I Want to Learn to Weld

[Chopper Lover]

Hi Guys!

I have had an interest in welding for many years and would like to get started. I would like to "get it right" the first time when selecting equipment. I can see most of my applications to be with metal thickness that would be commonly found on mowers, automobiles, trailers and motorcycles.

What type of welder should I buy, gas, electric, MIG, TIG, etc.? I have no problem with previously owned equipment which is good since cost is a factor. Is there a particular brand to avoid? What should I look for in capability?

What about learning and education? I know they have courses at the local community college that run about $450. That is a bit more than I would choose to spend at the moment.

ANY help will be beneficial and graciously accepted.

Thanks in advance!
Mark

[Deere John]

You will no doubt get good advice on equipment here, and I could add my 2 cents too about equipment, but I won't. Instead, I'll say that you should look at one of those basic welding courses first of all.

Why? Well, they are not all that expensive, and there is a variety of welding machines there and the expertice to use them is at hand. The cost of a course here is under $300, and that is money well spent.

Once you've had a general exposure to the sport, you can zero in on what you want to do, and make sensible and informed equipment choices from there.

Hope this helps.

[Island Lawn]

I'm hoping to learn everything I need to know about welding right here for free at my own pace. Just like I did for my lawncare biz!LOL

Well, maybe not EVERYTHING!

But, maybe how to fix broken equipment, and what equipment I would need to weld as a "hobby"

[Eric ELM]

I learned to weld 50 years ago when a Forney Welder salesman came to our farm and demonstrated a welder. My dad ended up buying it and I made all sorts of things. I got a set of old washing machine gears and mounted them on the back of my wagon and got an old horse drawn steel wheeled sulky that you sat on while pulling drags and other old equipment and I took the steel wheels and mounted them on the back of this wagon. I welded steel rods cross ways on the wheels for traction. I mounted an old army surplus motor on it and had a chain drive from the gears to the wheels. :)

This thing would pull like crazy. My first off road vehicle. :D

I later made a motor bike that I rode all over the country using the same motor. Basically I learned from this salesman and OJT from all the years I have tinkered with welding. I'm far from good at it, but I got by for many years. ;)

[Catcher]

Welding is fun and can help you out of a pinch as well. I'd agree with the Deere-man and recommend a class of sorts to people who never burned a stick.
This will teach the very basics and give the person an idea of what they will want to buy as well.
To teach someone how to weld over the net is near impossible(?) and downright dangerous.
A forum is practical for tips, advise and troubleshooting if a basic knowledge is present (once again, in my opinion - that is).

[Alan]

Here in the NW corner of Vermont there are night classes offered at the local technical centers. These are the "trade school" branch of our local high school system. Tuition is VERY reasonable as a rule, generally under $100 for about 30 hours of classroom time. They tend to be somewhat intensive on torch work, cutting and oxy/fuel welding. Nothing wrong with that though, as once you can run a bead with a torch you pretty much know what a puddle looks and acts like, so that transfers over to the arc processes and heliarc (TIG) especially so.

As for equipment, if I could have only one power supply it would be a Lincoln AC225 "Buzz Box". Very similar to the Forney that Eric talked about, although the Forney offered more heat choices.

[75]

Mark - if you're starting out "stone cold" in the welding field, I think that a basic welding course is the best place to start - the initial cost will be made up quickly by the reduced frustration factor! Catcher's right - welding basics are pretty hard to teach over the 'net. Once the basics are in place, you'll have a good foundation to build from.

From the projects listed (mowers, autos etc) it sounds like a good 220 volt MIG machine would be an ideal all-around welder for you. By using small diameter wire and turning down the amperage/wire speed you can work with body metal, and larger wire/more heat/feed rate will allow you to perform repairs on things such as trailers. One requirement of a MIG is indoor workspace, because the process relies on a gas shield (the term MIG stands for Metal Inert Gas - the gas (commonly carbon dioxide - CO2) protects the weld puddle from contaminants in the atmosphere while it cools) which even a slight breeze can disperse, causing problems

If you'll be welding outdoors, then a decent 220 volt arc (stick) machine will work well. It won't be as handy on the really light stuff, but it will be more than adequate for heavier fabbing.

