Author Topic: Has anyone taken up welding?  (Read 3067 times)

DeniseNJ

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Has anyone taken up welding?
« on: February 05, 2019, 05:32:41 PM »
I was reading the mmm welding post and watching metaspencer, this neat youtube channel w this guy building stuff and have decided to take up welding. I'm ordering the stuff ummm recommended but anyone know some great sites to learn to weld?  Has anyone else taken this up? How do u like it?

lthenderson

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2019, 07:13:53 PM »
What kind of welding are you interested in? Stick, Mig, Tig, brazing? I have done all of them over the years but the one I like the best is Mig welding. It is a great thing to know but does take a good bit of knowledge and practice to become really proficient. I would classify myself on the low end of being proficient because I have worked around others who were a great deal better than I could ever be. To become really good, I would recommend taking a welding course at a local community college or trade school.

DeniseNJ

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2019, 09:12:39 PM »
Mig  I just found a site called instructables   That seem to have lots of "classes" online where they explain stuff and give little tasks and projects to do. And the manual for the welder has lots of info--it's online are harbor freight tools. I'm learning safety stuff and basic welds then I guess it's just practice from there. Looks like so much fun.

Fishindude

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2019, 03:34:57 PM »
Yep, I've got a stick welder, torch, grinders, band saw, and all of the other misc. tools and equipment in my shop to do basic fabrication.

DeniseNJ

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2019, 10:14:31 PM »
I'm buying a mig/flux core welder but my son wants a mapp torch.  I think he just likes the old fashioned look of holding this fire wand. Can you really make anything useful or interesting out of aluminum or copper with a mapp torch?  I want to build furniture with steel--I think he just wants to make creme brulee. He's 19.

kendallf

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2019, 11:17:02 PM »
I learned MIG and TIG at our local junior college welding program.  Classes were inexpensive and there's nothing like having lots of raw materials and equipment to practice with that you don't have to pay for.

A mapp torch can braze but you really need oxy acetylene to weld anything structural.  A torch can be extremely versatile but it's quite a bit harder to learn than MIG or even TIG.

DeniseNJ

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2019, 01:32:23 PM »
Do I need a breathing mask for welding?   I didn't see it on the list of saftey equipment on the website I was reading.  Doeas it matter if you are using flux core or solid MIG?

Also, do you need an eye shield when using a map gas torch?  It doesn't seem that bright but I havent tried it yet?

Fishindude

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2019, 02:38:29 PM »
Do I need a breathing mask for welding?   I didn't see it on the list of saftey equipment on the website I was reading.  Doeas it matter if you are using flux core or solid MIG?

Also, do you need an eye shield when using a map gas torch?  It doesn't seem that bright but I havent tried it yet?

As long as you are working outdoors or in a well ventilated space, you generally do not need a breathing protection for general welding.   Guys that weld full time hours and hours per day such as pipe fitters commonly will have air supplies to their hoods.  Just use some common sense and don't suck in the fumes / smoke unnecessarily, it won't be good for you.

You should always wear properly tinted cutting goggles that seal off tight to your face and / or a combination of safety glasses and a full face shield,one or the other properly tinted.
Torches will "splatter" occasionally and the last thing you want is a bit of hot metal in the eye.   Always a good idea to wear safety glasses under a welding hood for same reason, additional protection.   Although not as damaging as a welding arc, looking at a cutting flame for extended periods will cause eye damage.

When you ask questions as simple as this, I would strongly suggest that you take a beginners welding course at your local community college which will cover the safety basics.   Safety first !
 

DeniseNJ

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #8 on: February 09, 2019, 04:59:36 PM »
Thanks. Yes, I'm not even plugging anything in until I know what safety stuff I need to have in place. I was going to wear a dust mask for the mig just to be more comfortable since I hadn't read anything about something bigger. I don't know much about the mapp torch, my kid just came up with that so I have to find out more about it before I let him near it. Thanks for the info.

