Conquer Club

Like, where to start, or materials for learning?

I'm thinking about trying my hand at welding, if for nothing else to try and make some money with odd jobs and the like. Plus, someone who can weld is not likely to be out of work for long.

I saw a set of two Victor cutting torches for $200 with cart and full tanks on cl. Also, an older Lincoln sp-200 mig welder for $500. Are these reasonable deals?

-TG

it's a hot job.

It makes a bright white light when you do it so it's best to wear some sunglasses while you work.

Its best to do it without a shirt as to look sexy

Army of GOD wrote:Its best to do it without a shirt as to look sexy

Yeah, I do this anyways. It's just normal.

nietzsche wrote:it's a hot job.

That don't bother me none.

-TG

Why dont you take up woodworking instead? Did you know Jesus was a woodworker? That would teach you to be less of a sinner.

nietsche wrote:Why dont you take up woodworking instead? Did you know Jesus was a woodworker? That would teach you to be less of a sinner.

1. Arcing electricity
2. Gas
3. Fire
4. Metal

How is welding not awesome? You're re-shaping fucking metal.

Actually, I always wanted to do woodworking as well. The cost of all the different saws and such seemed expensive, though. Plus I don't have that much room for like 5 different saw stations and lathes and shit. Maybe if I get a bigger place.

-TG

Don't breath the fumes if you are cutting or welding anything that is galvanized.


Oh, it's a very dirty job. Dish detergent works best on your hair.

If you want to learn how to weld, you've got to learn it from someone who is already capable of safely welding one thing to another. The aesthetics are not nearly as important, as you can learn that yourself by a lot of practice. Just make sure you learn the safe way and you'll be on your way.

A friend of mine followed this exact path and welded a piece of crap steel, formed like a boat (with 49 holes in it), into a beautiful piece of machinery on water where our city is proud of (he's been in newspapers and local news more than once). A small amount of talent is helpful, but not necesarry. It'll just make your future work easier and better looking.

Good luck and let us know how you're doing. Pics or didn't happen

I once welded some scrap metal in a shop class.


--Andy

TA1LGUNN3R wrote:Like, where to start, or materials for learning?

I'm thinking about trying my hand at welding, if for nothing else to try and make some money with odd jobs and the like. Plus, someone who can weld is not likely to be out of work for long.

I saw a set of two Victor cutting torches for $200 with cart and full tanks on cl. Also, an older Lincoln sp-200 mig welder for $500. Are these reasonable deals?

-TG

Victor is a good brand ( I have Smith) and depending on the model of torch $200 is a great price. I'm guessing the Lincoln MIG is a flux core wire machine, is it 120 volts? MIG generally requires clean metal for welding and is limited to thinner steel, possibly less than 1/8" and is relatively easy to use. A decent arc welder requires 220 volts, but welds all thicknesses of steel, deeper penetration and doesn't require clean metal.

A welding supply store will likely fill those bottles, but it's worth checking first to know for sure. If the Victor torch is in good shape and has the large cutting head, the price is good even without the cart and bottles.

Welding is a sin, because it involves commingling of the layers, in violation of god's plan.

Amirite?

Dukasaur wrote:Welding is a sin, because it involves commingling of the layers, in violation of god's plan.

Amirite?

Watch out for that first step -- it's a doozy!


--Andy

oVo wrote:

TA1LGUNN3R wrote:Like, where to start, or materials for learning?

I'm thinking about trying my hand at welding, if for nothing else to try and make some money with odd jobs and the like. Plus, someone who can weld is not likely to be out of work for long.

I saw a set of two Victor cutting torches for $200 with cart and full tanks on cl. Also, an older Lincoln sp-200 mig welder for $500. Are these reasonable deals?

-TG

Victor is a good brand ( I have Smith) and depending on the model of torch $200 is a great price. I'm guessing the Lincoln MIG is a flux core wire machine, is it 120 volts? MIG generally requires clean metal for welding and is limited to thinner steel, possibly less than 1/8" and is relatively easy to use. A decent arc welder requires 220 volts, but welds all thicknesses of steel, deeper penetration and doesn't require clean metal.