Used is OK - like anything else, check it out thoroughly before buying and if possible, it helps to know the history of the machine - and I don't find too much difference between brands: in fact a lot of the various brands are the same machine with different colours & stickers!

If you're into welding, you'll probably soon want torches as well. At home I've got a set of medium-duty Harris torches set up for oxy/propane. This means I only have to worry about an oxygen bottle account, the propane side is your basic barbecue tank!

One other tool that is very useful is a good 5" disk grinder. I find the smaller ones to be a little too light-duty, while the big 7" grinders are nice to have but too cumbersome for a lot of tasks.

Welcome to the world of metal fab, I hope this info helps you out a little.

[Dave1250]

Hi Al Just came from the local welding buissnes and pick up a tourch head which someone help then self to my old one . Ouch $100.00 it`s a smiths HD I also have the smaller smith unit this summer I will get a Mig I`ll be checking in here alot . Dave also the local dealer has all kinds of info to read Both brands Linlon and miller have web site with info .

[Jason_S]

If you have access, try to do some oxy-acetelyene welding to start out. You will quickly learn how to lay the wire into joints and what not. Then, stick weldng will come easier, and wire feed welding will come even easier yet. The big thing to remember is to know how fast to go, and how high to set the power. I see a lot of rookies burning holes through metal when neglecting these two factors.

Miller makes some of the best welders I can think of! They make some nice smaller wire feeds that will fufill you applications ChopperLover!!!!

Try to get some practice time in!!!!!!! Find a buddy w/ a welder

[plowjockey]

Welding can be frustrating to learn, but once you get it "right" the first time there is just no feeling like it. The pride you get from creating something from a bunch of raw steel that is done well and will serve your purpose is a really great. The benefits of having the capacity to fix a problem in an emergency or the option to fabricate something you need from your own design opens up an unlimited number of doors.

Enjoy your welding and above all listen to all the good advice and especially the safety tips you will get from the good people here.

Bruce

[75]

Just a couple bits of info to pass along: most arc (stick) machines used in home workshops are AC (Alternating Current) only. Nothing wrong with that, it's just that 7018 welding rod isn't happy with AC current and it's a bear to work with. You can get 7018AC rod, some other types of welding rod I use at home on the AC machine are: 6011, 6013 and 7014.

When torch cutting, use a straightedge to aid you whenever possible. I like to use a piece of 3/8" x 2" flat bar, I mark out the piece I'm cutting, and clamp the flat bar down allowing for the thickness of the torch tip - typically I keep the flat bar 3/16" to 1/4" back from my layout line, you'll need to find out what your torch requires. Start your cut, and draw the torch along the flat bar - just like drawing a line with a T-square in mechanical drafting (remember that?) Easier to produce a clean cut this way, and more efficient (faster) too. I use a straightedge for cutting as much as possible. Yes, I can freehand a decent cut but I can do it faster with a straightedge - and when the customer is paying $$$ per hour to have me on a jobsite, efficiency is important!

And always, ALWAYS keep those safety glasses on! I can't believe the number of times I catch some of my co-workers finishing a weld, lifting their helmet, and chipping the still-hot slag without their glasses on - or grinding away, again with no glasses. The human eye protects itself by blinking, but there is no way you can react fast enough, particularly with a grinder turning at around 10,000 rpm. Makes me shudder just watching it - eye injuries are not fun.

Quick tip to help in the fabbing end of things: when cleaning up small pieces of plate with a grinder, it's often a nuisance to clamp each one into a vise or to the table to keep them in place - particularly when there's a lot of them. Using one hand to hold them while you run the grinder with the other is NOT a good idea - I've got a few scars on my fingers as proof of this! :eek:

Use a piece of old conveyor belting (2' x 2' is a handy size) on your workbench, set the plates on it & there is enough friction between the rubber & steel to keep the parts from scooting all over the place on you.

Hope this can be of some help - more info to follow as it comes to mind!

