Learning to weld

[Boostdclips99]

After watching this forum for some time I have caught the desire to get into basic fabrication work. Only problem with that, I have little to no knowledge of welding.

I wanted to get some advice on learning the basics to welding. I would love to have the option to take classes but I work 8-5 m-f, so I'm limited on time during the week. I have looked around for a technical school but haven't found any that are close.

Of course I will be purchasing a welder but I would will need decide my goals before I make the plunge. What is the best way to get started from scratch...videos, books, forums?

 

[91stocker]

Id say the best way to learn is just jump in. Learn by doing. Better looking welds requires more actual weld time.

Those classes will teach you things like metallurgy, break down of the machine, etc, but most of it is actual weld time. Google will tell you what wire you need for what metals in about 2 seconds anyway .

And there are no presets on the machine for different metals and different thicknesses. That depends more on your weld style and the machine itself. You could weld the same material with three different machines and they could all require different settings. Same as tuning a car haha.

So yea just dig in and start running beads on some scrap.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

Buy your self a basic welding book that shows weld preps and all other info, it really is a case of teach your self and find your way of welding, we have new ESAB units but they correct your mistakes but you then counteract it and it comes out like crap so i prefer a normal machine with out all the tech as i find i get a better weld on them like the miller dynasty series, maybe different over here to yours in the US. Just buy a mig or tig depending on wuat your wanting to learn on and teatch your self basics

 

[foxracing4500]

hate to say but we are coming/in the age where the internet will teach us anything we wanna know, do your reviews on a good welder, watch YouTube videos and do lots of hands on training. Shit I never knew how to polish until I started watching video's and now im good enough to do mirror finishes on products.

 

[crash89]

Get ta reading!! haha If you have a buddy whos got a welder you could borrow for a weekend that would be ideal. However, take a look in these little guys to get an idea of what kind of welder you'd want to get, it also depends on what kind of welding you want to do (TIG or MIG) or both.. Oh all of these were on this first page in this section.. Just sayin!

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/custom-fabrication/424233-official-welding-thread.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/custom-fabrication/424232-your-most-recent-welding-pics.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/custom-fabrication/446013-ac-dc-tig-cheap-does-aluminum.html

 

[Boostdclips99]

Id say the best way to learn is just jump in. Learn by doing. Better looking welds requires more actual weld time.

Those classes will teach you things like metallurgy, break down of the machine, etc, but most of it is actual weld time. Google will tell you what wire you need for what metals in about 2 seconds anyway .

And there are no presets on the machine for different metals and different thicknesses. That depends more on your weld style and the machine itself. You could weld the same material with three different machines and they could all require different settings. Same as tuning a car haha.

So yea just dig in and start running beads on some scrap.

That's very informative, I was thinking that best way to learn would be to practice of course. I would like to get a welder and try hands on a bit then learn about more about metals and settings after I have some practice.

Buy your self a jasic welding book that shows weld preps and all other info, it really is a case of teatch your self and find your way of welding, we have new ESAB units but tuey correct your mistakes but you then counteract it and it comes out like crap so i prefer a normal machine with out all the tech as i find i get a better weld on them like the miller dynasty series, maybe different over here to yours in the US. Just buy a mig or tig depending on wuat your wanting to learn on and teatch your self basics

I've been looking into Hobart's 500500 Handler 140 as a nice starting MIG welder. Very nice entry price and will probably do most of the small garage jobs until I get a little more experience. Thanks for the book advice!

Get ta reading!! haha If you have a buddy whos got a welder you could borrow for a weekend that would be ideal. However, take a look in these little guys to get an idea of what kind of welder you'd want to get, it also depends on what kind of welding you want to do (TIG or MIG) or both.. Oh all of these were on this first page in this section.. Just sayin!

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/custom-fabrication/424233-official-welding-thread.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/custom-fabrication/424232-your-most-recent-welding-pics.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/custom-fabrication/446013-ac-dc-tig-cheap-does-aluminum.html

My father has a welder but I'm about 2 hours from him so I'm planning on getting one of my own. I would love to go ahead and get a TIG, but for entry level experience I think they are a little higher priced than I would like to go. I took a look at those forums but it seems those guys have a lot welding time under their belts, I am fresh out the door so it was a little over my head.

 

[99ECLIPSEGSXDSM]

It's all pretty much trial and error. Just make sure you stay a constant speed. Get your setting dialed to what works best for you cause everyone's different and nobody welds 100% the same as anyone else. 

