whats the best method you guys would recommend for someone that is wanting to learn how to weld..

i pretty much don't want have anything in mind to fabricate right now.. i just want to learn how to.. never done it..

thanks

 

Best advice is high heat, low wire speed for mig, and practice alot.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mugencrxsir1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Best advice is high heat, low wire speed for mig, and practice alot. </TD></TR></TABLE>

with that said.. what machined do you recomend..?

noob in a budget here.. so would a HF machine would be ok to start with?

 

Going to a class is the best welding method for a noob.

 

I disagree slightly. To perform the actual weld process...school cant teach you much in my opinion. Either you can do it or you cant. As for tips and tricks on certain aspects of metal fabrication, as well as learning in detail of different kinds of metal and what not, then school is a great option.
As for what machine, on a budget, start out with a 100 volt MIG welder. Buy it at a local Lowes(cheapest place their is), buy a bottle of shielding gas for it and go to town. You could be welding for $500 or less.
Kyle

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by blueoval557 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I disagree slightly. To perform the actual weld process...school cant teach you much in my opinion. Either you can do it or you cant. As for tips and tricks on certain aspects of metal fabrication, as well as learning in detail of different kinds of metal and what not, then school is a great option.
As for what machine, on a budget, start out with a 100 volt MIG welder. Buy it at a local Lowes(cheapest place their is), buy a bottle of shielding gas for it and go to town. You could be welding for $500 or less.
Kyle</TD></TR></TABLE>

thanks for the input..

i know this might sound stupid...but inst the shielding gas a mixture of 2?

 

For GMAW the most common gas is C25, which is a mixture of 75% argon and 25% CO2. It's used for mild steel.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by k24em2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">For GMAW the most common gas is C25, which is a mixture of 75% argon and 25% CO2. It's used for mild steel.</TD></TR></TABLE>

oh.. i get it now.. it comes already mixed in one tank..

 

I do not know how to tig weld that good but I can get my metal to stay together. I have found that watching other people that know what they are doing and asking questions is the best way to learn and then practicing and practicing. If you keep practing without having someone to tell you what you are doing wrong or watching them, it will most likly take a lot longer to learn how to weld. Just my .02

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mugencrxsir1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Best advice is high heat, low wire speed for mig, and practice alot. </TD></TR></TABLE>



Thats how I got to be decent at it.

 

For starters, there just happens to be a decent basic article about welding in the current issue of Grassroots. The one tip that stands out to me is CLEAN YOUR WELD AREA! Paint does not like to be welded. Yes, it will burn off. No, that's not the way to clean the area!

I don't know your background, but you did say you're a noob, so lets look at the basics.

There are basically 3 "most popular" or "common" types of welding: stick, MIG, and TIG.
Your first step should be to learn what each is, what it's good for, and what is needed to weld each method. And, yes, there are still applications where stick is a good choice!
Then take a good luck at why you want to weld. Or, more specifically, what you want to be able to weld. Then decide which method will work best for your application. The cost of the equipment MAY come into play in that decision.
After that, but before buyingequipment, try to rent (or borrow) some. Maybe you'll find that while you thought a stick could work for cost reasons, you really should cough up the cash for the MIG.

After that, buy a good quality name. One that you'll be able to get parts for. Like a new tip, wire spools, regulator, etc. That bargain basement welder is worthless if you can't maintain it during it's life. A little more now will save a lot of headache later.

Finally, LOTS OF PRACTICE. Get some scrap and play. Write your name on a piece of sheet steel without burning through. Weld 1/2 plate to 1/8 sheet. When you think you're all that, see if you can weld a glass bottle to aluminum. (Well, maybe not!)

For a lot of beginners, MIG is the way to go. But, there is a lot of adjustment just like was posted earlier in this thread: heat adjustment and wire speed. But there are also differences in wire size, material thickness, and tip size.

Hope some of that helped. Good luck. Have fun! Oh, and ALWAYS have a fire extinguisher nearby.

Tim

 

thanks for the input everyone!!

anyone know of some articles or refereces for the different type of welding?

 

Try a few of these:

http://www.popularmechanics.co....html
http://www.thefabricator.com/A...D=929
http://www.lincolnelectric.com...c.asp
http://www.home-improvement-hq....html

Or just Google something like "learn to weld" or "weld basics"

FWIW, in these articles "arc welding" = "stick welding"

 

i really appreciate it

 

go take a class.

 

jb-weld 4 noobs

 

Best way to 'start' is to read all you can. I have been reading this section of HT for quite a while, and resisted getting a welder till I understood the more basic stuff. There's also some other welding forums, but there's a lot of good bits of info scattered in many of this section's threads.

Otherwise, a decent MIG welder and a clean workpiece is the best method. I picked up a lincoln 110v at home depot for just under $300 - got a 20% coupon off ebay (lost my xmas coupon), and they had a $75 gift card promotion. So - don't be tempted by the cheap stuff if you are trying to begin. NOTHING beats a good tool, when you know it will pay for itself in money, time, or frustration.