Self-taught welding

Just remember, liability. You make something and it falls apart going down the road some lawyer is going to have a field day. See if you can find an old guy that has welded his whole life. I learned more from them than I did in school. Welding isn't hard once you know what to watch for

 

Didn't I see you in "Flash dance"

 

Watching that movie, one would of thought they would of at least showed her how to run a bead. Give her 7024 at least

 

6g pipe test, stainless steel

 

GTAW is the process you want to go with as far as getting into the trade. It will make you the most money and it's the cleanest process. I have welded 6010 galvanized to the Main Omega Seal on a Nuclear Reactor, and everything in between. I do know my time spent teaching was what I enjoyed most. I will say you either pick it up or ya don't. There's no in between with welding.

 

I don't miss hanging upside down welding behind a pipe with a mirror or laying in a ditch on a pallet after a all day rain

 

Been there done that. I know what ya mean hahaha Ever used 2 mirrors and a vacum to suck the smoke out so you could see to weld

 

Pretty much. Cant see with my glasses, cant see without them now

 

I’d like to learn also, gottta go get me a 140 Hobart or something along those lines.

 

Spend a little extra and go with 220v power. You are very limited with 110 .

 

I don’t think my garage can handle 220...but I don’t know that it won’t.

 

Oh yes it can.

 

Hobart 210mvp, will run on 110v until you can upgrade to 220v. It will let you get a more capable machine that will run on 110v and be ready for when you do upgrade to 220v in your garage, without having to buy another machine later.

 

Tell that to the arthritis!

 

Thanks, I’m going to check them out and get someone with some electrical experience to look at my garage.

 

a little self taught aluminum spool gun welding photography. Please critique.

 

Welding aluminum bring the puddle back from the end before ending. It has less chance to crack. Turn the heat up a skosh too

 

If I can remember right, I run about 3-4 amps higher than what I would with steel

 

If your weld starts out Eh, then gets better. You may want to preheat too

 

This entire post cannot be overstated.

 

Started working in a diesel shop when I was 20 and the welders and mechanics there taught me everything. Practice is all you really need when it comes to basic welds. Other situations will come along and you will learn how to adapt. I say get a welder burn some wire and see what happens ask questions from there. A welder with adjustable heat and wire speed would be ideal

 

I had a dedicated drop done on a 110 for a freezer a couple months ago and it was nearly 300 ran from the breaker box. I'm sure that a 220 would be more expensive but if you own your home then it is a good investment.

 

Most people don’t understand that good welders are excellent fabricators and have great math skills... they are really artist!

 

I work at a Nuclear plant, the welders that work here are badasses!

 

I taught myself about 6 years ago. Way easier/cheaper to learn how to weld and make my own stuff...than ask my wife if I can buy aftermarket parts...

I started with a cheap buzz box (mig flux welder). New you can get a HarborFreight one for under $100. I found a used one on CL for $50. Wire, gloves, mask. I would not go cheap on mask...you'll replace a cheap one in 6 months or sooner if you weld a lot. I went to Praxair and got their in-house brand for $125. Way nicer and makes a world of difference when you're actually welding. Gloves too. They aren't that expensive. Get decent ones. After lighting myself on fire a few times and destroying countless t-shirts, I got a $35 Miller welding jacket off Amazon. Not leather but it works. YouTube has a million tutorials on welding. Play with the flux welder as much as you can

Once you feel comfortable and feel like dropping some change, look for a good gas mig. If you have the money, get a Miller/Lincoln. Alternatively, if you have the money, get a Harbor Freight multi welder, it'll do mig/tig. I actually have been using the $175 HF 220 gas mig welder for 4+ years and it still runs like a champ. I use it with gas and a friend who is a certified structural welder even said it put down decent welds. This is probably the cheapest you're going to get for a gas mig. Welder - $175; tank - $100; regulators - $100 for cheap ones; hose - $35. Check out craigslist. Try to get the best you can find/afford. Because once you get good, you will want to upgrade if you go cheap like I did...

Do not start out making structural stuff like bumpers, etc. Try making stuff like fire pits, BBQs, roof rack, broken steel fences, etc. Once you start doing structural, there's always the concern it breaks and worse, falls off and hits another car.

If you work behind a desk...welding will feel like you got your balls back on the weekends

 

He gets it.
I started at 15 years old.
There was a place called P and B iron works that I would get scraps from.
I wold sweep and do odd jobs for tools that I needed.

Then I made grills for family
Someone from The Town of Webster saw my work and asked if they could get 15 of them for a park.

I was 17 making grills for a public park.
That paid for all new equipment

I have been a back yard welder ever since and I am 51 now.

Dont be in a hurry to make stuff. Just relax, treat it as a hobby and weld shit together.

Do not keep a bic lighter in your shirt pocket when cutting or welding, dont work in an area where water seeps in during a rain storm.
If the guys in your area say you can cut a car in half and weld it together for practice make sure you remove the gas tank and lines.

 

I was in the same boat a couple years ago. After doing lots of research, I picked up a Hobart Handler 140 mig welder. It runs off a standard 120v outlet and has been an awesome machine to learn on! I think I was in the welder itself about $550. You definitely want to run gas (25% co2 / 75% Argon), don't mess around with flux core wire. If you go back far enough, I think Miller owns Hobart. The reason I say this is the gun and gauges that came with my welder are stamped 'Miller'.

My first welding project was a heavy duty workbench/welding table. I built it wiith 2x2 3/16" square tube and a 3/16" top. It was a great project to help me get familiar with the welder.

 

If you have any interest, just get a decent welder. Don't confuse yourself and just do MIG welding. It's the easiest to learn.

The Harbor Freight Titanium 170 would be the unit I would get. You won't were it out and if you find welding is not for you, you can sell it and get 80 percent of your investment back.

Adding 240v to your garage is easy if you have access to your panel.

I hope peeps will show some of their welds.

 

To quote some of these other posts, I agree. Gas is the way to go, but a 120 flux is a cheap and easy intro to learning to weld. If you can and want to make the investment right out of the gate, do a 220 gas mig. For offroading stuff, it'll be just fine.

And very good tip on keeping the bic lighter out of your pocket. I don't smoke so not an issue, but damn, the visual is hilarious