A welding supply store will likely fill those bottles, but it's worth checking first to know for sure. If the Victor torch is in good shape and has the large cutting head, the price is good even without the cart and bottles.

Hm, I think I'll get the torches. The welder doesn't say it's flux core, but the voltage input is 200/220 at 50Hz.

Would it really matter? From what I understand, a flux core welder uses a hollow electrode with flux material within the wire for the shielding. Could you theoretically change out the gun and add a shielding gas supply tank if you wanted to run a regular mig weld with solid wire?

Thanks for the advice btw.

-TG

JBlombier wrote:If you want to learn how to weld, you've got to learn it from someone who is already capable of safely welding one thing to another. The aesthetics are not nearly as important, as you can learn that yourself by a lot of practice. Just make sure you learn the safe way and you'll be on your way.

A friend of mine followed this exact path and welded a piece of crap steel, formed like a boat (with 49 holes in it), into a beautiful piece of machinery on water where our city is proud of (he's been in newspapers and local news more than once). A small amount of talent is helpful, but not necesarry. It'll just make your future work easier and better looking.

Good luck and let us know how you're doing. Pics or didn't happen

He made a boat with holes? And it floats?

-TG

TA1LGUNN3R wrote:

oVo wrote:

TA1LGUNN3R wrote:Like, where to start, or materials for learning?

I'm thinking about trying my hand at welding, if for nothing else to try and make some money with odd jobs and the like. Plus, someone who can weld is not likely to be out of work for long.

I saw a set of two Victor cutting torches for $200 with cart and full tanks on cl. Also, an older Lincoln sp-200 mig welder for $500. Are these reasonable deals?

-TG

Victor is a good brand ( I have Smith) and depending on the model of torch $200 is a great price. I'm guessing the Lincoln MIG is a flux core wire machine, is it 120 volts? MIG generally requires clean metal for welding and is limited to thinner steel, possibly less than 1/8" and is relatively easy to use. A decent arc welder requires 220 volts, but welds all thicknesses of steel, deeper penetration and doesn't require clean metal.

A welding supply store will likely fill those bottles, but it's worth checking first to know for sure. If the Victor torch is in good shape and has the large cutting head, the price is good even without the cart and bottles.

Hm, I think I'll get the torches. The welder doesn't say it's flux core, but the voltage input is 200/220 at 50Hz.

Would it really matter? From what I understand, a flux core welder uses a hollow electrode with flux material within the wire for the shielding. Could you theoretically change out the gun and add a shielding gas supply tank if you wanted to run a regular mig weld with solid wire?

Thanks for the advice btw.

-TG

The torches wont allow you to weld but to braze. Get the mig welder of even better a tig welder. A good tig welder is more in demand and they make more money and work on cooler projects.

In order to be a good welder you need to get into a little material science. Understanding the material that you will be welding and how it reacts to heat is crucial and will help you learn how to better manage heat and will help you create better welding fixtures.

Go to a tech school. I have a buddy who learned to weld at a local technical college and works for one of his teachers.

If you weld without glasses on, you'll get little pieces of metal in your eyes. Don't do that. His eyes are shiny now. He's not the sharpest tool in the box.

MIG and TIG are used a lot for welding sheet metal, especially stainless, for duct work in food production.

TA1LGUNN3R wrote:

JBlombier wrote:If you want to learn how to weld, you've got to learn it from someone who is already capable of safely welding one thing to another. The aesthetics are not nearly as important, as you can learn that yourself by a lot of practice. Just make sure you learn the safe way and you'll be on your way.

A friend of mine followed this exact path and welded a piece of crap steel, formed like a boat (with 49 holes in it), into a beautiful piece of machinery on water where our city is proud of (he's been in newspapers and local news more than once). A small amount of talent is helpful, but not necesarry. It'll just make your future work easier and better looking.

Good luck and let us know how you're doing. Pics or didn't happen

He made a boat with holes? And it floats?

-TG

Come on, did you just troll me here? I replied very decently to your request in the OP.

Of course he didn't make a boat with holes, he filled all 49 holes up and made a masterpiece of it. Meh, I'm done with this thread. A shame, Tail. I thought you were above this...

