Any welders here?

[Vtwin]

I'm want to scratch a longtime itch and learn to weld.

Any advice on where I should start?
More specifically, should I start with a stick or just go with a mig?

The internet tells me both with each side being equally adamant.

 

[kskboys]

My kid is a welder, I'll ask him!!!!!!

 

[CouchCoach]

I'm want to scratch a longtime itch and learn to weld.

Any advice on where I should start?
More specifically, should I start with a stick or just go with a mig?

The internet tells me both with each side being equally adamant.

I'd start with that cool looking helmet with the little window in front. I thought about getting one of those to put on, sit outside on the patio smoking a cigar and make the neighbors a little more nervous. Got the ski mask and goalie mask for the Holidays.

 

[Quickdraw]

I'm want to scratch a longtime itch and learn to weld.

Any advice on where I should start?
More specifically, should I start with a stick or just go with a mig?

The internet tells me both with each side being equally adamant.

It all depends on what type of welding you want to do. MIG welding is more common but also used mainly for smaller jobs. Stick welding is for structural things that need to be really sturdy and pass the test of time.

So, if you want do to things around the house, the more common is MIG. It wouldn't hurt to learn the both however.

 

[Melonfeud]

Hey, @Vtwin ,cool thread

*Man, when I was playing that ( trailer house/ mobile home ) game,,, you either welded yer' own tow hitches back on, or, you hired a mobile welding truck to do it for you,,, ( theirs HUGE liability involved if yer' welding ability is substandard & that bubble gummed beaded on hitch comes unglued from a 14'x70' half of a two piecer, anywhere, not just rolling down the interstate),,, yet, I had a little 2 cycle " cracker box" D.C. stick welder & would weld my own hitches on(& axle hanger bracket shackles, too) as the true trick of it is understanding where the structural stress bears the major point of attention in where to "plate up",,, it's the bottom of those 8" to 12" i-beams& that means overhead welding(I've caught myself on fire in the front of the shirt more than once, lemme tell ya),,, but I always bought& used this hi-dollar specific D.C.rated numbered welding rod,,, it was a beautiful thing to behold seeing those rods laying down penetrating pretty beads




* Hell, I carried that gasoline & oil fuming thing back in my sleeper of my mobile home toter back when I frieghted trailer houses interstate,Too!

 

[Vtwin]

Hey, @Vtwin ,cool thread

*Man, when I was playing that ( trailer house/ mobile home ) game,,, you either welded yer' own tow hitches back on, or, you hired a mobile welding truck to do it for you,,, ( theirs HUGE liability involved if yer' welding ability is substandard & that bubble gummed beaded on hitch comes unglued from a 14'x70' half of a two piecer, anywhere, not just rolling down the interstate),,, yet, I had a little 2 cycle " cracker box" D.C. stick welder & would weld my own hitches on(& axle hanger bracket shackles, too) as the true trick of it is understanding where the structural stress bears the major point of attention in where to "plate up",,, it's the bottom of those 8" to 12" i-beams& that means overhead welding(I've caught myself on fire in the front of the shirt more than once, lemme tell ya),,, but I always bought& used this hi-dollar specific D.C.rated numbered welding rod,,, it was a beautiful thing to behold seeing those rods laying down penetrating pretty beads




* Hell, I carried that gasoline & oil fuming thing back in my sleeper of my mobile home toter back when I frieghted trailer houses interstate,Too!

For too long now I've fairly regularly heard myself saying "being able to weld would make this job a lot easier" while engaged in my shade tree mechanic, wanna be small farmer pursuits. The most recent lamentation was around the subject of getting an old utility trailer that found its way into my yard, back up to snuff. It's a 1960something with a Chevy stepside bed on a real beefy frame.

Is in real nice shape except for some minor sheet metal repair on two of the steps in front of the wheel wheels, needs a new floor and the welded on coupler got smashed up and needs to be replaced.

Having the capability to do some welding would help with all of those but because of that liability you mention and my general desire to not have a part in ruining anyone's day if I can help it I would probably have someone who knows what they're doing handle the new coupler.

 

[CF74]

 

[Melonfeud]

For too long now I've fairly regularly heard myself saying "being able to weld would make this job a lot easier" while engaged in my shade tree mechanic, wanna be small farmer pursuits. The most recent lamentation was around the subject of getting an old utility trailer that found its way into my yard, back up to snuff. It's a 1960something with a Chevy stepside bed on a real beefy frame.

