TheCam
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Registered: 16th Mar 07
Location: Kirkcaldy
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i would really like to learn to weld, would love to buy an older car and fix it up but right now, bodywork aint my area of expertise lol. what different types of welding do you get? mig, tig, arc any more?(are those correct) and what is the differences.
which would be the best for cars and is there any guides out there to teach me how to use 1?
cheers.
graeme
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
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I was taught at college, they basically gave us a big crate full of scraps of metal and said "there you go, weld them together"
Buying a car to learn on is a bad idea I reckon, you're much better starting with small bits to get the basic technique sorted, then when you're semi decent, maybe think about a car.
MIG is the best to learn for use at home IMO, TIG is hard, so probably not a good idea on your driveway, arc is ok (especially if you want to weld under water  ) and spot welding you don't even need to get a technique sorted 
Get a cheap MIG welder, mask and then go to an engineering place and ask for some offcuts of steel IMO.
Or go to college for an evening class and don't bother buying your own stuff, and you'll get a tutor to ask questions too if you need to.
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darrend2007
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Registered: 22nd Jul 07
Location: fife, scotland
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babcock lauder do even classes thats were i did and hnc in welding, do alot of spot welding now am working in bodyshop but to be honest tig and gas welsing ur not going to learn over night lol. mig simple
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Sunz
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: SE England
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Do a spot welding course at mine if you like £100 all inc food and drink
Robin I worked at an metal engineering place in west london I did some welding there can you tell which is which 
One welder has a self feeding wire comming from the center of the gun.
One welder you had to twist the gun insert a rod and twist it back to tightern it.
One welder which I welded stainless steal has a sharp point and I have to dip a rod in at the same as doing the welding motion
And the last one has a large gun and I would heat up an area of metal then get a bronze looking rod dip that In bronze/orangey power and then melt the rod on the metal serface.
I just did welding, never set up maching or asked names
Sorry to cam1 feel as if I have hijacked 
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bigdan
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Registered: 4th Jan 07
Location: Jarrow (Newcastle)
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on my course they are teaching me all kids of welds but basically atm we've got a mig welder and were just in a corner welding lines on sheets of metal if your good enough you can weld two bits together
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
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quote:
Originally posted by Sunz
Robin I worked at an metal engineering place in west london I did some welding there can you tell which is which
MIG, arc, TIG, than the last one I don't know, but it sounds like brazing more than welding TBH
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Sandsy
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Registered: 29th Oct 04
Location: Tilney All Saints Drives: V6 Corsa
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I done a small amount of mig when i was on an aprentership but this weekend i learned how to stick weld when i was replacing my back box lol, long story
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TheCam
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Registered: 16th Mar 07
Location: Kirkcaldy
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thanx lads, anyone else?
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STEvieXE
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Registered: 21st Jan 03
Location: Ballymena N.I.
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standard for bodywork is mig
do a nite class as said, think about buying ur own equipment. as robin said small steel strips is the best to learn on. migs not too hard to pick up
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Nic Barnes
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Registered: 5th Apr 04
Location: nowhere near ginger people
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quote:
Originally posted by STEvieXE
standard for bodywork is mig
do a nite class as said, think about buying ur own equipment. as robin said small steel strips is the best to learn on. migs not too hard to pick up
tig is a talent and something id like to learn to do. ive only ever mig welded before. id be interested in taking courses in welding also. did you learn it as part of the bodywork course? or just from having a go yourself?
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STEvieXE
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Registered: 21st Jan 03
Location: Ballymena N.I.
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u learn to mig tig and old fashioned gas welding
only really need mig tho.
also learn brazing and alu welding altho again dont need it really and tbh its so long since ive done it i wouldnt say id be compentent at it.
yeah part of when i served my time
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Willox
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Registered: 24th Mar 07
Location: Aberdeenshire
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i'm a welder/fabricator.mig welding is the continous feed of rod,manual metal arc [stick,arc] welding is where you have to insert rods into the welding gun and replace once burnt down,oxy acetelyne[ never know how to spell that ] is where you have a mixture of oxygen and acetelyne obviously using rods that you heat up and use in the same motion as you would any other welding. i love it when folk say they know how to weld-genuinely not having a go at anyone here,just in general,but wait until you have to overhead weld to an industry standard,makes you want to quit you're job lol.its not an easy skill to learn and perfect to an industry standard
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STEvieXE
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Registered: 21st Jan 03
Location: Ballymena N.I.
