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re: I want to learn to weld..
Posted on 5/16/24 at 11:52 am to Pandy Fackler
Posted on 5/16/24 at 11:52 am to Pandy Fackler
I suspect there are some of the best welders in the world who read and post to these forums and they may have some input but several people have told me that Lincoln and Miller both offer beginner classes for free or for nearly free with the idea that some will buy their consumer level equipment if they learn on it. I do not know this for a certainty but I have had several people tell me about it over the years. If it is true it would be a good introduction if one of their sells centers is close by, and they probably are....
Posted on 5/16/24 at 11:55 am to AwgustaDawg
Anyone can learn to weld, being good at it takes some patience and practice.
I had a knack for it in high school and a good shop teacher. My uncles who were both iron workers convinced me to go the engineering route in college.
This post was edited on 5/16/24 at 11:59 am
Posted on 5/16/24 at 11:57 am to SeaBass23
quote:
An American flag doo rag also helps.
It isn't actually a doo rag...they are generally called pipefitter caps but all trades use them now a days if they are welding or not. They are actually very practical, especially when welding overhead (something not many can do). Supposedly a union pipefitter's widow started making them and selling them on job sites and they are now almost as common as welding hoods....they look silly unless you wanna be a pirate but they are actually pretty practical....
Posted on 5/16/24 at 12:02 pm to Obtuse1
quote:
Just so no one gets confused MIG, TIG, and stick all need shielding gas to work correctly. The shield gas in stick welding comes from the flux on the outside of the stick vaporizing. MIG and TIG (the IG stands for inert gas) get the shield gas from a separate tanked supply, usually CO2, Argon, or a mix of the two. If you use MIG or TIG wire without shield gas you will get a shitty looking weld that is almost certainly contaminated. What you are generally seeing when a person uses a MIG welder and no separate shielding gas supply is them using flux core wire. Flux core can be used in a MIG welder but is basically stick welding where the stick is replaced with feedable wire and the flux (which provides the shield gas) is on the inside versus the outside of a stick welding electrode.
I have known a pile of welders, some very good ones, who did not understand that all practically all welding uses some kind of shielding gas...many think if there ain't a cylinder around there ain't no gas. Its pretty fundamental to all forms of welding....
Posted on 5/16/24 at 12:13 pm to AlumneyeJ93
Not so long ago, maybe 20 years now, there was a box car manufacturing plant outside of Athens Georgia. They would hire ANYONE willing to show up on time and do what they were told and teach them to weld boxcars. In about 30 days anyone who was going to make it at that plant was welding boxcars on their own. 30 days. Boxcars....subject to all manner of outrageous stresses. The pay was lousy so it was mostly young kids straight out of high school with no experience doing much of anything....but many of them could learn how to weld good enough to stick around building boxcars after about 4 weeks. Its a pretty simple skill at its core. Doing it well is a whole other can of worms....it is about as high level a skill, when done in situations where life limb and property are respected, as being a surgeon...but making a grill is well withing anyone who is not blinds ability...
Posted on 5/16/24 at 12:13 pm to AwgustaDawg
Somewhere in my basement, I have a couple of books on the history of welding, Pretty interesting stuff, especially when the steel ship building industry evolved.
There are so many specialty steels, high strength alloys, composites each demands a specialized joining process to understand the interactions of the base metals, filler metals, the microstructures of each in the weld pool, the heat affected zones (non fused areas around the weld joints), joint strength/design, Also have to consider preheats and cooling rates on the weld pool and final microstructure, avoiding hydrogen embrittlement, cracking etc.
Good news, you don't need any of this stuff to build a grill, a buzzbox, and some welding electrodes, grinder and wire wheel is about all you need. I'd recommend a 308 stainless steel welding rod, welds won't rust, easy to weld with.
There are so many specialty steels, high strength alloys, composites each demands a specialized joining process to understand the interactions of the base metals, filler metals, the microstructures of each in the weld pool, the heat affected zones (non fused areas around the weld joints), joint strength/design, Also have to consider preheats and cooling rates on the weld pool and final microstructure, avoiding hydrogen embrittlement, cracking etc.
Good news, you don't need any of this stuff to build a grill, a buzzbox, and some welding electrodes, grinder and wire wheel is about all you need. I'd recommend a 308 stainless steel welding rod, welds won't rust, easy to weld with.
This post was edited on 5/16/24 at 12:17 pm
Posted on 5/16/24 at 12:25 pm to chili pup
quote:
TIG is more for soft metals such as aluminum
You care to go ahead and explain how metals like hastelloy, inconel, and other alloys are some of the hardest metals around are almost exclusively TIG welded and X-rayed daily to keep the oil, gas, and chemical industry running? Go back to speaking what you know and not what you heard on YouTube. There's a whole different world out there.
Posted on 5/16/24 at 12:28 pm to Pandy Fackler
I have a little welding knowledge being a high school shop teacher but I am by no means an expert. One piece of advice I will give you is proper base metal prep is key. Welding is so much easier and welds will turn out so much better if the time is taken to grind off any rust, mill scale, or other substances that may affect the weld. Also, proper cutting and fitting will keep you from having to fill large gaps and waste time and welding electrodes.
Posted on 5/16/24 at 12:34 pm to FlagLake
100% Flag, cleanliness is vitally important. Also have to remove lubricants of any kind. Some steels are pickled and oiled to first remove & help prevent rust.
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