Anything welding

OK, legitimate question for the welders here. I've always wanted to learn how to weld. How realistic is it that I can buy the equipment and teach myself? Or do I need to take a class?

 

Easy to learn, a lifetime to master.

Depends what type of welding you wish to do, how patient you are with yourself, how well you take constructive criticism, and your willingness to learn.

Everyone here is extremely helpful and as long as you don't try to get ahead of yourself, you'll learn a lot on many Do's and Don'ts.

 

I appreciate that response. I enjoy building things, and have just always wanted to fabricate custom brackets, tabs, or complete assemblies in steel. I am generally mechanically inclined and am definitely aware of the learning curve that comes with craftsmanship.

 

you don't need classes. No classes for me. I didn't have you tube when I wanted to learn to weld. I just bought a MIG welder and started laying welds.

For home use, you can learn everything you need on the net.

If you are planning on being a pro welder, then organized training will help you land a job faster.

 

Because one always goes empty after closing time on a 3 day Holiday weekend .

When you have plans to be welding all weekend!

 

I like that "lifetime to master " phrase.

I've been MIG welding for 30 years. I still learn new techniques.

This is most likely why I have no desire to TIG or stick weld.

I don't have 2 more lifetimes to waste on 2 more styles of welding.

 

Same; I got into welding as a "hobby".

Went to school for it, mainly cause it was free for me, and ended up getting certified in both MIG and stick actually.

Did TIG and MIG "professionally" (I say it that way cause I'm no Pro, I just got paid for providing said work), and now I'm retired just cutting and fabricating shit at home.

By the way, I've been welding for a very short time actually and have tons to learn still.

 

I hated the one time I needed to exchange my bottle only to find my LGS is closed on weekends.

They only recently started to open on Saturdays now (short hours) which can be a huge convenience for many.

 

I’m self taught. I learned by reading tech articles in CarCraft and HotRod magazine. Getting better at it required a lot of time under the hood and understanding to know what it was I was doing wrong. Had I taken a class, it would have taken me a fraction of the time to get to where I am today in regards to abilities and confidence in the finished product. With todays resources online, it isn’t unrealistic to learn to weld alone, but it really depends on how much time you want to devote to getting good at it.

 

Now to me all the processes are the same it comes down to reading the puddle and being able to make it do what you want.

Self taught versus going to school. I have known some teachers that did more harm then good.

The thing I liked about class was the chance to use so many different brands of welders . In stead of being limited to just what you bought. When you buy a lemon one tends to think it is your lack of skill not the machine.

Besides The real interesting things you learn in the field.

 

I was able to use the new gouging tip to cut out what I could not get to with the angle grinder.

Made a couple practice passes with some scrap. And decided to go for it.



Was pretty impressed but did take a couple passes to dial in the machine





Looking ugly..





Got into the base metal a bit, more than I wanted, but for a first time plasma gouging pretty satisfied overall.

Not sure if all the time on an cutting torch helped or not.

 

This is why there are so many multi process welding machines out there.

Unfortunately,not many do all processes that good.

 

So? What welding process are you leaning towards?

I'm guessing you next question is going to be which welder would we recommend?

By all means, please ask.

I'm a estranged from my shop and got lots of time to offer my opinion. So do others.

 

While I appreciate the simplicity of stick welding, I'm leaning toward MIG. I like the idea of setting the voltage, wire speed and gas in advance, so that you are not having to worry about controlling those as you go. I'm definitely open to a good recommendation on a machine.

 

MIG is very forgiving, much more than stick.

It's also much cleaner so you can easily see your work as soon as you're done and figure out what you did right or wrong.

With stick, you can't always trust the slag. Especially doing vertical up or overhead the slag can look nasty (even dripping) but the weld underneath it would be perfect. More of a "trust the process" so to speak.

 

My mig machines are all transformer style Miller 240 volt units. I've been a blue fan for 25 years.

With that said, a buddy of mine picked up. Harbor Freight Vulcan mig max.

I got to use it. It worked great for building a car hauling trailer.

I really liked the size and how well it welded. I really liked the price.

Watch for sales that seem to come up pretty often.

 

Blue fan here as well, especially for a transformer-based machine. I love having all that power and 100% duty cycle to boot.

But I own PrimeWeld and Miller and they're both IGBT machines.

 

Texas is die hard Lincoln Country.

Most welders I know from Texas most likely would never own one of those Blue Machines.

Lincoln was doing a Full court Press in this area .

My advice for buying a welding machine is see who had the best support and service in your local area.

For Hobby type use I do like the Hobart product line.

 

Got the gas replaced. Welded up the arms lol

 

I am also self-taught, mostly, but having a friend who really knows how to weld is INVALUABLE - as in someone who can come over, see your setup, and watch you weld and then give you tips. Find a buddy... pay it forward.