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we had to thatcham welding welding tests at college and in one of my previous workplaces
like u say over heads etc 150mm long with allowances for i think it was 5mm in total of defects with weld penetration the same on the other side
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cheekyalex
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Registered: 5th Jan 06
Location: liverpool
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i just bought a second hand mig welder off ebay and tought myself. although my dad has done a welding course at one point in his life so i give me a couple of tips.also check out some diy welding videos on youtube, some are quite good. there is also i really good website i used with all the good info for begginers.ill post the link up soon.
also dont bother with scrap metal to practise on.just go your local body shop and buy a big sheet of steel as it will be alot easier and quicker to practice on.only cost me less than a fiver for a piece about 2 sq foot. and it was just the right thickness metal to practise on for car welding.
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phil_sutton
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Registered: 8th Sep 07
Location: Nottingham
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Its took me 4 years of just using a welder on my own to get where I am now. Only thing you can do is practice. The hardest to do is car repair as its normally crap thin metal. Get some nice thick box section to practice with.
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andyc1234
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Registered: 7th Nov 06
Location: Lancashire
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i just started a welding apprenticeship. easy stuff to do if you have the right mind for it . took me about 10 mins of spattering and blowing holes in things to get the grasp of it. just want to learn tig and ally welding. 
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Willox
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Registered: 24th Mar 07
Location: Aberdeenshire
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i cant remember all the tolerances,its on the wall next to me when i weld so dont need to remember lol.i would say arc welding is the hardest to pick up for the simple fact of bein one of the 2 most common weld methods along with mig but as mig is a constand feed of rod and arc is a constant process of changing over rods and havin to have the skill to pick up where u left off the weld and get it so its barely if not not obvious at all is quite a tricky task.i would say without being modest i can weld better than some of the old timers i know,probably just because i am alot less past it
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csweatherston
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Registered: 16th Jan 06
Location: Devon
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i taught myself mig, tig, stick how to braze and lead fill within a couple lunchtimes at work...
overhead welding isnt that difficult, i find left hand migging in tiny panelgaps a nightmare though
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Willox
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Registered: 24th Mar 07
Location: Aberdeenshire
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you may have taught yourself how to do it,i dont doubt that,but doing it to a top standard of quality takes a little longer than a couple of lunchtimes
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richc
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Registered: 24th Mar 07
Location: Ilkeston
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quote:
Originally posted by corsa_loon1
you may have taught yourself how to do it,i dont doubt that,but doing it to a top standard of quality takes a little longer than a couple of lunchtimes
deffo, espcially when you have to keep a contasnt run over 1000 mm for example.
Everyone here makes out how easy it is, but being in the trade, i know folk that will take offence to someone saying that can weld and they learned to do so over a coulpe of dinner times.
I did alot of tig when i was first trainning (mild, ali, ss) but havent touched it since. It took me about a month, of day in day out welding to master is to a consistant standard, probably 80-100 hours. do abit of stick now and again, but at our place its mainly mig.
Im not a big fan or mig, unless its on thick material, just personall preference. i only tack up now days anyways, tend to fab more than ote!
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flybikeslee
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Registered: 2nd Jan 07
Location: Liverpool
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sod this welding lark. use sikaflex......
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darrend2007
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Registered: 22nd Jul 07
Location: fife, scotland
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on most cars it is it mig welding and most things are spot however most new cars pane;s are binded on
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csweatherston
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Registered: 16th Jan 06
Location: Devon
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lol, when i say i learnt in a few dinnertimes......
..its taken me years to master.
I also mainly mig small patches these days.
but i occasionally get someone who needs there exhast tigged...or there wings lead filled.
or even brazing coolant/oil pipes etc lol
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STEvieXE
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Registered: 21st Jan 03
Location: Ballymena N.I.
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why would u want to lead fill in this day and age?
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TheCam
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Registered: 16th Mar 07
Location: Kirkcaldy
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thanks very much guys, very much appreciated
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