One of the things I would like to learn is how to weld, at least arc and tig. How should I go about it? Self teaching? Find someone who knows and mooch some of the knowledge? Classes? If the latter, where in the triangle can I take them?
dalek;n89269 said:One of the things I would like to learn is how to weld, at least arc and tig. How should I go about it? Self teaching? Find someone who knows and mooch some of the knowledge? Classes? If the latter, where in the triangle can I take them?
Lucky13bullets;n89334 said:I found that tig was the easiest for me. Next was oxy acetaline. I never got the hang of stick welding and don't even think about letting me weld aluminum
I actually find aluminum mig welding easier than steel. I kick myself for not taking advantage of access to several tig machines and friends that could use them well to learn.Lucky13bullets;89334 said:I found that tig was the easiest for me. Next was oxy acetaline. I never got the hang of stick welding and don't even think about letting me weld aluminum
Lucky13bullets;89360 said:I find that with aluminum I cant see the puddle when it is just right and I end up blowing through
Beef15;n89383 said:I like it because the puddle seems so much more evident, and it feels like I have all the time in the world to manipulate it.
I am clearly the odd one out though, no one I know agrees.
htperry;n89396 said:By learning to weld, I become an expert with a grinder.
I can now stick, MIG, TIG and Oxy ..... an expertly grind it all pretty.
htperry;n89458 said:If I'm going to paint it, I can really make it look good with some JB Weld.
Crazy Carl;n89985 said:Used to watch my grampa weld with a pair of tanks & a coat hanger. Cheapest SOB I've ever met, but damned if he ain't one crafty old bastard.
Burt Gummer;n90224 said:IMO learning to weld with a stick welder will make you a better welder. I'm no professional nor have I went to school for it. Having said that, learning arc control with a stick welder will teach you loads. I learned on a stick welder and then went on to mig. I've never ran a tig welder but you can weld aluminum with a stick welder as well as a mig. The key to welding aluminum is having it clean to start with and hot. The reason TIG works so well is because you are actually preheating the material beforehand. Find you a used welder or someone that has one they will let you use and buy the consumables(rods,wire, etc) and learn to run a good bead. Once you get that downpat try sticking two pieces together and then try to break that in a vise. If you break it you'll be able to tell a lot by the weld job,( depth, quality) and it will help you learn
Mightyox04;n90253 said:Sounds like brazing. Back when they made good coat hangers you could do that.