[Edited by 75 on 04-29-2001 at 11:21 PM]

[Mudbug44s]

Its Great that you want to learn a new skill and become more involved in making your own "Toys". I have to recomend that you take an entry level class at your local trade school or community college. The instructors can demonstrate to you the proper welding techniques and you can SEE for yourself exactly how the weld profile should be.

The instructors will be able to assist you in deciding what kind of equipment you will need for your application. I would stick to a simple AC/DC SMAW welder (Stick). Commonly called a Buzz Box. These work well and can get you welding for under $500, complete.

I work as a Pipe welder for the Local Union, I am an AWS Certified Welding Inspector and I work For a large Community College as a Welding Lab Tech. I can tell you how to weld but the seceret to becoming a good welder is PRACTICE. Arc on time is the only way to hone your skills and with a good instructor to guide your progres you will be amazed at how fast you progress!!! Good Luck!

Andy

[75]

Hi Andy - welcome to Lawnsite, and especially to our newest forum! Nice to see another person making a living in this field.

As I mentioned in a previous post, you're right about the value of a trade school class - and this is coming from someone who mostly "learned by doing".

I'm employed by a fairly small company, so I get to enjoy lots of variety. Generally, I'm doing mobile welding - structural steel, some pipe and a lot of repair welding. Going into week #6 at a local quarry tomorrow morning. I've got my Welding Supervisor rating through CWB - no Inspector qualifications yet though!

On the money with your suggestion of practice, practice, practice. THAT's the way to progress!

[DYNA PLOW]

chopper
, i learned to weld when i worked in a fab shop for 4yrs, so i learned
with the best equip. also learned how to run a shear and set up brake presses, punch presses, rollers and just about everything in the shop. when i left the shop i couln't afford a real good welder so i started with a 110v flux core mig welder, it worked well for things up to 1/8 inch but anything bigger than that i called it a bubble gum welding machine. i could weld 1/4 inch with it but i would first heat up the area to weld with my torch then burn it in.i have since graduated to a hobart ironman 210. with my plasma cutter and welder, torch,drill press ,grinders. i can and do tackle all sorts of projects.
my advice to you, start small meaning don't start welding on things that are critical such as trailer hitches and other high stress things, start with mower decks, brackets and other light stuff like that.
my final piece of advice, if you can afford it buy an auto darkening
helmet, i think it will help you to learn easier ang make you a better welder. up down, up down , up down, o sh t how did my wire get over ther? i pd. 158.00 for mine and would't trade it for anything.
when you buy your welder if you get it from a supply store ask if they can give you a better price on a helmet if you buy the welder .
have fun!!
dan

[75]

This will seem like pretty "basic" information to those of you experienced in welding, but for someone just starting out with "stick" (arc) welding, here are some "rules of thumb" regarding what size electrode to use & how hot to set the machine at:

Welding rod size is determined by the diameter of the metal part of the rod, the 3 sizes you'll generally use are 3/32" (2.4 mm) 1/8" (3.2 mm) and 5/32" (4.0 mm)

Welding heat is determined by amperage, the basic "rule of thumb" is 1 amp per thousandth of an inch of electrode diameter. 3/32" = .093, so around 95 amps. 1/8" = .125, so 125 amps. 5/32" = .156, so about 160 amps. These numbers are a guideline, you may find you have better results with the amperage set a little higher or lower, but they give you a place to start.

I generally use 1/8" electrodes for the majority of my work, the 5/32" is used for heavier welding especially when a fairly large weld deposit is required - it takes fewer passes to lay down a 1/2" fillet weld with the larger electrode. 3/32" is useful for working with items like thin-walled tube (railings) and plates 1/8" and under. It's also handy for the root (initial) pass on some pipe welds.

As far as what type of electrode to use, that's a whole discussion in itself! One thing to remember is that most welding machines you're likely to find in a home workshop are AC current only. Nothing wrong with that, except that some types of welding rod (such as the 7018 which I use every day at work) don't perform well with AC current. When fabbing stuff at my "home" workshop, I usually use 6013 for most welding and 6011 when working with items that may be dirty/rusty such as snowplow repairs.