Thread: How difficult is self taught Welding?

Peter,
If your looking for some tutorial info (if you bought an arc welder) try ... http://www.aussieweld.com.au/arcwelding/

Originally Posted by Vernonv

Peter,
If your looking for some tutorial info (if you bought an arc welder) try ... http://www.aussieweld.com.au/arcwelding/

Thanks Verony. Always good to be able to " Talk the talk. " In some of my circles " Style is better than substance or " Bulls##t will baffle brains. "

I will have a read up before Carl gets here and might be able to drop some impressive words or two.

It wont take him long to realize I have no idea but it will be good training in improving my skill.

Thanks.

Teaching myself to weld, from O/A to tig and mig is a great source of pride to me. I spent 3 years with torch only. That made the others easy-multi-position torchwelding is the best puddle control and filler addition training, bar none.jet

The best thing is to do a course in welding. But if you want to learn for yourself, here are some additional tips from my own arduous welding journey:

* Approach welding calmly. Sit down and get close to the area that you're welding and relax and take your time (you're all making connections with the sexual references of the earlier posts. Cut it out, this is about welding)

* Closely watch the metal being welded and not the tip of the electrode as it moves around (hey!). In other words, try and imagine that you're melting the metal into a join and not trying to "fill" it with the electrode.

* Use the heaviest/thickest steel you practically and realistically can, because the thicker the steel the easier it is to weld.

went over today and gave him a few pointers. got it fairly well by the end.

one thing i thaught of was you need to crank the power up more that will stop some of that freezing. being so far from the transformer the line has low ampage.

murex all position mild steel are the best to learn with. bunnings used to have them.

remember to move the electrode slowly. if you can make the whole weld in one pass it will be much cleaner. no need to rush it'll only slow you down.

you did a good job today keep practicing.

Originally Posted by weisyboy

went over today and gave him a few pointers. got it fairly well by the end.

one thing i thaught of was you need to crank the power up more that will stop some of that freezing. being so far from the transformer the line has low ampage.

murex all position mild steel are the best to learn with. bunnings used to have them.

remember to move the electrode slowly. if you can make the whole weld in one pass it will be much cleaner. no need to rush it'll only slow you down.

you did a good job today keep practicing.

My thanks to Carl for giving up a Sunday morning and giving me some pointers about welding and a few other things like, fencing, my thicknesser, chainsaw and not least my Bowen mango tree.

Thoroughly enjoyed the learning experience. Thanks for your help, it is appreciated.

Originally Posted by weisyboy

went over today and gave him a few pointers. got it fairly well by the end.

one thing i thaught of was you need to crank the power up more that will stop some of that freezing. being so far from the transformer the line has low ampage.

murex all position mild steel are the best to learn with. bunnings used to have them.

remember to move the electrode slowly. if you can make the whole weld in one pass it will be much cleaner. no need to rush it'll only slow you down.

you did a good job today keep practicing.

You're a good man Carl. The truth of the matter is that welding is fairly difficult. That's why it's a trade.

Originally Posted by STAR

I have been toying with the idea for some time of getting a small welder. However there is a few problems. I have never welded before, and really do not have much welding to do.

When I need to get some done I have a few friends who for a few dollars can do it for me while I watch on. So I suppose I have no need for a welder except for the pride of being able to do it myself.

Unfortunately, while I can get somebody to do it for me, I have no one to teach me the initial steps required. Am I best just keeping with this arrangement and is the self learning process to difficult and not worth the hassle of extra stress.

I have a policy: If I want to learn how to something quickly, thoroughly and well, then I pay for the instruction. Not too many people will turn you down if tell them that you'd like to buy an hour or two of their time. Most folks are flattered by that and I've never actually had to pay anything at all. Usually I bring a gift of some kind like a lump of exotic wood or, in the case of a welder, a new pair of gloves, a magnet, a wire brush or something of quality. There's just no substitute for that kind of instruction in my experience. I bought a Lincoln MIG welder a few years back and asked the guy at the shop if I could buy an hour of his time to teach me, and he told me to just bring in my welder. I did, and he gave me the best lesson I could have hoped for. He watched me and coached me and told me to listen to the sound of the sizzle. He told me what the sounds meant...that I was too close or too far, that I was travelling too fast or too slowly. And, as some other posts have suggested, he told me HOW to practise. I got to ask questions and they got answered by a pro. What more could I have hoped for? In one lesson, I was able to do a few different welds, and if I were all that interested, I could go back and get even more info from him. Find a pro and buy the time. You'll never look back, and your friends will be much more impressed by your perfect welding than they would be by a second rate job that was "self-taught." Welding is wonderful when you know what you are doing....but producing little lumps of chicken sh*t and non-penetrating welds (or blowing through material) takes all the fun out of it.

