Never welded before- How do I start to learn?

[HMF]

Guys,

Having seen some of the things that Bob Wright has done with welding, I want to start to learn.

So much out there. So much to learn. So many safety concerns.

Where do I begin, Bob? Is it even possible to learn at my stage in life?

Thanks,


Nelson

 

[aametalmaster]

Well lets see i get 4 days off every other week and its 430 miles to your house and my wife wants to see NYC. Looks like a road trip and you can learn from me. Do you have a welder? Hey i can bring mine...Bob

 

[HMF]

Hey Bob- That's a great offer!

If I had a bigger house, you would be welcome here anytime! I got 3 kids, wife and me, and 3 bedrooms.

But you are welcome to drop by anytime you are here- Jim B. has dropped by from Jersey to help me out when I did one of my typical knuckleheaded things getting the bar stuck on my VN#12.

What I was really driving at though was books, tapes, web sites for dummies like me that I could read or peruse to get some idea of what to do, what to buy....

Best,

Nelson

 

[rleete]

Contact your local welding supply place. The ones that sell gas, welding rods, wire, etc. usually have classes. They'll start you out on stick welding, and progress to MIG & TIG. Around here, they are fairly resonable, being cheaper than the local trade schools. Also, the local BOCES often have classes. Most courses go for 10 weeks or so, and run about $400, including all the supplies.

 

[HMF]

I found a cool vintage beginner arc welding instruction film made by GE, 1940's. Excellent for beginners!

[video=youtube;DC4FIsT-vc0] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC4FIsT-vc0 [/video]

and one from this decade. Really just a promo for this pulse welder, but kind of neat to see how far things have progressed.

http://www.youtube.com/user/hdbindustrie

I will also check out Miller, hobart, Lincoln web sites, which have some pretty nice tutorials and samples of stuff to look at and learn.

Also, I will check out welding supply stores which have video instruction and tool demo areas. Plus stuff on CD like from Smartflix.com is another source of training videos.

Some comunity colleges (though not most around NYC) have welding classes.

Best,

Nelson

 

[Highpower]

These days I always recommend Jody Collier's site to anyone expressing an interest in learning how to weld. As he says, "There is a pant-load of information there."

The articles and videos he has, were created with the average Joe in mind. No talking down to lowly non welders, and no "PhD" terminology to confuse newcomers. You can subscribe to his email tutorials, and get quite a bit of information delivered directly to your computer screen.

Welding Tips & Tricks

[video=youtube;kJhRI4fyyF0] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJhRI4fyyF0&feature=youtu.be [/video]

Of course the BEST way to learn is practice, practice, practice, practice, practice.......
Even without any formal training you can get started by just doing. (Note that I didn't say "certified.")
Round up some scrap metal and have at it. It will come to you after awhile. 8)

 

[BRIAN]

I agree with High power find some scrap and get stuck in. Dont worry where the weld is for a start just drag the stick like sriking a match and get control of the ark You can try welding 2 pieces together after.

 

[ctfromkc]

Hey Nelson, i am buy no means a welding guru i 'll tell you how i started i bought a used welder off craigslist a mm 35 [buying a welder another subject in itself] i took a class at a industrial com.college at night and what i learned i came home and practiced and after i got a little better i started doing some small projects and so on . it helps if you have someone to feed off of to help learn from your mistakes and that's how you get better . i am a machinist for a living so i really enjoy the welding and fabricating and have made some really cool stuff it's a totally different kind of work . these websites are great for ideas and help. just jump in and get started it's not as hard as you think it is .here is a pic of the old mm35 "it didn't look like that when i brought it home" good luck chris

 

[Zigeuner]

I had been welding with stick and gas for a long time. I learned both techniques as well as cutting when I worked as a rocket engine mechanic at Rocketdyne, formerly part of North American Aviation a long time ago.

I got very interested in Heli-Arc there after seeing the machines and work that was done there on rocket engine parts. Heli-Arc process was a trade name and it is now called TIG (Tungsten inert gas).

Around 1994, I bought a used Lincoln Idealarc 250/250 TIG/Stick Idealarc machine and started to practice with average results. I decided to step the process up and so in 1994-1995, I took a one year course in general welding at the local community college.

I certainly got my money's worth. In the second semester, the instructor saw that I was mainly interested in TIG and he would let me work on one of the machines almost all of the class time. As a result, I got a lot of very inexpensive time on a TIG machine and gained experience that I was able to use at home.

It's hard to believe but the cost of the class was only $35 a semester. I showed up with a big smile every Thursday night and never missed a minute of it. I bet I used more than $35 worth of argon and filler rod at every class.

My point is, that I would highly recommend that anyone take a night class at a community college. I hope that there are some left with all of the budget cutting that has been going on nationwide. It was a fun experience and I improved in all phases of welding, including gas, stick, MIG but especially TIG, which is my favorite.

A few years ago, I got a Lincoln SP 175 + MIG welder and traded the Lincoln TIG in on a Miller Syncrowave 200. Both of those are perfect for the home shop. I also have a set of Victor gauges with medium sized tanks. I use CO2 for shielding gas on the MIG and argon on the TIG. All of my tanks are customer-owned.

Try a community college. You will enjoy it!

Here is a picture of my welding bench. It as a 3/8" steel plate for a top and the base is an old steel typing desk. It works for me.



Miller Syncrowave 200 with attached water circulator for liquid-cooled torch.

 

[Highpower]

author=Zigeuner link=topic=1541.msg9831#msg9831 date=1302549846

A few years ago, I got a Lincoln SP 175 + MIG welder and traded the Lincoln TIG in on a Miller Syncrowave 200. Both of those are perfect for the home shop.

I'm not trying to hijack the thread here - but just had a quick question...

Zigeuner, do you ever have any problems with stray HF from your Syncrowave? I can't use mine when the wife is on her computer because it drives our home network router NUTS!