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Started By
Message
Welding
Posted on 5/2/23 at 6:08 pm
Posted on 5/2/23 at 6:08 pm
Good afternoon, OB. I’ll spare y’all most of the details, but long story short, I’d like to learn how to weld (mig, I guess), but I know nothing about it. My FiL knows how to weld, but he lives three hours away and my kids would never give him the opportunity to teach me anything while he is here haha.
Is mig welding something I could learn by watching a bunch of YouTube videos? Ideally, one of the community colleges here in town would offer a 6-8 week long course for a few hours 2-3 nights per week, but the closest I see is the Holmes CC campus in Kosciusko. That’s about an hour drive from my house. I’m 37 with a career, but welding is something I think I would enjoy as a hobby. I figured this was as good of a board as any to post this to, and I appreciate any feedback you can give me.
Thanks.
Is mig welding something I could learn by watching a bunch of YouTube videos? Ideally, one of the community colleges here in town would offer a 6-8 week long course for a few hours 2-3 nights per week, but the closest I see is the Holmes CC campus in Kosciusko. That’s about an hour drive from my house. I’m 37 with a career, but welding is something I think I would enjoy as a hobby. I figured this was as good of a board as any to post this to, and I appreciate any feedback you can give me.
Thanks.
This post was edited on 5/2/23 at 6:10 pm
20
Posted on 5/2/23 at 6:17 pm to Dave_O
Get a wire machine, watch some videos, stick some metal together. Practice goes a long way, could be plenty good for a hobby, you aren’t trying to pass X-ray pipe test. Get a decent hood, ya only have one set of eyes.
This post was edited on 5/2/23 at 6:23 pm
Posted on 5/2/23 at 6:52 pm to Dave_O
Local trade school in night class
Posted on 5/2/23 at 7:21 pm to Dave_O
I'm self taught. It was a fun process.
Start with thicker gauge metal and practice. Practice, then grind then practice some more.
Start with thicker gauge metal and practice. Practice, then grind then practice some more.
This post was edited on 5/2/23 at 7:49 pm
Posted on 5/2/23 at 7:39 pm to Dave_O
quote:
My FiL knows how to weld, but he lives three hours away and my kids would never give him the opportunity to teach me anything while he is here haha.
You would be better off having someone take your kids on an all day or wknd excursion while your FIL taught you.
Depending on how much you want to spend you can get everything you need from harbour freight.
Have him teach you the basics of fitting/tacking and setting of the machine and get after it and watch how he works a puddle.
Make sure you get some good stickers for your hood!!
Posted on 5/2/23 at 8:30 pm to Dave_O
quote:
Is mig welding something I could learn by watching a bunch of YouTube videos?
Yes, that's what I did. Watched lots of welding videos (still do) then bought a Harbor Freight Titanium multi-process welder and started sticking scrap pieces of steel together. Started with flux core, then stick, then MIG and TIG. For most things I use stick, researching and finding the best consumables matters, enormous difference in the quality of your welds between using cheap HF/box store rods and wire vs going to a local welding supplier. The more you practice and the better you get at prep and choosing the right supplies you'll be surprised at how quickly you will improve. Invest in clamps and a few good angle grinders (I have 8 and counting) and figure out material/work holding. Get a AC/DC inverter multi-process machine like an ESAB 205, I don't do anything with aluminum yet but I would like to and my only option with my current machine is a spool gun.
This post was edited on 5/2/23 at 8:32 pm
Posted on 5/2/23 at 8:45 pm to Dave_O
My dad was a welder and gave me my first lesson on July 4, 1976 on the bicentennial. I will never forget it. It was a Lincoln 240 volt tombstone stick welder. I still have it and it works perfectly. My dad has long past away but learning to weld has let me fix broke stuff and build things for 47 years since that first lesson.
I think you can self teach yourself from YouTube but you need to practice.
Also I have found that an acetylene torch is as useful as the welder.
PS. My profession is a Pharmacist. I’ve been surprised over the years at the number of hobby welders of all kinds of professions that there are out there.
