Learning Welding...

[cwhaley]

Having worked in corporate roles for most of my working life, I’ve decided to do something about being unhappy, unfulfilled and unsatisfied! While I’m on ‘good’ wage, I find the work dull and I just don’t feel like I’m doing anything truly meaningful or enjoyable. I’ve felt this way for years, working in an environment where you are constantly rated on how well you can convince others of your assertiveness and control. Fed up of the same routine. This is largely the fault of my Dad’s generation who all worked in industry, and all encouraged me to go to University!

I love working with my hands (hence being on here) and I’ve self-taught myself a range of skills. Of course, I’m still officially ‘unskilled’ and it’s welding that interests me – mainly because I run two old cars and have never been able to do the bodywork. Welding apparently seems to be a rare skill now and it may even open up a new career for me.

How can I get into welding? I’ve tried working with a local (large) college who offer a range of courses, but I’ve got no further with applying and the course lead has never got back to me. A private firm want £600 plus VAT for a 5 day course and a community centre do courses, but it’s about a 40 mile round trip – will do it if I have to!

Just after a bit of advice really.

 

[Dork Lard]

Try asking on what is one of the better forums on t'internettys https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/

As a skill & vocation it is not nearly as rare as you might think.

 

[Wayners]

Buy a stick welder and play. Mig or other will use gas and 10mins welding it's all gone. Stick welder you can play for hours for amusement. Not ideal to use stick welder on thin or small stuff but all good fun.
Re courses.
I can't help. The bit of welding I've done I've just watched YouTube, but that's not what your wanting to do..

 

[Burnerman]

If you want to eventually do car body restoration, you’ll need your own kit once you’ve attended a welding course.
The gear isn’t too expensive and Machine Mart or Welders Warehouse can come to your rescue.
You’re looking at Mig or Tig stuff for sheet metal.
Good luck and do follow it up - it’s a great skill to have. I qualified with oxy acetylene gear originally but the electric equipment has completely taken over now.
John

 

[Mottie]

I picked up Mig welding when I restored a couple of cars - there’s plenty to do during a restoration and it’s not hard to learn. However, 99% of the welding I’ve done in the last 20 years has been on my own cars during restorations. Despite working in the motor trade and being an mot tester and running a working garage, there’s not much welding to be done on cars these days so I don’t know where you would get enough work on cars alone to make it a worthwhile change of career. You'd have to look at other types of specialist welding if you are thinking of going into that trade and I don’t think many people would take you on based on a weeks training or some learning in a community centre. You need real world practical training and experience and whilst a specialist firm may take a chance on a low wage apprentice type worker, whether they would pay a halfway decent wage to an adult and teach them to weld is another matter. All credit to you for thinking about a change of career but I honestly don’t know where I would start looking if it were me but I’ll wish you good luck anyway.

 

[scbk]

, there’s not much welding to be done on cars these days so I don’t know where you would get enough work on cars alone to make it a worthwhile change of career.

It must be different in Essex, round here you could have a full time business welding rusty cars!

Whether or not you'd want to spend the rest of your life underneath old bangers, just trying to get them through another mot, and breathing in all the fumes from grinding and welding.......

 

[cwhaley]

Thanks all for the replies. At this stage I want to start learning it to see how I get on. If I end up doing well with it I can start by doing a few patch repairs on my car, then if I'm confident offer services to people with classics or gauge what sort of roles are out there.

@Dork Lard -- thanks I'll get on that forum. I'm not sure why I've not found it yet!

@Wayners & @Burnerman -- I think I'll look out for a stick welder second hand to see how I get on with it. There are a few things I need to fabricate such as a metal plate to burn timber on the living room fire (the current grate is designed for coal) and also a few other bits here and there.

@Mottie -- In terms of a career, I'm open to anything. At this stage my interest has been sparked by classic cars. My oldest car is 60 years old and I attend a lot of rallies. The general consensus I get is that most who can't weld, struggle to find anybody local to them to do jobs. One welder who is in a group says they're a "dying breed", but I don't know how true it is. If there was enough demand maybe being a mobile welder could accompany a part-time job. If I try it and enjoy it and become good at it, then I might find I want to do it in a different capacity.

@scbk -- I love old bangers! Massively into British saloons from the '50s and '60s and generally tatty old beasts still being used daily. Many people I speak to in the car clubs use their classic daily, so keeping them sound and useable is important. There might not be enough demand to warrant a career change as Mottie suggests, but if I can start learning first I can go from there.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

There is definitely a market for a mobile welder for the motor trade.

