How can I learn welding?
 

I'm interested in learning how to weld.

What advice can you experienced welders give me?

Can I simply buy a book and practise, or do you suggest perhaps attending a short course?

Get a book, get a welder, and start out on some small projects where weld quality isn't that important. Make sure to have your angle grinder close at hand to clean up those messy, ugly welds you'll undoubtably make. Talk to some welders to learn their technique, but I think you'll find there's no substitute for experience.

Have a friend help you if possible, I taught my husband how to weld.

Hiedi

I can safely say that I have never heard that statement before! Good for you. I wish my wife could teach me how to weld.

Mike

I must admit, my wife taught me how to do "Show plane quality" aircraft fabric covering work. (She is also a better shot with her Ruger 44 magnum!)

I learn to do aircraft quality tig welding by practicing on scrap over about a two week period.

With any type of welding, proper penetration is what is what you need to learn how to recognize and obtain. Too little and the weld is just laying on top but not actually doing much. Too much means you melted a hole or possibly created a thin weak cross section.

No-one that I know who welds ever took a class, experience is the best teacher.

If your just looking to do home and auto stuff, a good MIG welder, a book, and a bit of practice will have you welding in no time; simplest to use and learn.

Over here many public school systems offer adult ed evening classes, and many small trade schools offer evening mini-courses, in both cases welding is usually offered; it's a good way to get some time on a variety of machines for little time and dollar outlay. Not a terrible way to spend a dozen or so nights if they offer something similar local to you.

A little off-topic: I had a buddy who used to enroll in the local tech school's auto-body night program just to use their spray booth, he'd have whatever project ready for paint at home; good way to get access to a pro paint booth for DIY'ers.

I was going to sign up for a welding class at the local community college. I don't expect to get a lot of practice welding, but I do expect to at least learn the basics, and safety protocol, so that I can practice on my own.

I tried that, the only place I could find that even offered a welding class was an "adult education" place, which I guess was geared toward vocational skills for the unemployed. The only classes they offered were mid-morning (like 10AM IIRC) Monday through Friday. :rolleyes:

I guess if you already have a job, they don't want your money.

Tom

Hi Merv,

I learned by viewing a video that came with the welder and reading a couple books on metallurgy and welding techniques. Then I started practicing with scrap steel. In an afternoon I was a petty decent welder.

There are many welders to choose from which can make selection a bit intimidating. Here are a few ideas/tips:

- MIG is a relatively inexpensive and versatile tool. You'll end up using more than you think.

- Invest in name brand welder. Getting parts down the road from an off brand manufacturer may be impossible.

- You may prefer going with a unit that uses 220 as opposed to 110. (Not sure what standard current/phase you use down under) You'll be able to weld thicker metal and run longer.....
- ......go with the highest amp/duty cycle that fits your budget.

- Go with gas not flux core. Flux is very messy with less precise welds.

- You can use straight Argon for most everything. You can go with a C02/Aron mix or you can use straight C02 (Less clean weld/lots of spatter).

- If you weld galvanized steel be aware that the fumes are very toxic. You should weld in a well ventilated area anyway.

- As the cost of the welder goes up the adjustability of the feed and current (heat) become more precise and flexible.

- You can weld aluminum but feeding the aluminum wire through the long feed tube up to the gun is typically unreliable. A gun feed/reel makes this more productive but more expensive.


Some related pelican threads:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=137862&highlight=weldin g

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=187330&highlight=weldin g

Check your local community college(s), ours has several welding classes available.

yep my wife taught me how to weld,but here is a link to tell you the basics. http://www.aussieweld.com.au/arcwelding/
she told me if i could stick weld good then any other welding will be easy. she is well versed in arc & gas,but try the link.very informational.
james

Take an adult school class at the local VoTech. That's what I did.

Just like Rick. I bought a welder so my son and I could improve his FJ40 for the Rubicon trail.
We used this.

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/millermatic_175/

THe community college here has welding as a course (actually several of different levels I think).

Thanks for all the advice guys. Much appreciated!

I guess my first step is to enrol in a short course at the local Uni to learn the basics and then invest in a decent MIG welder and practise, practise, PRACTISE!

I really just want to learn so I can modify and fabricate exhaust and charge air intake pipes for my car.

Never know where else it may come in handy around the house too ;)

Very enjoyable thread with some great info. I learned to weld this weekend...or, better stated, I learned how to practise welding this weekend!
I simply got tired of imposing on a friend of mine who welds and decided to ask him to teach me the basics of stick welding.
It was a hoot...wish I had done it years ago!
Have fun.

Can anyone recommend a good MIG welder?
I'd like to order online today.
thanks.

http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code =U1474-2

I never welded before. But one day I bought a cheap stick welder from Lowes. After hours of trying, getting the stick stuck to the surface, I gave up. I finally bought a MIG welder, and I must say it really doesn't take any skill to get started. With practice the welds get better, and you finally start to make nice beads with good penetration. Practice also gives you the knowledge of what heat settings and wire speeds to use.

I'm sure a class would help out greatly, it'll probably help me too. But as I said, a MIG is almost point and click from the get-go. The skill in using a MIG is in learning how to make the welds looks good.

Spend the money on an auto-dimming helmet too. I found that using a conventional helmet, my hands would stray from the starting point, and at times I would weld a line up to 2" below where I wanted to weld. With the auto dim helmet, you can clearly see where you are with the helmet down, and when you squeeze the trigger, the helmet goes dark and your hands don't move from their starting place because of dropping the helmet.

