Looking for a welder.

Gazz · World Chat Champion Joined: 19 May 2009 Karma :

P.S. - This is not a 'Wanted' thread.

But basically I have just got access to a garage now and I want to start working on cars and/or bikes.

However I know nothing about welding. All my previous welding experience includes is 1 lesson in Technical at school where everyone in the class stood in a big line and got a 10 second attempt at welding 2 bits of metal togather - end of lesson !!!

I cannot remember much of this lesson either, because I am sure I thought to myself at that stage in my life: "why do I need to know this stuff, if something breaks - dont repair it - just buy a new one". I was such a naive child.

Anyway, I have heard loads of metal-joining jargon, such as:

MIG, TIG, ARC weld, weld pool, flux, solder, etc but cannot remember what they mean.

Is there anywhere I could get some information on all of this ?

And additionally, what sort of welder would you recommend for working on cars and bikes ?

Just needing something basic to start off with, cause like I said I have no experience and will need to practice a lot before doing work on anything.

Cheers

Chris750 · Brolly Dolly Joined: 08 Oct 2009 Karma :

I have been given a welder which I haven't got around to using but may do in the future- you can have it on a long term loan- where are you?-I'm oxfordshire
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Gazz · World Chat Champion Joined: 19 May 2009 Karma :

..... · Quote Me Happy Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Karma :

I did a ten week night course at a local college in welding and would definitely recommend it. Had a go at MMA (stick), MIG and oxy acetylene. I would have liked a go at TIG but wanted to get to a decent level in the others and ran out of time. Would go back so maybe see if there's a course near you?

That way you'd have a go at them all and see what's best for you.

N cee thirty · Banned Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Karma :

MIG is pretty easy,so is arc when you cba

fancy trying out tig
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cloric_tzr · Brolly Dolly Joined: 14 Mar 2010 Karma :

i can mig and tig well,
stick welding iffy at best
but i live mileeees away so sorry
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warped one · Banned Joined: 25 Dec 2007 Karma :

My advice is buy a cheap MIG plant, they are by far the easiest to use.

MMA (Stick) is the cheapest, but the cheap plants are really not much good for anything over 3 - 4mm unless you can be arsed to to have 5minutes of welding and 2hours of waiting for the thing to cool down.

The advantages of Stick over MIG is that you don't have to buy gas, and the initial outlay is cheaper. Than that of MIG, but it's each to their own, I could happily plough in MIG all day where as stick gets tiresome and boring after a while, with changing rods and chipping off slag every time you stop.

I could go on forever about the differences but i'll not bore you to death with the complicated stuff.
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Chris750 · Brolly Dolly Joined: 08 Oct 2009 Karma :

WildGoose · White Van Man Joined: 21 Mar 2002 Karma :

I bought a book called the "Welders Handbook" by Richard Finch. Was a pretty good intro to have all the info in one place, though I have only read it through once and all the info is out there for free on the net.

I also have a welder (MIG) in Oxfordshire gathering dust, but Chris got there first it would seem. Laughing

We must be a lazy county, welding wise.

For automotive applications, I would say MIG is more than adequate unless you want to be welding together scratch built off road chassis' or something.

I bought the MIG with the intention of repairing rusted panel work on a transit van. I subsequently sold the van as a general cant be arsed thing, and thus my use for the welder has dropped off to zilch. Unless you have a particular project in mind, I can't see that you would use a welder much, unless you are dead keen on metalcraft. (I'm more of a wood person, and a shit welder Razz

)

Welding is certainly not a pre-requisite for working on cars and bikes generally, its quite a specialist thing. Though the hardcore will probably disagree.
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Chris750 · Brolly Dolly Joined: 08 Oct 2009 Karma :

Mine is a Cebora dallas 40 if anyone knows anything about them
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Chris750 · Brolly Dolly Joined: 08 Oct 2009 Karma :

Goose, where in Oxfordshire are you, out of interest?
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Gazz · World Chat Champion Joined: 19 May 2009 Karma :

chrisw · World Chat Champion Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Karma :

I've been using MIGs for a few years now and offer one golden piece of advice....DON'T BUY A SIP (or any of the re-badged variants).

They have very poor wire feed systems which means you tend to spend more time swearing than welding. There are a few fixes out there but it's just easier to spend a little more and buy something decent.

One of, if not the best resource: https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/

And I'd suggest looking at the tutorial on 'pulse welding'. It's by far the easiest way to get strong, neat welds on thin metal.

Oh, and if you do buy a MIG, don't faff around with the little bottles of gas. Cough up for a refillable bottle and contract from BOC or one of the other gas suppliers. It's far far cheaper in the long run.

warped one · Banned Joined: 25 Dec 2007 Karma :

Robby · Dirty Old Man Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :

Dazbo666 · World Chat Champion Joined: 06 Jun 2004 Karma :

I'm new to welding too - and looking for a couse near me...

But the word of warning about buying a cheap MIG welder, NO NOT buy a cheap branded Kende unit
https://is02.thegumtree.com/image/extrabig/44512334.jpg
I bought one recently (along with a separate how-to DVD guide), with the intent to learn some basics myself, and IMO it's been a complete waste of time and money.
I've been told that they're underpowered and/or got inconsistent power delivery... so the only thing I've managed to do is get REALLY frustrated with it, and splatter the garage floor with globules of weld.
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