I want to learn how to weld

[churchmouse]

I took the class at the Art Center a few years ago. It gives you a little intro to stick, MIG, and acetylene, then you can make a little project. I had kind of a feel for it since I'd had to have a mower part welded once. That always makes me decide to learn how to do it myself and picked up a stick welder. I put a 240V circuit in the garage to run the machines. I have an acetylene, stick, MIG, and spot welders, and a plasma cutter now, and I do little things with plans for some projects. I want a TIG one of these days. Yeah, I'm eat up with it.

Galvanizing is a coat of zinc on the steel; there are a couple of ways to apply it. Zinc oxide gas is produced if you go to weld it. As long as you have good ventilation and can avoid breathing it you'll be ok, but it can mess you up, so it's best to avoid.

There's a place on 25th west of Keystone called Steel House where you can get scraps and cutoffs cheap.

The steel house is easy to deal with.
Galvy fumes will mess you up. Ask me how I know.

 

[thunderchicken]

The steel house is easy to deal with.
Galvy fumes will mess you up. Ask me how I know.

Amen. I welded on some galvanized fence posts years ago with a stick welder and I was messed up a couple days

 

[churchmouse]

Amen. I welded on some galvanized fence posts years ago with a stick welder and I was messed up a couple days

Couple of glasses of whole milk will settle down the shakes. The real milk not that other stripped down to water crap.
I torched out a long section of cooling water pipe in a basement years ago. It was 3" Galvy. I got it all cut out but was sick as a dog. Neighbor told me to drink as much milk as I could. It worked. Not complete cure but it stopped the shakes.

 

[Gabriel]

Welding is definitely a skill I need to acquire. I've always wanted to be able to do it and it would come in handy in the shop where I bolt most things together now.

There would be no shortage of projects for people I suspect, as I'm asked all the time if I could weld this or that (people just assume I weld for some reason).

 

[Indy-Mike]

That Sutton-Garten class...Introduction to Welding for Hobbyists looks interesting. I might look into that myself.

 

[thunderchicken]

That Sutton-Garten class...Introduction to Welding for Hobbyists looks interesting. I might look into that myself.

Several years ago, I took a basics class at Sutton-Garten. It was informative and they are very willing to make sure you have what you need. Plus they carry some equipment that is better than you can buy most places but isn't as pricey as some of the bigger name stuff.

 

[femurphy77]

mig

 

[halfmileharry]

Learn all you can, read up on different metals and how they must be welded.
About anyone can dob some hot slag until a couple of pieces of metal stick together.
Getting the metals to flow and blend together and adhere properly is a skill.
Take the classes if you're serious about becoming a decent welder.

 

[eldirector]

I took the class from SuttonGarten. Most excellent, and I would recommend. The "instructor" would set me up for that evening's task (straight welds, welding up, welding sideways, welding tube, etc...), give me a demo and some pointers, and then turn me loose. They have literally TONS of scrap, so you can practice to your heart's content. He would pop over now and then to check on me, give me pointers, coach on safety, and critique my work. We would band-saw our work in half to check penetration, too. Good stuff, and learned a ton. You have to buy your own jacket, gloves, glasses, and helmet. They sell the stuff up front, or bring your own.

I've got a little 220v MIG machine that works great for my projects. Y'all are welcome to come by and try it out. I can pass along what little I know. I am a one-trick pony, though. I know how to get decent welds with MY mig, on the type of mild steel *I* tend to work with. Not a professional by any stretch.

And.. yeah.. galvanized. Not allowed near my welder! I have enough drama in my life without intentionally trying to poison myself.

Oh, and what is the difference between an amateur welder and a pro? Their skill with a grinder.

 

[churchmouse]

I took the class from SuttonGarten. Most excellent, and I would recommend. The "instructor" would set me up for that evening's task (straight welds, welding up, welding sideways, welding tube, etc...), give me a demo and some pointers, and then turn me loose. They have literally TONS of scrap, so you can practice to your heart's content. He would pop over now and then to check on me, give me pointers, coach on safety, and critique my work. We would band-saw our work in half to check penetration, too. Good stuff, and learned a ton. You have to buy your own jacket, gloves, glasses, and helmet. They sell the stuff up front, or bring your own.

I've got a little 220v MIG machine that works great for my projects. Y'all are welcome to come by and try it out. I can pass along what little I know. I am a one-trick pony, though. I know how to get decent welds with MY mig, on the type of mild steel *I* tend to work with. Not a professional by any stretch.

