So I want to learn to weld

[PaxtonShelby]

Hi fellas. I’m thinking about learning to weld. I’m tired of not being able to do this stuff myself. The goal is to be able to do floorpans patching and other minor repairs. There’s a chance that down the road future projects could include things like Crown Vic front suspension on an old F100. So I guess I need a medium duty mig setup. I have 220v in the garage but I’m not sure if I need that much juice for a medium duty welding setup. Also, I like 110v just because it is portable.

Any advice is welcome. I would like to get a good brand, and have heard that Miller and Lincoln are excellent. Any other suggestions? What models have you used and liked?

I need it all - from welder to mask to gloves to tanks to gauges to a cart, clecos, air powered hole punch and whatever else I’d need.

I could be interested in a used setup, provided it works like it should and does what I need it to do.

And yeah - I will have to learn how it all works. I will be checking out YouTube and the like.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[wick]

You could stop over here and pick up a brand new in the unopened box Lincoln 140. Or my 135 that I still use. You will need a cylinder though.

Welding isn’t hard to learn. It takes time and patience. Trial and error.
Sure, there is somewhere a calculation for whatever thickness you’re doing.
Just get seat time. Practice on old junk steel.

[Ares]

Pretty much what Wick said.

I prefer a 110v setup as it is far easier for me to access. Lincoln, Hobart(consumer brand of Miller) make some nice units you can get in local stores. Maybe look into a dual voltage machine (110v/220v) if you want both. Really depends on how thick of metal you plan to weld down the road. A 220v machine will be capable of doing thicker metal over 1/4" easier.

Just mess around with scrap. I used flux core wire setup for years. Cheaper than gas setup and does ok but makes for messy weld splatter/residue that needs cleaned up. I picked up an inverter powered(super light weight machines) gas shielded MIG and messed with it a little so far and can say. It is way nicer than a flux core wire setup any day. Nicer welds and with right shielding gas little to no splatter.

With MIG -
Argon for Aluminum.
CO2 or C-25 for steel. CO2 would be cheap and C-25 allows less splatter but costs a little more to fill.

Get a good auto darkening welding helmet. Cheapest is not always best here. Plus not having to flip helmet up when not welding is so handy as mine drops to a shade 3 or 4 making it easy to see. I use an old Hornell (now a 3M Speedglas) that is just awesome. It can be setup for TIG or MIG use which I found there is a huge difference in how it functions if set up wrong. TIG welding when set for MIG, your eyes will hate you

Gloves, just find something that can handle heat and is comfortable. I use these http://www.ironcatgear.com/product/6030 and they are pretty nice.

[PaxtonShelby]

Thanks fellas - I appreciate all the info. I have a lot to learn but sounding like 110v gas shielded is what I need. Oh - and lots of practice!

Keep the info coming!

[mustang50lx]

x2 on the helmet. A good helmet makes a big difference. I think my first digital / auto darkening helmet actually made me a better welder. I use a Miller helmet. I know there are many cheaper options, but I would rather trust my eyes to a brand name. I used a flux core welder to weld up demo cars in the past. They don't make the prettiest weld, but they get the job done. In my experience a gas welder makes a better looking weld.

[SlowSix]

I need to learn to weld as well. I've considered taking like a night class at a community college.

[Stangman701]

I was in the same situation recently. Bought a 240V welder at Harbor Freight a few years ago and never got around to using it till the deck on my mower broke. Gave me a good excuse to finally put in the 240V breaker and outlet in the garage. Everything went fairly smooth with just flux core. The machine is capable of using gas and I hope to try that on my next project. Flux core worked just fine for a mower deck though and it was nice to not have to take it somewhere to be fixed

[yeahloh95]

I have a Hobart 220 unit and love it I have welded all kinds of projects with it and I got a good deal on it at tractor supply

[Terminated]

Wouldn't mind learning this at some point as well.