Great tips guys! OK, I'm pumped to go out and get a decent, yet cheap, beginner's MIG Welder and start practicing ;)

My first real project is to weld a -10AN (5/8") barbed fitting to my left hand chain housing cover, for an oil drain from my turbo :D

Don't stress tho! I'll practise on scrap metal first ;)

Any recommendations for what spec MIG I should be looking at? Amperage, Gas/Gasless etc? Features etc?

Advice greatly appreciated!

Gas..... It isn't truly a MIG without gas. Think future proof, you don't want to have to buy twice. So, get something that will be rated at the max thickness of metal you ever plan to weld. This choice will also dictate whether or not you'll need a 220 outlet in your garage.

I have a 180amp Marquette MIG, with an 80cu.ft. tank(about 4' tall). 150 amp will do most anything you could want to do in your garage. You might even get by with a 100amp, but most 100ampere welders are set up as a flux core welder, with gas being an 'option' that requires some expensive parts.

The big difference between flux core and true MIG is slag build up. When using a flux cored wire, you don't actually see the weld that you are laying down, you see the slag building up, which needs to be chipped away to reveal the weld. With true MIG using gas, what you see is what you get.

Thanks Jack! Great advice :)

You also need different gas, and different wire for welding aluminum. Do yourself a favor, take your chain box to someone with a TIG welder, who knows what they are doing.

Tom

Hmmm.. or I could just tap it for a -10AN NPT style screw-in fitting :confused:

Merv, you could absolutely do that.

However, once you start welding you'l get hooked.

You could use straight co2 to weld steel but you'll get more splatter...messier (yet very servicable) weld. Many use a 75%-25% co2 Argon mix for a cleaner weld. Then for aluminum you can use the straight argon.

What voltage/current/phase service do you use there?

240V A/C ;)

I don't mind using a -10AN NPT fitting with a barbed end, so I can slide the oil drain hose over it. Investing in a tapping tool is certainly much cheaper than a welder, however, I'm keen to learn that skill anyway, so I can use it for other things around the house/car etc :D

All your advice/suggestions are great! Keep 'em coming :D

As suggested by others, you may want to go to a reputable welding supply shop and talk to the staff. They may have trade-ins, last year's models etc at a discounted price and a warranty. If you play it right they may help by putting a package together and showing you the basics.

If you are thinking of doing aluminum welding, check the MIG's that have a spool gun option. Aluminum wire is pretty flimsy, and can bind in the liner on it's way to the gun, not to mention changing out liners for changing to different type wire is a pain.

A spool gun can be loaded with aluminum wire, and it just basically plugs in. So going from mild steel to aluminum is quick and painless. You do still have to swap out gasses, but bottles aren't too terribly expensive. So you can have a blend gas for mild steel, and straight argon for doing aluminum.

But as mentioned above, a certified welder with a TIG will do a much better job at aluminum welding than you could ever do with a spool gun and a MIG.

I've never tried to weld aluminum, but I've been told, and have read, that it's one of the hardest metals to weld due to it's heat transfering capabilities.

I've been thinking about just getting a Henrob gas torch to do aluminum welding(brazing) with, and leave the MIG for just mild steel.

Great tips, keep 'em coming :D

Tell me, when you need a curve cut into an aluminium pipe, what do you guys use? Angle grinder, dremel tool or just the welder to cut the pipe to the desired shape?

The welding technology that can be used to cut is Oxy/acet.
MIG or TIG won't help you there. By curve do you mean notch?
If so then you're looking at one of these:

http://www.northerntool.com/images/p.../152391_lg.jpg

By curve, I mean, when you join a the end of a pipe onto another curved metal surface. That contraption looks interesting. What's it actually called?

Also, what would one use to create a retention lip/bead onto a pipe. An example would be, a bead for sliding a rubber hose over and clamping down onto the pipe so they don't slide off?

Merv,

It's called a Pipe or Tube Notcher. A bi-metal hole saw is attached to the bottom end of the vertical (silver) shaft. The pipe is locked horizontally (and can be moved to different angles) in the black vice contraption in the left. Available from several sources including Harbor Freight and Northern Tool.

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech...ubenotcher.gif

http://www.toolsplus1.com/images/newnot.jpg



For pipe beading you can use a few methods. The cleanest is a roll beader. They come in electric, hydraulic and manual/crank configurations.

http://www.sdsefi.com/ic5.jpg

http://www.roadraceengineering.com/eclipsetech/icpipebead.htm

I just bought myself a mig welder, but I have never welded before!

Does anyone know of any good "Welding for dummies" or something like that on the web?

Is the part aluminium? Mig is not the easiest to use for that, Tig is better. But it can be done.

I really don't have anything to weld yet, I just want to learn.
But if I do anything it will probably be on the car, so steel.

Good call on the 'auto-dimming helmet' , for me it was..helmet down=darkness and a mess. Now I see what I screw up.
Rika

Hands-down the best welding technique book I've ever seen is "Performance Welding" by Richard Finch. This fellow's books guided me through rebuilding Corvair engines in the 70's. Superb explainations, pictures, etc. He's still active in the SAE field, even festured one of our Corvairs in his latest air conditioning book.

Another popular welder/fabricator is Jesse James, he even quotes Finch's methods in HIS books.

Get some scrap metal (steel) and start playing. Start with thicker metals (1/8" +) and work downwards - thicker material is easier to weld than thinner material. Particularly pay attention to the effect of wire speed changes.

Here's an Olsen-esque pose with my new welder; you can see my dinky little old one off to the side.

http://www.rennlight.com/gallery/image/5000291.JPG

Take a tour at the Miller Welding website. They have a lot of educational info. Also, a very high quality product.
I recently bought a Miller 135 in 110VAC. with gas reg. and it's like a dream come true! Nice!
millerweld.com