Technical MIG WELDING.....How did you learn to do it ?

Talking with a young fellow on line and he has an interest in MIG welding, but is hesitant because he has absolutely no experience with it. I have assured him it is the correct path to being able to build all of his dreams.......
We all know that to be a top flite certified welder requires training and experience and lots of practice. Further, the vast majority of us that can weld have learned that for most of the stuff we do, we don't have to be that proficient. So let's hear how most of you guys became "welders".

 

If you can run calking gun, you are well on the way to using a MIG. Not so, with most other forms of welding. I learned MIG welding on steel and aluminum building Freightliner Trucks.

 

I took a tech course, but it is mainly setting the amps and wire feed right and avoiding loops in the torch line. Biggest problem these days is seeing the gap so I stop every couple inches to see if I am still on course.

 

I learned how to weld in college when I got my associates degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology. We also learned stick welding and gas welding as well. To this day, I still gas weld exhaust systems together.

 

Community College tech course was well worth it and introduced you to stick, mig, and tig.

 

I learned how to stick weld on the ranch, back in the early sixties! When my shop aquired a Miller 250 MIG, I just picked up the holder and gave it a try. A little different and I had to mess with the speed and amps a little. But if you understand the basics of welding it should be easy to pick up ….if you can stick weld!




Bones

 

By burning holes in the sheet metal..after a while it gets old.
Practice on scrap.
Eventually, being a self-taught guy I learned to regulate speed, temperature, size of wire for the job.
Still no expert, but I get the job done.

 

Learned gas welding in junior high and stick welding on the job while working as an engineer in Alaska so it was no big deal to teach myself MIG welding when they became popular.

 

Like most everything in my live I learned mig welding by trial & error, I learned arc welding in high school shop class and although I wasn't great at it I did accomplish good welds and nothing ever broke.

Mig welding is the easiest welding to master, it just takes lot's of practice.

I honestly believe anyone can be proficient with a Mig welder but if you are doing something structural like suspension and feel you don't trust your work have a friend that has been welding for years to check out your work, don't be afraid to ask for that second set of eyes. HRP

 

Taught myself, watched a couple u- tube videos and practice. Already knew gas and stick from way back when I apprenticed in auto body.

 

Picked up the gun, pulled the trigger and went to burning holes and laying Weld.

To me it was a trial and error and lots of wire. Same with stick welding, lots of rod burnt.

.

 

I learned to stick weld in HS and taught shopclasses in college, mostly stick and gas welding. I taught myself to MIG when I started restoring cars in the 90's. Later, I taught myself TIG. A fundamental understanding of welding is what you need most. After that, it's practice, practice, practice!

I think learning to gas weld first is great for learning how to weld. Prop up some pieces of 16 ga into a tent and just run a fusion weld to join them, no filler required.

 

My Dad was an excellent stick welderx when I got our first Mig (used MM35) he further explained welding technique to me.
But if he has no one around, a course at the local JC will serve him will. After futzing around with the stick welder after my dad passed, I took a welding class at the JC, all those things my dad tried to teach a hard headed kid got re-instilled as an adult

 

I learned how to mig weld sheet metal after a crash that left me needing to replace a quarter panel on my car. I had been doing paint and body for years, but had no idea how to weld. After asking some buddies what they would charge me to weld a quarter on, I decided I would rather buy a cheap mig and learn on my own. Anyway, that quarter is still on 30 years later and looks good, so seems even a new inexperienced young guy can stick stuff together with a mig.

 

The best thing you can learn to recognize in any form of welding is how to " read" the puddle .

 

Try welding in the reverse direction by going into the gap rather than following the puddle.

Went several years to welding school, and weld inspection classes. Lots of practice.

 

Started out by welding floor pans in my truck. Made a lot of burn thru's, made some good welds, kept at it till I had mostly sealed and solid floors, Then tackled the cowl damage. This came out pretty good, so I then did cab corners.
Not perfect but acceptable, a little mud and paint and they look ok. Not sure I would trust my welds for something
structural, but they hold well enough for things like trans mount. I am having a professional weld my rear axle as I
think my welds would either warp the tubes or not get enough penetration. Investing in a good helmet improved my
welding, and upgrading to a 220 unit did also, even on sheet metal.

 

one of the welders on the bio sphere project in arizona came by the shop for some work. i asked for some tips to weld better. he spent a long time teaching me how to weld. he said a guitar and welder need practice to make sweet music.

 

There it is in a nutshell! That is what I referred to in an earlier post about knowing the basics! 2Old said it better!




Bones

 

I my circle of friends and family, I have probably 12 professional welders! I do about 99% of my own welding and welding for others…..but there is upside down, in the corner critical weld that shows up every once in a while……I call on my friends! Lol,






Bones

 

I learned in community college classes. But I hadn’t welded in years before I started working on my car. So, I’ve been practicing with an eastwood mig and a used tig I picked up to knock some of the rust off and getting back into it.

 

I learned how to mig weld like how I learned about sex. On the street. I already knew how to stick weld and could gas weld a little with coat hangers.
Right now I’m trying to teach myself how to mig weld in fiberglass patch panels on my Vette. It is not going to well. I replaced the welding wire with 100lb test Stren fishing line and am still using 80/20 mix gas. The problem is the panels start on fire after I finish the weld or the line birds nests. It also gums up the torch. I better figure it out quickly though there’s not much of the car left. It mostly has gone up in flames. Anybody got any tips? Would gas welding fiberglass panels be better?

 

My welder friend told me hell is where you go where people continuously bring you broken kitchen chairs.

 

I had learned to stick weld by the time I was 12 so transitioning to a mig was easy. I used to be a really good mig welder but in my later years I need a magnifying lens in my welding helmet. Also I now have a defibrillator/pacemaker which is affected by the mig but I can tig weld with no problems?

 

Learned gas and stick in tech school. Fast forward many years and I told a friend at work that I would like to get a MIG welder. A few days later he told me I just bought a used Miller 250 for $1200.00. He delivered it to my shop and I decided to take a Community College night course. Got to burn their wire and weld up metal with a certified welder showing me how to do it correctly. Best time and money I ever spent.

 

I just grabbed a hold of it and used it like an electric pencil.

 

Time and practise is what makes you a good welder .

I took a course when I went to college on gas / arc and mig welding and how to use a torch .

it was a great course and it taught me a lot of the fundamentals. But real world experience get you laying a good weld .

 

I learned to stick weld when I was about 13 from my Dad . About 10 years later I taught myself how to mig weld , it's so easy I think anyone could learn how to do it. I've never had the opportunity to tig weld , would love to learn how .

 

I'll add buy quality wire from a welding supply shop.

 

A man was lost in the big city and decided to ask directions from a street violinist.
He said, " Hey man! How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"
The violinist said, " Practice, practice, practice!"
Some of the best advice I ever received was to think of welding as tapeing pieces of steel together. The better the tapeing job and the better the placement of the tapeing the better results and the stronger the joints will be.