And.. yeah.. galvanized. Not allowed near my welder! I have enough drama in my life without intentionally trying to poison myself.

Oh, and what is the difference between an amateur welder and a pro? Their skill with a grinder.

1st rule of Mig......Clean

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

1st....what are you wanting to weld. There are several methods.
1st is just the good old stick welder that limits what you can do to mainly iron based metals.
2nd is a wire feed. Just about anyone can lay out a good bead with a wire welder. You can do steel/aluminum with a decent one.
3rd is the Tig. It is the most tedious but also the most versatile.

Talk to the folks down at Sutton Garten about the classes there. I no longer have a wire feed on my rig as I am straight up Tig or I would let you try it out.
They make same pretty nice portable Mig/Tig capable units.

I'm going to do the rocker panels on my truck myself, with the help of a friend who knows how to weld. Other than that, I just want to have the skill.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

I took the class at the Art Center a few years ago. It gives you a little intro to stick, MIG, and acetylene, then you can make a little project. I had kind of a feel for it since I'd had to have a mower part welded once. That always makes me decide to learn how to do it myself and picked up a stick welder. I put a 240V circuit in the garage to run the machines. I have an acetylene, stick, MIG, and spot welders, and a plasma cutter now, and I do little things with plans for some projects. I want a TIG one of these days. Yeah, I'm eat up with it.

Galvanizing is a coat of zinc on the steel; there are a couple of ways to apply it. Zinc oxide gas is produced if you go to weld it. As long as you have good ventilation and can avoid breathing it you'll be ok, but it can mess you up, so it's best to avoid.

There's a place on 25th west of Keystone called Steel House where you can get scraps and cutoffs cheap.

I doubt I get that into it, but I'm impressed with your setup!

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

Frank - I'll be off work until middle of next week. If you are just looking to learn some basics of welding steel with a wire feed (MIG) I can help you out with that. Just depends what you want to weld and how much you want to invest in equipment.

I'll take you up on that.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

The steel house is easy to deal with.
Galvy fumes will mess you up. Ask me how I know.

So that is (part of) your problem.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

What kinds of projects would be your goals? Stick is cheap to buy in but takes more skill than mig and does not work well on thin metals. Lots of guys buy cheap 110v migs and run beads but don't really know how to weld. I recommend some formal training.

Just another skill I would like to have, not that I have many. I am going to look in to taking a class.

 

[churchmouse]

I'm going to do the rocker panels on my truck myself, with the help of a friend who knows how to weld. Other than that, I just want to have the skill.

Go talk to the stormychicken () he will get you set up with what you need.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

I took the class from SuttonGarten. Most excellent, and I would recommend. The "instructor" would set me up for that evening's task (straight welds, welding up, welding sideways, welding tube, etc...), give me a demo and some pointers, and then turn me loose. They have literally TONS of scrap, so you can practice to your heart's content. He would pop over now and then to check on me, give me pointers, coach on safety, and critique my work. We would band-saw our work in half to check penetration, too. Good stuff, and learned a ton. You have to buy your own jacket, gloves, glasses, and helmet. They sell the stuff up front, or bring your own.

I've got a little 220v MIG machine that works great for my projects. Y'all are welcome to come by and try it out. I can pass along what little I know. I am a one-trick pony, though. I know how to get decent welds with MY mig, on the type of mild steel *I* tend to work with. Not a professional by any stretch.

And.. yeah.. galvanized. Not allowed near my welder! I have enough drama in my life without intentionally trying to poison myself.

Oh, and what is the difference between an amateur welder and a pro? Their skill with a grinder.

Thanks for the review. I will take you up on the demo.

 

[churchmouse]

In what you are going to do stitch welding. It is a tacking process to get the sheet metal in place and you can then make a series of tacks to fill it all in.

 

[thunderchicken]

I'm not a big fan of stick welding. It's what I first learned with but it tends to be a messier weld, I think. I say that because of the slag and having to either brush it away or chip it off. The core of the stick is the filler metal and the coating on the outside acts as the shielding agent.
MIG (metal inert gas) welding uses a constant spool of filler wire and the inert gas is the shielding agent. I feel like it's the most practical type of welder for someone starting out to use. Mostly because it's a more practical investment, and you don't have to worry about keeping sticks from getting contaminated.
TIG (tungsten inert gas) takes more practice to master since you have to work a pedal and have to make sure not to let the tungsten contact the metal and you have to use your other hand to dip the filler wire into the puddle all at the same time.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

In what you are going to do stitch welding. It is a tacking process to get the sheet metal in place and you can then make a series of tacks to fill it all in.