Getting Started Welding

Capt Doufos · 19 Mar 2020 at 20:43

Hi!

So, I am now spending too much time at my desk and I am looking for something else to be doing after work. I have my MG Midget sitting the garage (which it has been for years) as it needs a fair amount of welding / patching up and paying someone to do it is £4-5k. Which is pretty much the value of the car.

I have always wanted to learn how to weld, but never got around to it. Just wondering where do you start? I have watched some youtube videos etc. and I understand it's a case of practice.

Can anyone recommend where to start equipment wise? I believe the Clarke 135/150TE Mig welders are supposed to be quite good, I guess there is also wire and gas to consider as well as various other accessories that make life easier.

Thanks!

EssexBoy · 19 Mar 2020 at 20:48

Not something you can pick up easily in a few weeks but if you practise enough you could get good enough to do adequate repairs.

Definitely go the argon route for better welds.

Diddums · 19 Mar 2020 at 21:24

Spend a few hundred on a course. Welding is one of those things where poor habits learned early on will hold you back.

It's also something you need to keep practising if you want to stay good at it.

I used to weld for a few years. Mainly Acetylene but also quite a bit of MIG. I tried TIG but moved companies before I could master it, a move I still regret to this day. It's very satisfying to do, and once you get the dance down you'll want to weld everything you can get your hands on (at least that's how it was for me

)

You'll never forget your first (and hopefully last!) burn. It takes pain to a whole new level

EDIT: also, buy a decent machine. Whatever you do, don't use someone else's old stuff when learning. Every welding machine has its own "personality" so until you can weld like a champ, you need to rule out any finnickyness from old kit.

Shawy · 20 Mar 2020 at 08:17

I had a go at arc welding recently, building a work bench in my garage. So much harder than I thought, as someone who generally picks things up fairly quickly. I'd definitely look into going on a training course when I'm ready to start welding important things like cars.

Oh, and you can't see **** through welding masks. Seriously.

sovietspybob · 20 Mar 2020 at 09:05

I've got a Clarke 151en machine and i have to say i found it quite nice and easy to pick up, i watched a load of videos and practised on some scrap metal then knocked up a double motorbike trailer. It survived all the way to Germany and back and didn't fall apart. I've not used it a whole lot since, i've patched up a lawnmower deck and the like, and like yourself i've got a classic car that needs welding (classic mini) so it'll get some good use when i get round to that.

I'd say get a decent machine rather than someones cast off or a supermarket special, i've been very happy with the Clarke and when my dad borrowed it he said it was a nice easy machine to use and he's done quite a lot of welding over the years.

Get decent gas in a big cylinder and not those little throw away ones, i used a 'hobby 5' mix which is mostly argon with a bit of co2 i believe. It is quite expensive though, i've run out currently and trying to find an affordable option isn't easy but that just seems to be the way it is. Make sure you get a decent auto dimming mask, the ones that you get with the welder are terrible so don't even bother. Decent welding gloves too and then you'll want lots of decent clamps, a good wire brush and flapper discs for your grinder to clean everything up prior to welding.

It's a really useful skill and while yes there is a learning curve as long as your generally able to pick things up it's nothing that you should be scared of, well MIG at least.

Edit: Oh yeah make sure you've got a decent fire extinguisher around and water, stuff just tends to go on fire around you when you weld so watch out for that.

bobuk · 20 Mar 2020 at 09:44

Once you can write your nave on a 18 gauge piece of metal without blowing a hole in it you are there, as people have said practice. Make sure you cut the metal back to clean metal as well, the cleaner the better.

Capt Doufos · 20 Mar 2020 at 17:05

Thanks for the replies. It something I have always wanted to pick up, just never got around to it. I should probably just order one and start practicing! If I had done that years ago I would probably be competent by now

Minxy · 20 Mar 2020 at 19:55

Don’t forget to get some appropriate PPE too.

alchal · 22 Mar 2020 at 17:43

Make sure materials are clean ,number 1, even on mild steel I grind back to shiny if I can.

Get a good screen , wear a mask to protect from fumes.

Also buy a cap to wear... sparks on the head are a pain.