Is in real nice shape except for some minor sheet metal repair on two of the steps in front of the wheel wheels, needs a new floor and the welded on coupler got smashed up and needs to be replaced.

Having the capability to do some welding would help with all of those but because of that liability you mention and my general desire to not have a part in ruining anyone's day if I can help it I would probably have someone who knows what they're doing handle the new coupler.

Ha, I remember those old step-sides( I used to
' commandeer' an old "66" GMC 1/2 ton from the drilling co. when I was about 14-15 y.o,,,slant six & powerglide two speed tranny expired registration/ tags & tool around miles home just dickin'off( with a broken motor mount/I about got it hung in the mud once& that motor would " flip up& hit the hood",,, it did it one time so hard, when the column gear selector indicated it was in 'Drive' the truck would actually drive in reverse,ya, that home grown green reefer was some powerful mind **** at times as a kid,,,An older farm kid taught me that trick about a length of chain& bolt w/washers to anchor that flopping side of the motor down,,, ha! I recall driving an old 1937 Chevrolet grain truck of theirs to the grain elevator a couple mile away hauling corn all afternoon once, back when I was only 15/no license that had that "chain&bolt" trick applied to both sides of that muthertruckers 6 cylinder motor

**Man alive vtwin you ought to at least weigh the options of whether or not it would possibly prove of use/ handy to have in your day to day farm operations,,,

*** that older kid's father, that showed me that broken motor mounts/chain& bolt trick was a U.S. sailor in the 1920's& a hobo during the depression,,, ha! That cool ol' bib overall wearing 130 lb. man had cabbaged together an Government surplus B-24 liberator bombers generator unit& mounted it on the front end of one of 3or 4 of those J-D tricycle A's&B's models(he had one that was diesel, but they all had that spinning/reciprocating flywheel offa' the right side that he'd apply the power belt to while the tractor was running, if he was by hisself or pull start it,,, I recall seeing/ helping him do both) & if you wanted higher welding amperage,,, ha,ha,ha, rock that column throttle lever back)

You can rent a welder relatively cheap for the weekend I'd imagine vtwin ,,,just to see if it's some you'd enjoy ( it always hurt my lower back/ sleep with potato slices over my eyes from the welding flash early on
**** good times, strolling on down long gone memory lane though,BRO!

 

[Melonfeud]

And that LEWELLYN was 110% full of crap, when he said he could weld cast iron, TOO!

 

[jsb357]

mig is good if you are working with clean metal

a stick is better for older surplus metal that may have rust and
scale that's why most farm welder were stick welders.

Mig is better for thin body panels as it more controllable after your
skill level increases.

Mig can also do heavy structural 1/2-5/8 plate but you have to
step up to a larger class welder.

 

[Melonfeud]

mig is good if you are working with clean metal

a stick is better for older surplus metal that may have rust and
scale that's why most farm welder were stick welders.

Mig is better for thin body panels as it more controllable after your
skill level increases.

Mig can also do heavy structural 1/2-5/8 plate but you have to
step up to a larger class welder.

*it'd only be fair to infer as to the elevated overhead operating costs of which level of mig/tig welder one settles on @jsb357,,,ya know? but you are absolutely correct,bro!

 

[YosemiteSam]

 

[Melonfeud]

Have you tried that new
" Putty-Butty" brand , upon yer' cracked glassware devices,as a regular "rootin' while tootin'" feller of yer' genuineness,of which it's clearly apparent, would be ahead of that curve

 

[Vtwin]

Ha, I remember those old step-sides( I used to
' commandeer' an old "66" GMC 1/2 ton from the drilling co. when I was about 14-15 y.o,,,slant six & powerglide two speed tranny expired registration/ tags & tool around miles home just dickin'off( with a broken motor mount/I about got it hung in the mud once& that motor would " flip up& hit the hood",,, it did it one time so hard, when the column gear selector indicated it was in 'Drive' the truck would actually drive in reverse,ya, that home grown green reefer was some powerful mind **** at times as a kid,,,An older farm kid taught me that trick about a length of chain& bolt w/washers to anchor that flopping side of the motor down,,, ha! I recall driving an old 1937 Chevrolet grain truck of theirs to the grain elevator a couple mile away hauling corn all afternoon once, back when I was only 15/no license that had that "chain&bolt" trick applied to both sides of that muthertruckers 6 cylinder motor

**Man alive vtwin you ought to at least weigh the options of whether or not it would possibly prove of use/ handy to have in your day to day farm operations,,,

