For years I have wanted to learn to weld.
But I've always pushed it off and found someone else to help. But after finding a few holes here and there on my 65 I decided to just do it.
Lotsa research and lotsa buying later...I made my first "weld" last night.
The wire, the gas, the regulator, the helmet, the ground, the distance, the speed...it's a LOT to figure out for a first timer.
But I'm really excited!
Lotsa practicing to do now! And lotsa video tutorials.
Any tips and tricks you learned that upped your game? Share 'em please!
-peter



Professional welding career, here I come!!!

 

Yup, it's a steep learning curve! My tip: don't run out of gas!

 

You purchased one of the best machines made. Just pay attention to the videos and you will be running beads like a pro. Listen to the sound the arc makes, it should sound like frying bacon. And be sure to push the arc, not pull it.

 

That's a really nice set-up you have. Frying bacon is the best description. Inside the covers usually will show recommended wire speed and amps. Usually tilt the gun at a slight angle and slowly drag it back for starters. It shouldn't take to long to get a feel for it. Gas does not need to be excessive, a slight hiss. Keep your metals tight together, clean, and use similar thickness materials. I wish I recalled more been a decade for me. Top right and bottom right look best. Left edge too much wire speed. It will not stutter when you have the correct speed, just flow.

Steve

 

As I have said before, Mig welding is like playing golf. It looks really easy. I bought a nice Eastwood 250 amp Mig welder and a plazma cutter about 4 years ago. I haven't done a whole lot with it. One thing you might check is to see if you have a community college that has welding classes.

 

^^^THIS^^^

I took an evening welding class a few years ago when I repainted my 71 Olds 98. The auto body class I took was the best investment I made in my Olds, the welding class was just added gravy since my Olds didn't have cancer.

 

With sheet metal you wont be running any beads. Stitch weld your panels. Move around and have a sequence so you know where youve been.

Its really simple. The prep work is the key, just like body work. I bought a 211 and did the metal work on my coupe having never welded before.

 

^^^THIS. I found that the best way to minimize heat warpage on patch panels was to run the MIG a little hotter than recommended for the thickness and use really brief tacks. Of course, I also finally parked the MIG and got a TIG for that, which is MUCH better for sheet metal. I'll also add that with either, the panel fitup is key. There should be NO gaps. Those stupid panel clamps that leave a small gap are trash. Any gap is an invitation to burn through, plus you need to add more heat (and thus warpage) to fill the gap.

 

I took basic welding and advanced welding at the community college. The seniors had a reduced rate and I was the oldest guy in the class. Mig, tig and stick. Great class. I also took two auto body repair classes. I repaired the front clip on my Olds. The equipment they had available was top notch. Great instructors and I made some new friends with the same interests. A auto darkening helmet and cheater lenses helped me a great deal.
Have fun!
Rick

 

Thanks for all of the tips...I suspect I'll do a lot wrong before I do it right.
But I have a stack of scrap metal and a bottle of scotch set up for the weekend.
Should be fun.

I'm just really excited to have a new skill to learn
-peter

 

Make sure you have plenty of ventilation. Safety first. Also make sure the metal is good n clean. Rust and grime are not conducive for a good weld. Practice, practice, practice. Good luck.

Don W

 

Practice practice practice, play a little with heat range so your comfortable..keep the tip close to the work..as said before thin sheet metal is tiny spot welds bouncing around the work to keep warpage to a minimum..not running any beads on she metal.

 

Pete, remember to hang out for about an hour after youre done. To make sure nothing is on fire.

 

I'm not sure if you're kidding or not, but it made me smile.
AND it's probably good advice.
Right now I'm only welding on a table. But I'll definitely do that once I build up courage to hit the car Jasen.
-peter


Here's a question related to this...What if im welding in a patch panel and I can't clean the metal on the backside?
What should I expect then?
​​​​​​​-p

 

Andy is nailing it with practice practice practice. Don't expect to make perfect welds right out of the gate. It is very beneficial to learn all different types of metals. Feel the differences. Make mistakes. Learn. I was forunately born old enough to have had welding in middle school. I had a great teacher. He taught me and I never forgot.

 

Here's my practice for the night.
I tried my hand at butt welding. Tacked the piece along the seem and then used a grinder to smooth it out.
A little porosity in the finished product but not bad.