Cellist,

I have a busy life, I have some professional skills that pay the bills. Woodwork and other small acreage skills are incidental to me. I cannot be all things to all things. this is a hobby to me.

I know my limitations, welding is, was, way down the list of necessary skills for me, but one that I have always wanted to have a go at. For professional welding I have friends that will do it as a favour for a six pack or similar.

I believe in the old saying " When the pupil is ready , the master will appear. "

Today, with the help of Carl, I had an introduction into the world of welding and for the more professional work I will call in some of my friends and pay the going rate whatever that may be.

I know my limitations and I enjoyed the relaxed learning session today. At a more formal session I think I would be all tense and have difficulty taking it all in. I only want to play with this, not undertake a Degree in Engineering.

Originally Posted by Rossluck

You're a good man Carl. The truth of the matter is that welding is fairly difficult. That's why it's a trade.

Ross, So is cabinet making, but I am having a crack at it. Now, I do not suppose you would want to buy any of my outputs, but my dog does not care what the kennel looks like as long as it is well ventilated and comfortable.

I understand where you professionals are coming from, the same thing applies in my profession. The problem for us all though is knowing our limitations, and not allowing our ego to override our professional judgment.

Originally Posted by weisyboy

being so far from the transformer the line has low ampage.

Small point, but you might learning something, most electrical systems are voltage not current limited. It's volts (not amps) that drops the further you are from a transformer. The resulting current is the voltage supplied divided by the resistance of the appliance.

Oh yeah - and onyas for helping STAR.

I bought a lump of a stick welder years ago without ever touching one before I just wanted "to have a go" had no idea whatever about what I was doing... had a yarn with the old fella up the track and he wandered over and gave me a few tips showed me a few things then bunged a couple of peices of flat steel down on the bench and said "There you go weld that into a 45 degree angle I'll be back in an hour to see how you got on" and with that he wandered off... so I set to... then got out the grinder cut it back to two peices again set to again etc etc for the next 2 hours and then I was done... he wandered back with a couple of beers cracked them open handed me one checked the work out muttered swore then picked it up and hurled in onto the concrete floor... picked it up again squinted at the weld "She'll done son" and that was that lesson over we got stuck into the beer then

Welded a quite a bit with that stick welder... never really enjoyed it much different smells and textures to wood then I sold it

and missed it!!

So I decided to get another welder... went for a mig gas/gasless one... fiddled farted and buggarised around for a few months not getting much of a weld done on much damned wire kept sticking in the nozzle bit... then I decided Id make a subframe for the camper... looking at the nozzle bit I decided to try another tip... wire ran smooth and easy not loose or tight... gave it a whirl and by golly IT WORKED a treat! the welds are damned near perfect once I changed that nozzle!

Weldings addictive... sorta like woodwork eh!

I may downsize my woodworking tools but I'll never be without them same with the mig I wont sell this one!

Good luck with it an keep going at it!!

Good on yer Carl for helpin out where you can


now if I can just get some old buggar to give me some pointers on the lathe Id really enjoy that too!!... frustrating thing when you havent a clue... hey Christopha when you coming back west? I need some coaching on this thing!

Originally Posted by STAR

I understand where you professionals are coming from, the same thing applies in my profession. The problem for us all though is knowing our limitations, and not allowing our ego to override our professional judgment.

I can give you every assurance that I am about as far from being a professional welder as George Bush is to having another term as president. I'm with you completely, and wish you all the best in your self learning.

One of the best lessons you can get involves sticking a helmet on and watching someone else weld (but not me). That way you can get the gist of the electrode movement and travel speed. I have a $2500 Fronius inverter TIG, an EMF 300 AMP stick welder, and a Liquidarc MIG, the best of electrodes, gas, I've been welding for twenty years on a hobby basis; and I manage to remain a hit and miss welder at best. Sometimes I produce a weld that's so good I show everyone, and at other times I head straight for the grinder to tidy a weld up before someone sees it.

My point is that in the early stages of your welding development you should get lessons similar to those given to you by Carl; or you'll end up like me.

Hi Peter,
Believe it or not there have been a couple of guys that self taught themselves the basics given right here on this forum.

They had a go and just asked specific questions about the difficulties they were having.The guys here with the experience are able help steer them in the right direction with advice and responses on their questions.

Starting out with a specific exercise to do or job to do will be do to set a goal.

Can I suggest obtaining some 6mm plate and running some parallel beads.
Post some digital photos if you can and we can help with constructive criticism.

If you can't do photos give us a description of your problems and we will respond with help.
Rather the dump the whole theory on you at once we can start out with a practice first and relate it back to the theory.

Cheers
Grahame