 

[Gamble97]

First things first. What is your budget and what do you want to build?
You can see a lot of my welding on this site or at my site gamble-racing.com
I've only gotten a few years under my belt, and only 1 year with my miller tig welder. Maybe 1.5 years.
Anywho, i was like you a few years back and wanted to learn so I bought a harbor freight welder (used) for $80 and a cheap helmet $40 and some gloves. Searched the internet and youtube and bought some scrap metal and just started to play with it.
I did end up building some very basic crap, most of which went back into the scrap pile.
Sold it for $100 and bought a nice lincoln mig welder. Sold that later and got nothing...then a harbor freight stick welder, and learned stick, then converted it to tig, then bought a tig, then bought a mig.
So i will warn you, tread carefully as it's a expensive and fun hobby!

So with all that being said, if you want to start off cheap and learn the basics, go to harbor freight and get this little guy
90 Amp Flux Wire Welder

It's flux core (meaning no gas required) and it can actually put out some decent looking welds. That, a helmet, gloves and wire brush and such you will at less than $200 total investment. It's a cheap way to see if you will like something or not without spending a lot of money. I think everyone should have a welder in their garage, it has saved my ass many times. Once working on my old conquest, while taking the manifold off, 2 studs broke and wouldn't come off, so I used my little welder that could to weld a nut onto the stud and back it off with a socket. Without the welder, I'm sure I would still be fighting it.
Also not this welder will not do aluminum. You 'can' mig and stick weld aluminum but it's not ideal. Tig is the way to go.
Tig welder = AC = aluminum/magnesium DC= steel
Stick = DC has a much more stable arc

Also check out Welding Tips and Tricks - TIG, MIG, Stick and a pantload of other info I think I have seen every one of his videos.
WeldingWeb™ - Welding forum for pros and enthusiasts - Powered by vBulletin is great for learning, beware of old timers they tend to get pissy easily
Ron Covell
Ron Covell Creative Metalworking Workshops
This guys dvd's are a little pricey. Around $40 each however the material in there is awesome! I bought 2 of his tig dvds and want to buy his mig one next.

This guy Kevin has great videos and is doing a demo of his new mig welder for $330 that also comes with a spool gun. He is going to do a video on the spool gun next (spool gun + argon = aluminum)
How to Use a MIG Welder With Flux Core Wire - Kevin Caron - YouTube

Another very important thing to note is to clean your parts with ACETONE. NOT NOT NOT NOT brake cleaner.

 

[Boostdclips99]

Thanks for the thorough response Gamble. Good to hear from someone who also started at the very bottom. I've seen the HF welder before but wondered if it was worth it. For some reason I never get pulled to an inexpensive hobby So I'm willing to put a little money into the tools to do the job right. With that said my budget doesn't really have a Tig welder in it yet, nor does my skill level allow it.

As for my goals of welding, I see doing odds and ends like you. Needing to weld a nut to broken stud, weld up some brackets, fix broken welds, etc. One thing I find myself is wishing I could do custom exhaust work. Not necessarily building an exhaust header from flange up but welding in o2 bungs or welding up some flanges. I think the basic Mig welder should do all of this with no problems, then eventually when I gain experience and knowledge I'll move over to a Tig.

 

[Gamble97]

The only issue I see with exhaust work and a mig welder is that you need a tri-mix or argon,co2,helium for stainless. I am sure you can do flux if you know what your doing.
Regular steel requires c25 (mix of 25% co2, and 75% argon)
And if you use a spool gun on your mig for aluminum it's straight argon. This is where tig welders help out a ton because no matter what material you weld on tig you use straight argon.

Of course some people do different mixes here and there but it's beyond the scope of the beginner level.

 

[My1GLaser]

I have had a HF flux core mig for about 5 years, and haven't had one problem out of it. Got it for $90. I prefer the .035" Lincoln wire you can get at lowes over the chicago electric wire at HF.

If you wanna weld SS exhaust, you could always stick weld it. SS stick welds can look very good. The cheaper HF stick welder can handle 3/32" rods and probably weld between 1/8" & 1/4" thick SS, so exhaust should be no problem. I'm thinking about picking up the small stick welder for under $100 so I can weld SS at home too. I've been stick welding for about 12 years and it can look as flawless as a good Tig bead. It has a different look, but still a beautiful weld.

 

[Gamble97]

^^He's right, you can get damn good looking welds with stick, even with mig as well as tig.
This is my stick welder
Inverter Arc Welder - 80 Amp
only 80amps but it does a great job. i also started to tig with this. I got a torch and made it work, got a tank of argon and started to weld (scratch start)
Here is my video
Harbor Freight Tig welding 110v - YouTube