I think you can self teach yourself from YouTube but you need to practice.
Also I have found that an acetylene torch is as useful as the welder.
PS. My profession is a Pharmacist. I’ve been surprised over the years at the number of hobby welders of all kinds of professions that there are out there.
Posted on 5/2/23 at 9:32 pm to Dave_O
Don't get started with a shite machine machine. Go at least 240, wire feeder, fluxed core wire with gas. With flux core and gas your metal doesn't have to be as clean. It you go straight mig, no gas your metal.has to be board of health clean. A well trained monkey can weld fluxed core.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 5:41 am to Dave_O
Flux core wire welder from Amazon or Harbor Freight for about $200 and YouTube videos...it is pretty easy to weld good enough to make shite stick together. Doing it well enough to do it for a living in any industry which would pay well enough for it to be interesting requires a heaping pile of training and experience and some incredible talent...doing it well is damned tough...doing it well enough is within most people's ability.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 5:43 am to El Segundo Guy
quote:
I'm self taught. It was a fun process.
Start with thicker gauge metal and practice. Practice, then grind then practice some more.
Don't have overly optimistic expectations...it most likely ain't going to look like a stack of dimes and it probably ain't even going to stay welded long but if you do it a bunch it will eventually be usable even if it never gets pretty.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 6:29 am to Dave_O
I took a night class in the mid 80s at a junior college. All the equipment was there and a lot of practice metal. Probably still worth the investment.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 7:05 am to Dave_O
I did an evening trade school for the same reason and found it invaluable learning with the different welding units, prep, metals, safety, equipment Q&A. technique, etc.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:05 am to Macfly
You can teach a monkey to weld, but that monkey won't know how to set his machine properly
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:43 am to Dave_O
I like tig, it's a clean process that can be done in a garage, not alot of smoke and splatter. Also you can weld different metals easily on same setup. I just got advice from welders, did research on Tig machines and lots of youtube videos. Jody's tips and tricks for the win. My 2cents.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:50 am to tigerbrauf
quote:
how to set his machine properly
This is the most important part of being able to weld. If you can't adjust the speed and heat to get that nice sound of bacon sizzling then you're wasting time.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 10:40 am to Deek
Machine setting also depends of welding position in some cases. Many can run a beautiful flat bead but looks like dog shite on vertical up
Posted on 5/3/23 at 12:51 pm to bayoudude
I learned in evening trade school. Cutting with a torch was also taught.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 12:58 pm to Dave_O
quote:
Is mig welding something I could learn by watching a bunch of YouTube videos?
yes, sort off, but its better if you go to a community college / trade school to learn it.
its mainly a thing you get better at as you do it more, but getting the background education can help you learn and get better faster.
if you just want to weld to do your own household projects, you can just buy the equipment and start burning up some metal in your spare time
Posted on 5/3/23 at 1:13 pm to Dave_O
Whatever you do don’t waste money on cheap equipment. Welding is expensive. I’m not saying you need top of the line but figure out what you want to or most likely will be welding on mostly and start looking at specs of Lincoln and Miller machines for the process you want to perform that at least meet or ideally at least slightly exceed the capabilities of what you want to do. I’d recommend MIG for a beginner or hobbyist due to its versatility and ease of use once you learn the settings.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 7:35 pm to tigNstick629
Do not waste your time with stick welding. Most trade schools (back in the 90’s when I did it) made you start stick welding and pass the bend tests before they let you touch the mig torch. Once you mig weld, you will not go back. Same can be said for once you start tig welding. But mig is. Stupid easy. Watch the videos to learn setting the machine, burn wire to learn how to weld.
As it has been said, you will need a torch or a saw to go with it. I bought a cheap plasma and have been surprised at the results. An evolution chop saw, and a torch. I can handle most anything now.
As it has been said, you will need a torch or a saw to go with it. I bought a cheap plasma and have been surprised at the results. An evolution chop saw, and a torch. I can handle most anything now.
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