Welding - I want to learn ..need advice.

[Egon]

Placing a sheet of black construction paper in your helment glass

That is not a prank

 

[Baby Grand]

I used to weld professionally. I highly recommend, as have others here, taking a good vo-tech/trade school or adult-ed class. From my classroom training I got invaluable advice on how not to blow myself up welding a sealed vessel, how not set the shop and myself on fire with stray sparks, how not to have my chest augered into by an oiled regulator screw, how not to launch an oxygen tank through a cinderblock wall, how not to blow my leg off with a butane lighter (appochryphal, but still instructive), how not to electrocute myself, etc, etc. There are almost as many ways to get yourself into trouble with a welding set and a little bit of knowledge as there are with a tractor.

Aside from that, I got good feedback and enjoyed learning with and from the other students. We prepared material, welded it and then beat it with sledges until they broke. The instructor was a great guy with a hands off approach until he heard you mess up from inside his office, completely out of sight. He could tell the minute your weld stopped sounding like frying bacon and would holler "less heat!", or "weave, Jimboy, weave!".

I got out what I put into that class tenfold and still have all my fingers and toes.

-Jim

 

[Gary Fowler]

Back a lifetime ago when I was a certified pipe welder, I was qualified in just about everything there was, ie. Stick, TIG, MIG,FCAW and SubArc welding of every metal from A-106 carbon steel to Zirconium I enjoyed the Stick and Tig the most as it gives you a satifaction to see a nice slick weld when finished. Just about anyone can make good looking welds with a wire feeder, but it takes a lot of practice and skill to make a stick or TIG weld "so slick that you have to tack it to keep it from sliding off the metal" as the really good welders used to say. I cant make them THAT pretty anymore since my hands and eyes aren't what they used to be, but I still enjoy putting out a nice solid weld with my stick machine in all positions including overhead. When I weld up anything that I want to stay permanently, I always bevel the material so I get 100% weld metal thru and thru. Another tip is to never end your weld bead on the edge. This leaves the edge with the thin weld puddle area in a susceptible area for cracking to start. Always weld from both sides toward the middle on flatbar type welds. Even on thin plate if you can get to both sides, weld one side then grind out the back side to clean metal and weld a pass on the back side. Use minimum heat input that you can and still get good fusion of weld metal. Too high on the amps will tend to deform the metal more and damage the metallurgical properties of the weld and base metal..

 

[AKwelder]

you can learn a lot of ways, and they all work. After the holidays go down to the local welding school and snoop around. If the instructor is there you can decide if you belong there.

I had a good instructor, one the first night we did 1/2 hour safety video, had a rules and what he inspected speech, and started making blue light. After a couple weeks he started throwing in small things, like what the numbers on a rod mean. We welded and screwed up and learned. He was big on stopping bad habits, like welding with your face to close to the fire.

This was the biggest thing that helped me start a career that feeds my family now. If you can get a class that teaches you to weld, do it. If it's a class on the book work end of things, try something else. You can read a book at home

when you look at cost, remember that they provide rod and steel and maybe some other stuff. you will burn a lot of that learning to weld at home, just over a longer period of time

 

[brin]

My father in law was a good welder and always wanted to teach me how and I was always too busy to take him up on his offer...and he passed away 5 yrs. ago so now I have a need to learn since I now have the time and would like to be able to fix and fabricate..I saw this welder at TSC ..and my question is will this work for light fabrication and also patching cracks in steel..like 1/8 inch cracks in the top of a bush hog ? Could I use this welder to say..fabricate a set of clamp on forks for my FEL and if not what kind of welder should I be looking for..Here is the one I am considering...Thanks..
Hobart Handler 125 EZ Welder - 3806489 | Tractor Supply Company

Can you fella's believe this...? Over 3,000 posts on my original request for help in learning how to Weld in just a little over 2 weeks..Wow ! Thank you very much for all the advice and I have read all the posts. I have checked here locally and there are no courses offered close to me so I am going to check with a local welding shop - the fella works by himself and has done some welding for me in the past and I am going to ask him if I can come in and help him from time to time and work for free to learn. I can't do it everyday but maybe when he could use an extra pair of hands for a job and in return I could learn...how does that sound ? and I could start out with a little buzz box and go from there.

You guys are so creative with the things you weld and envision and then make that it knocks me over. I think TBN will be missing the Boat if they don't add a tab at the top of the home page just for WELDING. You welders out there ought to ask them to do it...I would sure me reading every welding post...Again I sure appreciate the advice and how creative you guys are..I will try to learn to be able to at least do some of things you guys can do..

Thanks so much !

 

[rayc45]

Always have a fire exstingister handy! Watch the PUDDLE and practice. If you have mig and stick your covered. DC stick is smoother than ac. As for rods I like 7018 and 6010/6011 for deep penetration, or dirty rusty metal.

 

[Baby Grand]

brin,
I think your idea to offer yourself as an apprentice is brilliant. It sounds like the guy you spoke of does good work 'cause you keep going back. After trade school I got a job welding for a company that made huge industrial burners and furnaces. They assigned an "old hand" to show me the ropes. I not only got good schooling on why he used what type of rod, heat setting, prep, etc, but he also explained from the start of a project how and why he was going to do it. This is the part of welding/fabrication that takes the longest to learn - how do you approach the job to avoid having to do a lot of out of position work or painting yourself in a corner. You will also get some insight into the business end which will help you to be a smarter customer and get much more product for your dollar. Chances are once you start welding you will be able to do 90% of a job, but having a pro available who's willing to help you with that last 10% can make or break a project.
Good luck and keep us posted how you make out!
-Jim

 

[mjncad]

What I find the most time consuming part of my welding projects is the cleaning prep and setup; namely figuring out how to clamp things up tight so heat distortion is minimized and how best to run my beads so I have a chance at getting good ones. The actual bead running doesn't take long.

 

[dex3361]

Here are a few things to consider when welding disconnect your battery, electrical /electronics can be damaged when welding. Think about the path the current will flow to complete the circuit. Make sure that you are not passing current through bearings or bushings when working on machines. The current will pass through a bearing but will destroy it in the process. If you are just learning to stick weld do yourself a favor and get an AC/DC machine. The DC side is much easier to weld with and you will have less blow through.

6010/6011 for root pass and /or rusty metal
6014 for fairly clean mild steel
6013 for thinner metal gives less penetration
7018/7018ac When you need the most strength and use it on clean metal,
this rod must be kept dry or baked before use.

 

[tthopskin@yahoo.ca]

Welding advice is a lot like financial advice...everybody (in a tractor community) has an opinion. Some good stuff in here. I always enjoy reading the welding threads.

However you proceed, welding is perhaps one of the most rewarding skills you can develop, both financially and the accomplishment aspect. I was mostly self taught, on a nice little Miller 135 (120v), with help from a neighbor who is a commercial tig welder. I currently use a Hobart 187 (185amp) mig and love it. Its big enough to fabricate implements, multiple passes at times, and good on light stuff, bodywork, too. Attached is a picture of a gate I built from $200 worth of steel tubing, as an example of what can be done. With the money I saved from doing this myself I purchased a plasma cutter (another handy gadget for the metalworker).

that is a nice job and a lot of work about 30 35 hr