[sutyak]

Ditto on the good welding helmet. I welded with flux core for years, and when I finally started using CO2 it felt like cheating the puddle was just so much easier to control.
Tips:
- Don't bother trying to weld something you can't see. Unless you're just that freaking good, I guarantee you'll miss the line 99% of the time. If it's on the car and stuff is in the way, remove them.
- For welding two different thicknesses, keep the heat mostly on the thicker side, as you'll have to have the voltage adjusted to the greater thickness you're welding. A good example is an O2 sensor bung on exhaust.
- Clean cuts/tools/metals make clean welds.
- Nozzle gel is handy. Not necessary for sure, but makes it so much easier to clean the nozzle.
- Use the thinnest gloves you can get away with for the best dexterity.
- Fumes! Make sure you are 100% sure about what you are welding and the chemical reactions from doing so. Galvanized steel for example is weldable, but produces undesirable fumes.
- Spatter. Protect yourself and everything around you. I bought a box of 1/4" silicon sheets off ebay that come in handy for a variety of things. One of them is protecting flammable surfaces from sparks. They're great for welding and sweating copper pipes.
- Always unhook the battery from the car before welding.
- A good clean ground matter so much. Find or make a nice shiny place to clamp your ground. Getting a crappy weld when you thing everything is perfect? Probably the ground.
- Cover your vehicles if you're welding and grinding in the same area.
- Keep notes on the voltage and speed levels that worked well.
- Always have extra wire and tips.
- Keep the weld booger clipped off your MIG wire. You'll see what I mean.
- Mainly for flux core, but if you have to stop and the puddle cools, clear off the flux before continuing that weld.
- Practice, especially if you're like most of us hobbyists that go months between welding projects.

[PaxtonShelby]

Thanks Mark! Fantastic info there!

[Jeff95TA]

I've wanted to learn too but couldn't come up with a good enough reason to buy a welder.

A lot of guys bought their Miller equipment from Zoro when they ran a general sale, and Miller was offering rebates/free equipment. Zoro is the more retail friendly version of Grainger.

[PaxtonShelby]

Thanks to John (Somethingclever), I am now the proud owner of a small Matco welder. It will be perfect for me to do small jobs like floorpans. Now it is time to pick up a small cabinet and all the supplies and start practicing. I have to admit I am suffering from garage envy after seeing John’s place!

[wick]

Good to hear.

Your first “project” could be making a welding cart. Grab a couple wheels from horrible freight, some cheap angle from Lowe’s and go to town.

[Viper_ed]

Good to hear.

Your first “project” could be making a welding cart. Grab a couple wheels from horrible freight, some cheap angle from Lowe’s and go to town.

For $60 Just buy the welding cart they sell at Harbor Freight. It works great for a small buzz box.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[PaxtonShelby]

For $60 Just buy the welding cart they sell at Harbor Freight. It works great for a small buzz box.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

with coupon it is $29.95 Giddy up!

[PaxtonShelby]

I’m sure my first welds will be awful looking. I don’t think I want them to be on something I will have to look at for years to come. :-)

Does anyone have some scrap they could spare? Once I get the rest of the equipment I need to practice running beads.

[hemi14]

I probably have some misc. steel you could practice on.

[daviac5000]

Figured I'd jump in on this since I just finished my latest project. I'm definitely an amateur but was in Ron's situation a few years back. I ended up with a Lincoln 140 as I liked the versatility (still don't have 220 in the garage) and I figured 1/8 would be the thickest I ever be welding. You're right Ron, the first welds will be terrible but the learning curve is pretty quick and it's easy to find excuses to practice. If it didn't come with a bottle, pick one up after you get a cart. If you can find a local steel place, use them as their prices are about 1/2 of what you'd pay at the hardware store.

I've included a few pics. The first one is either my first or second project and was using flux core wire. It's a cam gear locking tool for my Volvo. I couldn't find a cheap tool and had some angle iron laying around. It's ugly as hell, but I've used it twice and it's held up fine. The other pics are a cylinder head stand that I just finished up this weekend. Found the plans here: http://www.hotrod.com/articles/hppp-...er-head-stand/ and since I tinker around porting, I figured why not make that work a little more enjoyable.

P1020724.jpg
P1020726.jpgP1020727.jpg

Dave

[PaxtonShelby]

Looks good Dave! I am looking forward to getting started. First I’m going to try to get a new whip as the old one is worn inside and restricts the wire at times. Also need a tip for .024 wire, a spool of wire, gloves and a good helmet. Hopefully a local shop will rent / lease me a tank. My clamp supply is weak too - probably grabbing a few at HF. I might get the mid-level cart from HF as the little one for $30 seems wimpy (easily tipped) if I’m going to be using a 4’ tank - I don’t want that tipping over. Hopefully I can get everything this week. With the weather warming up a bit I can spend some time in the garage. I’m ordering some 4’ LED lights tonight so the garage won’t be like a cave - my 8’ fluorescent lights all crapped out and are going in the trash Tuesday night.