stock of Broadway before show time.

At first every weld I did looked like it needed Acne-Statin...now just ok.

My son was a complete natural and he loves to weld.

I have had my Miller Econotig for over 20 years.... Works good for intermittent welding but being just an air cooled torch handle it gets too hot to hold onto if trying to weld for more than a couple minutes straight especially when welding aluminum at high settings. I have never had to stop due to duty cycle rather I have to stop because even wearing thin leather gloves, the tig torch handle gets too hot to hang onto. I can't wear a thicker glove as I always use a thumbwheel controller vs the foot pedal. The thumbwheel control was mandatory when I first bought this machine to crawl around in and weld an aircraft 4130 tubular fuselage structure.

Luckily I seldom need to do any "tig" welding of large heavy components. I mainly use my tig for small intricate welds on thin materials (4130 chrome moly tubing, stainless, aluminum brackets etc). If I needed to do big aluminum jobs, I would have to buy a much more expensive water cooled tig machine. Any larger jobs (like building a steel trailer or mower deck) is a job for my mig welder.

Not only do I need to fix the jigs, I would love to be able to re-TIG the corner of door frame hoops that are cracked. Most I get in have a small crack in the driver's door from 50 years of opening and closing.

I learned to TIG at a night course offered at our county’s Community College. One night a week for about 10-12 weeks. He started with arc and MIG welding basics the first evening. I learned a ton about the trade and am a better welder for it.

One thing that’s critical about TIG is eyesight. You HAVE to see exactly what the puddle is doing and where it is before you dab in the filler rod. My son took to TIG without any coursework and I attribute it to his unfair advantage of youthful eyes. “Readers” are available to snap into the helmet and allow you focus on the work at hand; in my mid-fifties they are mandatory.

Aluminim is MUCH more difficult to weld than steel. Practice is about 80% and having a really good welder and the correct torch and sheilding gas is the rest. If I remember correctly, helium is best for Aluminum along with Pure Tungsten for the electrode. (Green tipped)
When I was very young I did TIG welding on the side for a tool and die company. Learned to weld hardened tool steels fairly well, but when it came to Aluminum, specifically thin Aluminum, its a completely different game.

Thanks Ken, my right eye is pretty bad these days but I'm going to the doctor in a month to be fitted with a special contact for it. right now it's 20/170 but they can get it to 20/40. Left eye is awesome so that helps.

Trying to think of some basic safe practices, others hopefully will pitch in. Wear the equivalent of a thick denim shirt or shop coat, cotton or something that does not melt, no skin exposed, top button done up to protect your neck. if you are wearing boots put pants over the boot, when a hot molten ball rolls off the table it can get in there I learnt that the hard way. Tig gloves with no holes. Decent ventilation or fume extraction especially if welding older cast aluminium or copper alloys they can have beryllium in it, pretty much any fumes are not good for you even ones from stainless steel. I always bend one end of the filler wire so I know the hot side.

Aluminium is not harder to weld than steel, just different, helium not required for basic welding of thin material.

How thick is the material of the door frame hoops? Placing some tight formed copper sheet behind can help, use that for stainless never tried with aluminium. Different filler wire alloys will anodize slightly different colours, will take some experimenting.

You should check into TIG brazing with silicon bronze. A really good method of attaching things. Even building bike frames, so you know it ain't breaking. You don't end up melting the parent metal.

There is silver brazing too. Ideal for already chromed parts. Ag brazing comes in lots of flavors to from 900º melting point down to near lead/tin solder but still hotter at 600º.

BTW, the eye thing is really, really important. I lost sight in the upper part of one eye and I see nothing just over the focal point. TG I can see that focal point but it somehow has messed up my depth perception in close quarters. You may spend a lot to time getting the right helmet and fitted with prescription cheaters.

I have a bit of an astigmatism as well and that doesn't play well with looking at a tiny puddle. I have given up on doing really nice TIG. To me it's just a way to stick parts together now. I'm not going to win any welding contests.

I actually like oxy/fuel welding and brazing. It is my 2nd choice after burning sticks. They say any fool can do that, but getting a nice bead with good penetration with a rod is every bit as satisfying. I think any welder ought to be able to light up a stick of 6010 and burn the whole damn rod. Now you're welding, jack.

Zeke, funny you mentioned silicon bronze I just picked up some to fix the blades of a bronze feathering sailboat prop, it does appear to be pretty useful.

Gosh never said Helium was REQUIRED, and by different you mean??? Its all ok, I understand you are the expert.

Sensitive, sorry. No you did not say required. No I am not an expert, not even certified but did earn a living welding for a while many years ago, and still pretty good at it.

I’ve been watching his stuff for years and even have a few of his yearly collections. I too am teaching myself to Mig and Tig weld. He is a great resource and has pretty much every title of welding experience imaginable and here locally I can’t even get into a community college class because they always fill up in a few hours when registration opens up.

Best of luck and cheers

https://youtube.com/@weldingtipsandtricks?si=Fx72vrg6DwdSgDiu


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I did the night class thing for 8 weeks, so got to be OK. I think a lot of it is correct setting up of the machine and learning the real basics - the night class was good for this.

Then practice practice practice. In fact if I'm doing a weld I get a few scrap bits of the same stuff and do a practice weld first.

I think it was about high school when this came out but I have never noticed the book, then again, I don't think I ever watched the entire movie all the way through. All I remember was her putting on a welding mask as a welder during the day and dance the night away. I always thought it was funny when I say that and a certain age group starts cracking up about it but the younger folks look dumbfounded.

That reminds me of a friend who knows a bunch of programming languages but won't put them on her resume. She says "Once people find out you can program, it's all you'll ever do."

not doing anything TIG this weekend, forgot to get a bottle. Will on Monday so I can do something later in the week.

Various types of welding classes were required where I got my BS. So, I learned a bit of TIG at school, many many years ago.