welding

[scalino65]

Hi
I would like to learn to weld and am interested in others' attempts, etc. Whats the best way to go about it? I was thinking of getting on an evening course and reading some books.
I guess getting the gear and messing about with it is the way forward, but I have absolutely zero idea of what kit to get.
So, any tips, experience,etc would be very greatly received.
Best
Will

[MT]

Not sure where you are, but your local technical college will probably run evening classes. Me (and Garry Hall, and Dave O'Connor) all went to East Sussex College in Crawley at different times. Exceptionally good value and great tuition. Then buy the best MIG setup you can afford (secondhand is usually a great option) and get stuck in. Great fun.

Looking back I wish I'd got the tech to teach me more on thinner steel and trying to weld old and new together. Also ask them to show you how to plug weld with a MIG, and pulse welding. All good techniques for thin sheet steel.
Books and videos are useful, but mainly after you've had a go not before.

Mick

[scalino65]

Thanks Mick
I'm not a million miles from you guys. Looking at brooklands college or richmond they seem to offer similar courses to the Crawley one. Did you just go on the intro one or did you progress through the levels? i.e. do you think you have to have been on several of these courses before you can start welding up knackred old cars...?
cheers
Will
p.s. if its good enough for Garry "porsche god" hall its good enough for me;)

[911hillclimber]

I'm self taught in gas, arc and MIG, but going to night school is a very good idea.
Find a course that is more car orientated than 'welding a garden gate'.

Practice makes perfect.
Above all, get a self darkening face mask so both your hands are free to use when MIG welding which is probably where you will end up.

It is one of the most satisfying skills to learn and use.

[8bit-ash]

Like others have said buy a decent welder from the start. I have tried in the past with a Sip Hobby Mig and at best I could get a seagull type splatter. I then recently bought a second hand Murex which I could pretty much get a decent weld with from the get go. Get a cheap auto darkening helmet off ebay too. Makes like way easier. Lots of people recommend Portamigs too.

[MT]

Thanks Mick
I'm not a million miles from you guys. Looking at brooklands college or richmond they seem to offer similar courses to the Crawley one. Did you just go on the intro one or did you progress through the levels? i.e. do you think you have to have been on several of these courses before you can start welding up knackred old cars...?
cheers
Will
p.s. if its good enough for Garry "porsche god" hall its good enough for me;)

Progressed through to level 2 MIG. Not that tricky, but well worth it. Crawley also had a big blasting cabinet that saw a lot of action!

Mick

[stretch]

Will, the courses are usually a 10 week stint one evening a week. You should be able to get your level 1 City & guilds with a few weeks to spare. I started with the oxy as it gives you lot's of old school skills.

Try and buy the very best welder you can afford. You can always have a go with one of the DDK welders before you part with your cash.

Even the God has his own machine.

[scalino65]

many thanks chaps! will get on a course.
best
Will

[sladey]

I started with a sip hobbyist thing. Spent quite a bit upgrading the wire feed etc. It was ok but never consistent - which is the last think you need as a beginner. Whenever I used it I felt I had to fanny around with the settings first

Then I sold that and bought a portamig - about £600. Never looked back - just works first time every time and it totally consistent.
I've no doubt I could benefit a lot from a course but for the moment I know I can produce reasonable looking strong welds which is good enough for me. I'm not scared of blowing holes as I know how to sort it if I do

If £600 seems a lot don't forget it's an asset - you'll be able to sell it on for not much less (man maths)

[scalino65]

Mark
Did you not do any sort of courses at all then? You've done a decent job on your car. Daft question...: how did you figure out when and how to brace the car when you were repairing a bit? e.g. say if you needed to do sills and b post- I assume you need to brace the gap once the sill is cut away to stop sagging.
Thanks again to all for the replies.
cheers
Will

[sladey]

No I didn't do any courses (I did Barrys one- day panel works course which involved 20 minutes of running a MIG weld). Actually thinking about it Barry's health and safety talk on welding during that day was really useful (the dangers of looking at the light, not covering up, fire risk, burning risk). The whole day was brilliant but aimed at metal forming, not so much welding.

This forum is useful:-
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/

Practice and practice on scrap metal - both old and new, thick and thin. One of the best things I did was to make a frame for my playstation racing seat (all now sold) - if it's for something real then you have to think 'real' - if it's just test on scrap you don't look at it in the same way.

On my welder I basically change the power setting depending on the metal thickness - I leave the gas and wire speed alone (the portamig adjusts the wire speed automatically depending on the power though). The biggest trick for me was to move away from trying to run a bead of weld - whenever I do that I end up going off course. Instead I do a series of pulse welds - each one right next to the previous one and about a second gap in between. That allows me to control it much better - if I'm drifting off-path I can get back in-line much more easily. If I'm welding a longer piece I'll do it in smaller 1.5 inch bits (to reduce heat distortion) - but all of those are done using the pulse-weld technique

On the bracing I asked around and got guidance. I still didn't brace the side I did strongly enough - when Neil did the other side he braced it better. You brace it before anything is cut away

[Gary71]

And if you spend too much time on that welding forum you end up buying a Portamig... However this (and a proper has bottle of Argon 5) has been a great investment.