I'd like to learn. And whats the diff between arc and gas welding? I see mini MAPP gas welding kits at home depot for under $100 whereas the cheapest MIG is about $300. Could I rent a welding setup and learn to do it well enough to make a 3 inch down pipe in a weekend?

 

You will never know untill you try.

art

 

i would spend the extra money for the mig. mig with gas is the best. but start with a mig. and it is easy to lean. but it is hard to make the weld look good.

 

that's a 10-4

 

i suck at welding, but then again i never practice

 

i bought a mig just for my turbo project,practice alot,its not too hard once you learn a little,get thew gas becuse it makes your welds look so much cleaner and more leak proof,but beware,if you have never welded before,ever,you might want to tac it together and take it to a proffesional,but if it is just the downpipe,you can have leaks and never know it as long as they arnt huge,if you doing intercooler piping,just tac it,that away your just paying someone to weld it up for you air tight.

 

I made my downpipe from scratch with a cheap flux-core rig (MIG without gas) and it may not be beautiful but it's held up for over a year now and works just great. You can do it if you spend some time learning on scrap pieces, take it slow (but not TOO slow or you burn holes in things) and be prepared to have some mistakes that you have to patch up one way or another.

 

Practice is key.....especially when welding thin tubing. Try welding scrap pieces together then move up to some scrap tubing. Once you get the hang of it try tacking the pipes first and doing the final welds after your positive the positions are correct.
MIG is your best choice for a starting place, try to find a gas shailded MIG set-up instead of the flux core type. And one day you can graduate into TIG welding.

 

Take a class. Check your local high schools for ROP classes. Thats where I learned to do all my welding and body work. Started my sophmore year of high school and kept doing it. Its pretty hard at first trying to keep a nice straight line and keep good beeds but you'll get used to it. Its easier to work on thick metal too so you dont burn a hole through it hehe.

 

ask flamenco-T