FOE HIM!!!!!!

Jmac1026 wrote:Go to a tech school. I have a buddy who learned to weld at a local technical college and works for one of his teachers.

If you weld without glasses on, you'll get little pieces of metal in your eyes. Don't do that. His eyes are shiny now. He's not the sharpest tool in the box.

I'm actually going to school for biochemistry. Honestly, I wouldn't bother with tech school even if I wasn't already at a university. If I can learn something by teaching myself then I don't see the point in paying an institution for lessons.

This is just because I like to add skills to my repertoire. I like to be able to work on anything, and ideally it'd be nice to have a wide range of skills (and even better if it gives an opportunity to be paid).

demonfork wrote:The torches wont allow you to weld but to braze. Get the mig welder of even better a tig welder. A good tig welder is more in demand and they make more money and work on cooler projects.

I kinda planned to start with mig and move on to tig when time allows. It seems like tig requires a bit more skill. Also, the torches are just for cutting (it's an oxy-acetylene set up).

-TG

JBlombier wrote:

TA1LGUNN3R wrote:

JBlombier wrote:If you want to learn how to weld, you've got to learn it from someone who is already capable of safely welding one thing to another. The aesthetics are not nearly as important, as you can learn that yourself by a lot of practice. Just make sure you learn the safe way and you'll be on your way.

A friend of mine followed this exact path and welded a piece of crap steel, formed like a boat (with 49 holes in it), into a beautiful piece of machinery on water where our city is proud of (he's been in newspapers and local news more than once). A small amount of talent is helpful, but not necesarry. It'll just make your future work easier and better looking.

Good luck and let us know how you're doing. Pics or didn't happen

He made a boat with holes? And it floats?

-TG

Come on, did you just troll me here? I replied very decently to your request in the OP.

Of course he didn't make a boat with holes, he filled all 49 holes up and made a masterpiece of it. Meh, I'm done with this thread. A shame, Tail. I thought you were above this...

Ah, that makes more sense. I misinterpreted your first post.

-TG

Okay, that can happen. So, let's start over...

Since you wanna start welding, is there a particular thing you wanna make? Or start with learning the art and see what you can come up with along the road?

TA1LGUNN3R wrote:I kinda planned to start with mig and move on to tig when time allows. It seems like tig requires a bit more skill. Also, the torches are just for cutting (it's an oxy-acetylene set up).

OK... for starters your Oxy-acetylene torch gives you the ability to cut all sizes of steel if you have the right tips. It also gives you the opportunity to forge, weld thin metal and braze.

The ability to gas weld is the same skill required to TIG (tungsten inert gas) weld metal. The big difference being TIG supplies instant heat with it's arc where you are welding as well as the ability to weld any metal you have filler rod to match. Stainless, brass, bronze and aluminum can all be TIGed, also known as heli-arc.

Your torch can weld thin mild steel easily, the process is just slower than TIG and transfers a lot more heat. When you weld you're fusing the metals together. The torch will also allow you to braze steel, which doesn't fuse the steel but joins it with brass instead and requires less heat since only the brass melts. Brazing is a very handy skill and will let you join (and repair) all sorts of things with just a torch, brass rod and some flux.

The MIG (metallic inert gas) or wire welder is handy and pretty easy to learn, but a cheap MIG won't weld thick or dirty metal like arc welding does. A MIG --like TIG-- will also weld any type of metal that you have wire to match.

If you're in school maybe there is a class offered there (industrial arts or sculpture) that can introduce you to the processes and get you started. Where I live there is an art center with welding classes and students of all ages & backgrounds have learned to weld there.

Jmac1026 wrote:Go to a tech school. I have a buddy who learned to weld at a local technical college and works for one of his teachers.

If you weld without glasses on, you'll get little pieces of metal in your eyes. Don't do that. His eyes are shiny now. He's not the sharpest tool in the box.

I had a patient that had so much metal in his eyes from welding that he claimed to set off metal detectors and can't get an MRI, so definitely consider a technical school for quality training and safety. A trade degree will provide better pay and more job opportunities.