Lots of garages turn away welding work, it's not worth their investment or training. But calling in a welder would cure that

need a bit of experience to be able to cope with what will be thrown at you though.

But you have to start somewhere. Good luck

 

[Burnerman]

A stick welder is great for learning the specialised technique required for that, and they are great for fabrications of 3mm and above.
However, for metal thicknesses much below that, you'll be disappointed as holes will blow everywhere. The welders are cheap, however.
If you do go down that road, keep the electrodes dry, and warm them before you kick off!
Personally I'd recommend a MIG, forget the small gas canisters you can buy and go for a Hobbyweld bottle of Argon / CO2.
The techniques are similar, but as there isn't any welding slag produced, mistakes are easy to fill in.
An auto darkening helmet is vital, whatever you choose.
Stick with it!
John

 

[cwhaley]

A stick welder is great for learning the specialised technique required for that, and they are great for fabrications of 3mm and above.
However, for metal thicknesses much below that, you'll be disappointed as holes will blow everywhere. The welders are cheap, however.
If you do go down that road, keep the electrodes dry, and warm them before you kick off!
Personally I'd recommend a MIG, forget the small gas canisters you can buy and go for a Hobbyweld bottle of Argon / CO2.
The techniques are similar, but as there isn't any welding slag produced, mistakes are easy to fill in.
An auto darkening helmet is vital, whatever you choose.
Stick with it!
John

Ah I've seen that happen on some of the YouTube videos I've watched -- the panels they had welded were covered in what I've heard referred to before as 'chicken feed'. Not sure if they were stick welding but if they were, I'd prefer not to get that result. I imagine most of the sheets I will be fabricating will be thinner than 3mm. With my inexperience I imagine I'll be looking to correct early mistakes as best I can!

I think my first practice will be to make a template for the footprint of the fireplace grate, cut this out of sheet steel to shape and then weld on the six sides (two of which will be curved). Then go from there

 

[Mottie]

With mig, you can’t weld on rusty metal (unlike gas) so keep the metal clean and bright, keep the two pieces of metal touching (hard to bridge gaps) and on long runs, tack it every 4” or so to stop it warping. If you’re making up a patch for a car, make it in cardboard first and when you’re happy with the shape, trace round it on a sheet of metal and cut that out. Oh, and unless you are welding thick metal, stick to 6mm tips and wire. That’s the limit of my teaching - the rest is practice, practice and practice some more especially with the power rating and wire feed speed!

 

[cwhaley]

With mig, you can’t weld on rusty metal (unlike gas) so keep the metal clean and bright, keep the two pieces of metal touching (hard to bridge gaps) and on long runs, tack it every 4” or so to stop it warping. If you’re making up a patch for a car, make it in cardboard first and when you’re happy with the shape, trace round it on a sheet of metal and cut that out. Oh, and unless you are welding thick metal, stick to 6mm tips and wire. That’s the limit of my teaching - the rest is practice, practice and practice some more especially with the power rating and wire feed speed!

For my first 'go' at it, I'll try fabricating this steel grate for the fireplace. It'll give me good practice cutting the sheet metal to a shape and then welding different sides onto it in different shapes and sizes.

Should I get good enough to work on my car, I'll make sure it's taken right back to bare metal. Typically the first area I want to do is a hole in the inner wheel arch, which is obviously coated in paint, then Waxoyl, them mud...

Thanks for the tips. Really looking forward to finding a welder and getting going with it.

 

[Mottie]

I want to do is a hole in the inner wheel arch,

A joggler is handy for putting a step in two panels that you intend to join together. One of these. Only about £20 ish.

 

[fillyboy]

A joggler is handy for putting a step in two panels that you intend to join together. One of these. Only about £20 ish.

The hole punch was very useful too. On for example, a triumph spitfire, the rear wings met the body via a raised flange, a hole every 2 inches then mig into it on a high setting gave a very tidy looking spot weld needing minimal cleaning up.

 

[Justin Passing]

Gas is most fun. YOu can even get art with "lead burning". MIG though for most things.
that

go for a Hobbyweld bottle of Argon / CO2.

sounds like good advice.

My first stick welder would only blow holes in thin things, but I remember brazing with carbon electrodes (?) which is strong but gives less distortion, iirc.

I've watched a lot of "Wheeler Dealer" type programs, and been surprised how many neat techniques there are for car bodies. Can't see it being an easy living though.
Seriously, if you're fairly confident with numbers, look at dibbling on the stock market like I was on about last week(?). Speak to someone who does it, watch a few youtubes, Learn a few techniques. Learn the 10 things to not do. I might put a bit more in "what did you do today".
There is zero hard maths, but it's easy to get a number wrong.