Ok guys, its time for me to start learning to work with metal. I know, welding is just part of it but I have to start somewhere. What would you recommend for starting ? MIG, oxyacetylene, .... ? and what small/medium equipment that could serve both for messing around an actual work ? Thanks for any advice D.
if you master gas welding you will have skills that will help you with Mig and Tig welding. However , it's just not used much anymore and really isn't practical. the only thing i use oxy/aceteylene for is cutting metal or heating and bending. since you are new to welding , i suggest you look around for a night class in welding and learn how to weld before you buy any equipment . start with the basics..... mig welding , maybe even stick welding . practice , practice , practice and then maybe learn Tig welding is not really hard, you just have to know what you are doing...and having someone right there showing you the correct way is priceless
All of the above and just make "stuff" untill you feel that you are ready to actually weld on a car. The ag and welding teacher who taught next door to the shop I taught in started the kids out welding up pieces of scrap and seeing how the welds held up and then started them on small projects. I still have the plant stand that one of them made and I bought. You can weld sheet metal with a torch but welding anything heavier can be a challenge and now days a lot of guys use a cutting disk rather than a torch to cut metal most of the time. I'd say a decent mig unit that will weld light sheet metal up through 1/4 or 3/8 plate would be the most practical these days. You can cut most things with cut off disks or a chop saw or hack saw and one doesn't weld heavier metal working on a car very often.
I was in the same boat as you about 2 years ago. I had no experience but wanted to learn so I signed up at a local community college. It helped get me started and taught me to get used to the equipment. Like the others have said, it is a lot of practice to get good...which I am nowhere near.
Sounds like me ----Back in 1951----In the USN---18 yrs. old---Off the Korean coast---my thoughts then,----Best I learn something (a skill) that will always benefit me after becoming a civilian! As a metalsmith aboard my ship, I was fortunate enough to have had an older, knowledgeable fellow crew member that took time to show me the basics of gas welding/brazing & cutting with oxy/acet. torch, it was to be a lifetime of complete experience in the welding field, & now at 75, & retired, I can pass on my advice to you, as a younger guy, YES, start with gas welding/brazing, it will quickly show you all about the molten metal age of "WELDING"-------Don
I learned to gas weld in A&P school in TRF Minnesota. I got the chance to learn TIG welding at Bellanca aircraft in Alex Minnesota. If you master Gas Welding you will be able to learn all other methods. Its also somthing you never forget
I say start with a Mig. Its easy to use, easy to understand and not real expensive. You can pic a decent Mig Flux Core welder at Home Depot for under $400.00, wire feed. I suggest you get a Mig with gas for cleaning the weld. They normally have CO2/Argon mixes for the gas. Learn your heat settings and wire speed. Practice on all kinds of metals, angle, sheet etc. Get a book or video. Tigs are the next level, and carry a higher price. Great for sheet metal work, low heat areas more precise tac welds etc. You can also Braize with a Tig. Penetration is important in welding, getting a good blued look around the metal around the weld lets you know you have a good bond. Practice practice practice. I am self taught, had imput from a late friend who was a steamfitter all his life, now I can weld frames and everything. Mig is the way to go.
Gee Don, thanks for sharing your story and knowledge. I think you are totally right, torch is the way to go for actually learning. You can get a MIG whenever you want once you really know what you are doing. Thanks all for you r answers. Im surprised how dificult is to find a welding course here in BA. Been searching and found just a couple of old ads in regional shools, universities. I'll have to do some serious search next week, I want so badly to get my hands on my own junk. Hope I can post some messing around work in the near future
My humble advice - Start with a set of torches and learn to gas weld & braze the old fashioned way. Master that and all other types of equipment (MIG, TIG, even stick) will almost seem second nature; plus you can use your gas equipment for other things like cutting, bending, unsticking things, soldering etc. so a decent O/A setup is always worthwhile to have around. Al in CT
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