Wintergreen78

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #9 on: February 10, 2019, 04:51:46 PM »
Welding is awesome! I think it is a great skill to learn, fun, and once you know how to do it you can find all sorts of useful things to make. I’ve only done a little bit of welding, but I’d second the recommendation to find a local community college class or something similar. Learning from an instructor and getting direct feedback helps a lot. Also, practice is really important. Whichever way you learn, get plenty of material to practice on, and do as many practice welds as you can.

I’m not an expert by any means, but I’ve seen some you tubers doing pretty horrible welds. So, if you watch videos for tips, try to find people who have experience, not someone who is just starting to learn themselves.

lthenderson

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2019, 11:47:22 AM »
When you ask questions as simple as this, I would strongly suggest that you take a beginners welding course at your local community college which will cover the safety basics.   Safety first !

+1

Also be aware of what you wear when welding, especially flammable things like paper dust masks. I've seen more than one person suffer burns from articles of clothing that caught fire.

coachfrigo

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2019, 01:14:17 PM »
I tried to learn it at a trade school adult class. It was fun, but I wasn't very good. I'm sure I would have been with more practice, but I just couldn't do the time commitment.

Any practical/money-saving uses? I know it has money-MAKING uses, but I'm talking things that can lower expenses.

lthenderson

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #12 on: March 28, 2019, 06:48:13 AM »
Any practical/money-saving uses? I know it has money-MAKING uses, but I'm talking things that can lower expenses.

Growing up on a farm, there are dozens if not hundreds of ways having and using a welder can lower expenses, mainly be being able to make repairs or build necessary tools without having to hire them out or buy them from a dealer. But for the average person who lives in town, I can't think of too much unless perhaps you are into fixing up old vehicles in your garage. Mostly they are just a handy toy to have when occasionally needed.

tooqk4u22

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #13 on: March 28, 2019, 08:27:37 AM »
If you are just beginning and/or don't have a full time need for the gasless mig welder from harbor freight - cheap, works really well for light duty and no gas needed. 

https://www.harborfreight.com/flux-125-welder-63582.html

Wrenchturner

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #14 on: March 29, 2019, 05:49:47 PM »
Molten metal glue.  Like hot glue but it puts holes in your jeans(and legs!).  Pretty fun.  Point and shoot with MIG.  Think sizzling bacon, not popcorn sounds!

If you're having a hard time with the welder, do some googling, and once you're well-frustrated with that, just go back to fiddling with the knobs!  There's only three of them, the permutations are pretty limited.

DeniseNJ

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #15 on: April 09, 2019, 02:48:05 PM »
I welded!  It was so much fun.  First time.  I had to clean out the garage first and sort and organize my tools, etc.  I put up a peg board and it looks so good. I used my big gloves and helmet thing and watched videos and read all about my welder.  I just did practice lines on a sheet of steel, terrible at first but better as I got the hang of it.  I was in the garage with the door open and didn't find it terribly smokey.  Nervous to start but it was really fun.  I want to start on a project this weekend.  I need more metal.  There's a place called the Metal Supermarket in Northern NJ.  Also someone recommended getting those metal bed frames for cheap and cutting that up.  I just bought a few peices of rather expensive metal from Home Depot just to get started.  I didn't use gas, just flux core on the MIG welder.

Where do you get metal that you know what it is and is not super expensive?  I'm going to make brackets and eventually a table--a tiny one at first like 6 to 8 inches and then the same one actual size.  I really am so excited about it

Mr. Metal Mustache

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Re: Has anyone taken up welding?
« Reply #16 on: April 13, 2019, 07:29:49 AM »
Usually you can go to your local scrap yard and buy it by the pound fairly cheaply. Many factories dump CNC sheets and leftovers there that are very suitable for what you are looking to practice on. As other posts mentioned; buying something off cragslist made of metal that is selling less than its worth in weight of steel would be another good option... Get a plasma cutter or oxy/act torch and make short work of it and have even more fun. :)