And then a few more lines. I'm getting a little better already.

 

So when you weld. Take a breath. Slow it. Watch the heat that you are working with. Practice little circles. Allow yourself to burn thru here and there as you practice. When welding things like body panels it is very important to not overheat. Thin metal will warp and you are screwed. Testing yourself on all types of metal is very important. I used to use the same motions on a welder as I did my airbrush. Feel the metal. Let yourself learn mistakes. You got this

 

Oh I've burned through too! (evidence in picture)
I've been letting myself make mistakes just to see what the metal can handle.
-peter

 

You are obviously super mechanical. You have welding in your DNA already.

 

Hahahaha! Thank you.
The encouragement is much appreciated.
-peter

 

Welding really is artwork. You practice. You learn. Young grasshopper. Feel the bead...

 

Follow thru on your welds. Don't stop. Keep the flow. Keep moving. Think small circles. Bruce Lee would teach you on the follow thru. Where your impact is follow thru beyond that. Welding. Painting. It is flow.

 

I took a welding class 25 years ago, when I bought a used 110 mig machine. Later on I bought a used Miller 185 for the bigger projects I had planned. I’m by no means a expert, I’m fairly comfortable with my skills.

My son is enrolling in the high school welding program next year. My wife ask me if I would take him in the garage to play around and try welding, I said I would IF he asked. I don’t want to teach him any bad habits that he will have to unlearn.

Unfortunately, the best teacher is finding out what does and doesn’t work. Playing around with wire speed and heat settings, and then seeing the effects on the weld is the key. In other words, practice!!

I haven’t used a TIG machine in probably 20 years. I do remember having much better success with TIG as opposed to MIG. If I had room in my garage for another welding machine I’d love to get one.

 

I was going to get a MIG, but the more I think about it, I may get a TIG. There's a few guys on a G body board that have had really good luck with the Primeweld off A-zon.
I had borrowed my buddy's Home Depot Lincoln 140 MIG, trying to build headers. It only had a 4 step heat select (A, B, C, D), and I found myself looking for settings between the detents. A smooth pot would be better, I think.

 

he is serious. maybe not an hour,but its a good idea to hang for a bit.

 

Yeah, a good machine helps a lot. I took it years ago in High School, Brazing and Stick welding mostly and College, Brazing, Stick and Mig as part of the Mechanics course. You could tell the kids whose Dad's had Welders. My Dad was a Carpenter, so no Welder at home. They would drop their helmet, do a full speed weld and get a good grade, one guy did it the first time he welded at school! I had to go on the slowest speed to do anywhere near as good. I picked myself up a cheap mig welder. I need bigger Amp service to my garage. One small line strung under ground from the house doesn't cut it. I may add Central A/C to the house and add extra power at that point to my garage. Looking pretty good.

 

Looks like you're off to a good start! That machine should let you do most projects on a car, a roll cage or chassis work would be on the outer limits. For sheet metal I step down to 0.23 wire and anything structural I will use 0.30, I also really like Hobart wire over other brands...it seems to flow a bit better. I don't know if I'm sold on the idea of paying for a class, maybe find a friend that is a good welder to work with you for a couple hours and get you going because the REAL learning comes from just doing it. Watch and learn the puddle, haze and profile, all will tell you what to do. I would take that money for a class and put it toward equipment, an investment in yourself learning a new skill is never a waste of money....Just my opinion anyway.

Stay with it and have fun.

 

I have a friend that has the Primeweld machine...It works quite well. If you're torn between getting a mig or tig, the Esab multi-process welders are extremely good on the tig side.

 

^^^
x2.. body sheetmetal you will not run a bead, a series of spot welds that will eventually fill in..now a tig is a different story and a different learning curve

 

Thanks guys. All of you…seriously.
This is kind of a bucket list thing. Throughout the years I’ve really needed to learn this…and there no better time then now.
I was looking at classes and I still may take one…Tulsa Welding school has a branch here.
But for now I just figured I’d do it.

And yes…I’ve got 8” of .023 loaded and I’m stitching like a bastard!
-peter

 

This is good advice. My company's hot work permits explicitly state dedicated firewatch the whole time including 0.5 hours after work stops.