*** that older kid's father, that showed me that broken motor mounts/chain& bolt trick was a U.S. sailor in the 1920's& a hobo during the depression,,, ha! That cool ol' bib overall wearing 130 lb. man had cabbaged together an Government surplus B-24 liberator bombers generator unit& mounted it on the front end of one of 3or 4 of those J-D tricycle A's&B's models(he had one that was diesel, but they all had that spinning/reciprocating flywheel offa' the right side that he'd apply the power belt to while the tractor was running, if he was by hisself or pull start it,,, I recall seeing/ helping him do both) & if you wanted higher welding amperage,,, ha,ha,ha, rock that column throttle lever back)

You can rent a welder relatively cheap for the weekend I'd imagine vtwin ,,,just to see if it's some you'd enjoy ( it always hurt my lower back/ sleep with potato slices over my eyes from the welding flash early on
**** good times, strolling on down long gone memory lane though,BRO!

That trailer will see duty hauling firewood up from river bottom piece, being pulled by the old Ford NAA. That task is currently being done by a little Honda ATV which is asking a bit to much of it when I get carried away maximizing the load, which I can't help but do.

Good times strolling down the lane with ya. Thanks for sharing the memories. Only thing missing is the smell of that wood smoke, the cooler and maybe a bit of that HG to get the memory machine firing on all cylinders. Or at least the ones that will still fire.....

 

[Vtwin]

mig is good if you are working with clean metal

a stick is better for older surplus metal that may have rust and
scale that's why most farm welder were stick welders.

Mig is better for thin body panels as it more controllable after your
skill level increases.

Mig can also do heavy structural 1/2-5/8 plate but you have to
step up to a larger class welder.

Good info.
Thank you.

 

[Xelda]

To quote Colonel Klink "I know nothink" - about welding that is.

 

[Melonfeud]

That trailer will see duty hauling firewood up from river bottom piece, being pulled by the old Ford NAA. That task is currently being done by a little Honda ATV which is asking a bit to much of it when I get carried away maximizing the load, which I can't help but do.

Good times strolling down the lane with ya. Thanks for sharing the memories. Only thing missing is the smell of that wood smoke, the cooler and maybe a bit of that HG to get the memory machine firing on all cylinders. Or at least the ones that will still fire.....

we'd be Rockin on down that river bottom road, Bro, no doubt

* man alive, that's the quickest killer/ if not thee most rapidly debilitating punishment on the life expectancy of any 'tow' unit I've ever owned/ worked ,,,was by hooking up to an overloaded trailer/ flatbed with an undersized tow unit,,,SHEESE ,after DaD gone country, I hauled a ford 8-n tractor to my little brother, whose like 6'3" 240( my father had it in golf course maintenance trim,Too! I mean, Those two rear tires were a months wages apiece at least)w/ grader blade& bush hog mower attachments on my 2 axle car trailer linked to my 3/4 ton ford 4x4 & pulled it up& over to the northern Ohio line , whew! That load damn ner' bought the farm for a dozen souls ,as after topping a rise& descending into the Cincinnati A.O. loop ( with frickin' traffic lights) as that sucker was up agin it & grind riding on my *** coming upon that rapidly closing stack of stacked cars,,, (thankfully the good lord hearkened quickly to my loudly expressed heathenish proclamations unto him)

 

[lukin2006]

I'd start with that cool looking helmet with the little window in front. I thought about getting one of those to put on, sit outside on the patio smoking a cigar and make the neighbors a little more nervous. Got the ski mask and goalie mask for the Holidays.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

I'm want to scratch a longtime itch and learn to weld.

Any advice on where I should start?
More specifically, should I start with a stick or just go with a mig?

The internet tells me both with each side being equally adamant.

MIG, stick or TIG, plasma?

 

[Blackrain]

I have welded for ages but don't consider myself a great welder . I have done stick mig and Tig . The work I do requires me to be able to weld as mowers , snowplows and trailers are always requiring some kind of welding to stay functional

That said buy a stick welder . Get some scrap metal and start to practice till you can get it to look like a stack of dimes . You will slowly learn what rod and heat work with what type metal as you go from leaving piles of grapes to burning through . I have done stuff as small as putting more material back on the safety of a WW1 1911 to stick welding a Wreaker Body on to a GMC 9500 series and all I have found is if you really want to be good you have to weld a lot .

Since I don't weld everyday for a living I keep a good supply of scrap metal around for fixing stuff and testing to get the heat and rod correct before I attempt something that matters LOL