Intro to welding video/class??

[53gravely]

All this welding talk has got me thinking that maybe I'll ask Santa for a basic welding outfit. (I can hear the wife,..."you'll burn your eyes out!!")

Is there a good video for a fairly mechanical putz like me?

Topics covered:
1) Oxy/acet, stick, and touching on Mig, Tig
2) Different kinds of steel and what to use--rods/amps
3) safety
4) demos, tips, etc..

I've been looking for a night "adult school" class on this but there isn't a big call for welding know-how here in suburbia.

How would you start out? Stick or a portable Oxy/fuel set-up??

Thanks

 

[bobodu]

Check the Lincold.Miller and Hobart sites,pretty sure someone has videos
'47 Model L,'51 Model L and a '63 Model LI /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[txdon]

When I went to Houston Community Collage last year for a semester in welding they had a good teaching CD that we watched in the beginning. I remember looking it up on the internet and the cost was a lot more than the cost of the course. The class I took was the introductory class of a three year program. I talked with the instructor and told him I was only going to be in for a semester to learn the basics for welding on the farm. He understood and I had a lot of fun. there were no test and I welded about 6-8 hours every week. All the classes started out with stick then MIG and tig. I did just a little tig before I went back to MIG and started on my farm projects which I brought to class to weld. The instant feedback and the answers to problems is something you can't get from a video or CD. The first couple of days was spent cutting with oxy-acetylene torch. I know that I used probably about twice the $ in supplies than the tuition of the course. The extra trouble to find a class, in my opinion is worth it. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[RonR]

Depends most on what you plan to weld to decide which to get.

Thin, light material, light stuff that breaks around the house --Oxy.

Thin, mild steel, ornamental iron, etc --small mig or stick

Farm implements, ground engaging that will take a beating --stick. (Or if you have a big checkbook, a mid sized mig).

To get a mig that will weld single pass above 3/8" thick steel takes some big $$$$$. Stick will do it. Depends on what you want to do.

I have stick and Oxy. Other than once every 3 yrs brazing some small part, everything I've welded in past 10 yrs has been stick. Mostly tractor stuff, metal frames for gates, ornamental iron.

Welding is a touchy feely deal. Don't think you can get there watching a video. Having an instructor looking (or listening) over your shoulder is priceless.

Hope this helps.
ron

 

[ctc1111]

The miller "training systems" cds are nice. I got one on all types of welding, one on tig, and mig as well that go more in depth.

They're like an interactive thing that you do on your computer and it shows demonstrations and gives you a lot of information and then give you little tests on that information to make sure you know it. They ran me about 25 dollars a piece and were on the sales counter of my local welding store.

 

[BloomingtonMike]

This semester I went back to the local CC to take a welding course. I just wanted to learn. It is an actual college class, 3 sem hours, mid term and final, taking notes and lots of lab. This was week 7. So far 7 weeks of Oxy to learn to control the puddle and gauge penetration. Mid term next week and then on to stick. This class s kinda slow but man I realized how much harder welding really is than I thought - wow. I like the class but that coupled with in shop practice is NICE. We have not watched one video yet. This is class one of the welding sequence to prepare you to become a certified welder.

 

[LetsRoll]

If your looking for a basic torch, victor has a setup that works real good. The link below is the setup that I have. You can use it to cut or to weld. It also comes with a rosebud and you get free shipping. The rosebud is used for heating things up. So, if your trying to heat up 1/2 inch flat steel to bend, the rosebud is the cats meow. I just got done building a road grader and this is the setup that really helped me to get it done in a timely manor. I also have a mig welder. I'd rather weld with a mig cause that is what I started out using. If you buy the torch kit, you'll need oxy/acy tanks. You can lease or out right buy the tanks. Where I live at here in Kentucky, lease for a year is $65 per tank ($130 total for both tanks) or $175 per tank ($350 total for both tanks) for seven years or $200 per tank ($400 total for both tanks) for life time, meaning you own them. If you buy the tanks and run out of oxy or acy, you just take them back and they will give you fresh filled tanks and they only charge you for the filling up of the tanks. For me, I opt to buy the tanks cause I will save money in the long run. For a mig welder, you'll spend about $750 for a mig welder. My tank for my welder, I bought it for $150 (80 pound tank- hip high) and it cost about $45 to get it filled. For my mig welder, I like the 10 pound roll of wire (about $25-$30 dollars). The 2 pound roll ($10-$15 dollars) just doesn't last long. If your looking to do some welding with a mig welder, get one that has a desent duty cycle. If it has a small duty cycle, you have to weld for a short time and then let it cool down. If you dont, it will cut off right in the middle of you welding. A small duty cycle will only allow you to weld for about minute or less before it heats up and the welder will shut off. For building implements, I'd get at least 175 to 200 amp welder. I plan to buy a bigger mig here real soon. When I welded my road grader together, I didn't make two passes like most welders do, even though I was welding thick steel. You can get away with a small amp welder while welding 3/8" steel, you just have to turn the amps all the way up and use about 75% to 80% wire speed. The trick to get the weld to hold together (welding two pieces of metal together) is how you form your puddle and how you carry the weld pattern. Actually (to be honest), this way is a waist of gas and wire. But I've chosen to do this cause of the low amps my mig welder puts out. This is another reason why I'm buying a bigger mig.

VICTOR SUPER-RANGE II WELDING & CUTTING TORCH KIT

 

[VT_Kioti]

Good Morning 53gravely
I took a class over at VoTech in Rutland last spring. I had a great time. Very good instructors. One is certified and used to weld on generating plants until he retired. The other has been teaching for years. Both very good. only weld here as a hobby. Build things for the tractor and so on.
The cost for the course was about $275. Best money I ever spent. No where near a pro but the welds look a lot better and they hold. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Al

 

[MarkStewart]

Hi there was a recent thread on the Hobart message board about this. Hobart

 

[Wesdor]

I followed Mark's link and Hobart has what looks like a wide range of videos for about $25 each.

Thanks Mark.