So I want to learn how to weld

Hi fellas. I’m thinking about learning to weld. I’m tired of not being able to do this stuff myself. The goal is to be able to do floorpans patching and other minor repairs. There’s a chance that down the road future projects could include things like Crown Vic front suspension on an old F100. So I guess I need a medium duty mig setup. I have 220v in the garage but I’m not sure if I need that much juice for a medium duty welding setup. Also, I like 110v just because it is portable.

Any advice is welcome. I would like to get a good brand, and have heard that Miller and Lincoln are excellent. Any other suggestions? What models have you used and liked?

I need it all - from welder to mask to gloves to tanks to gauges to a cart, clecos, air powered hole punch and whatever else I’d need.

I could be interested in a used setup, provided it works like it should and does what I need it to do.

And yeah - I will have to learn how it all works. I will be checking out YouTube and the like.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Honestly, you would be better served taking a class at the community college first to learn the basics on their equipment.

Thanks Rice. I agree a class would be a good option, but I don’t have time for that. I’m pretty mechanically inclined and I think an hour or so with someone with some experience, plus some hands-on practice with some scrap metal, will get me where I need to be.

If you start welding suspension components you will need 220v. I have a lincoln mig pack 180 220v with a 40 foot cable, its quite portable and has been an awesome unit for me. No way i'd go any smaller though.
http://m.lincolnelectric.com/en-ca/equipment/Pages/product.aspx?product=K2659-1(LincolnElectric)

Screw-Rice said:

Honestly, you would be better served taking a class at the community college first to learn the basics on their equipment.

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Ive looked into this. In my area, the local community college had a two year wait list for any of the vocational programs like automotive or welding.

blk02edge said:

If you start welding suspension components you will need 220v. I have a lincoln mig pack 180 220v with a 40 foot cable, its quite portable and has been an awesome unit for me. No way i'd go any smaller though.
http://m.lincolnelectric.com/en-ca/equipment/Pages/product.aspx?product=K2659-1(LincolnElectric)

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^this. 110v welders are pretty much only good for sheet metal. You can find them used for cheap--so not a bad idea to learn on. Get yourself a nice, electronic, auto-dimming helmet--it will make you life much easier.

Don't use flux-core wire, always use shielding gas.

I have a 110V Lincoln welder from Home Depot. It's nothing special, but plenty good for the random tasks I have around the garage and house. It does just fine for exhaust work, but it was seriously lacking when I was making a hitch-mount bike rack. The rack is made from mild-steel that is 1/8" thick (maybe 3/16).

I was also in your shoes about 2 years ago. I wanted to learn so I could do some metal work on my cars and also be able to sell minor exhaust repair work at my auto business.

I decided to jump into welding with a simple Lincoln 180 220v from Lowes and a cheapy Mask from Amazon. Started with flux core only until I got comfortable, then moved to gas for my first real welding project and am really enjoying it.

My advise would be nothing smaller than a 180 welder, and just jump in and learn. If you plan to do frame work or anything major, I would spend the money on a machine bigger than a basic 180. Once you start welding some, You will soon figure out the ins and outs. Biggest thing is just do it. Im happy I did.

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the help. In the few hours I have looked into this, your info makes a lot of sense. I’m leaning toward a 110 gas setup. A friend has one I can have for a case of beer. I would need a tank, good auto dimming helmet, and gloves. At first all I will be doing is patching the floors in my ‘66 Toronado project. Nothing too thick. If I upgrade later, everything I will need I would have already bought. Looking forward to getting started. Maybe in a year or so I will be able to handle mini tubs in my ‘66 Mustang.

Thanks again and keep the tips coming!

I’m in the same boat. I didn’t want to take a full on course at a cc. So I googled welding classes and found a few shops that offered like a 4-6 hour one day session. I found one that offered a beginners course on Sundays. Best $180 I have ever spent.
I am very mechanically inclined and I could have just learned on my own, but I know that the tips and experience they shared saved me a lot of time and effort. I have a 69 mustang and just purchased the dse mini tub kit along with their subframe connectors. Should be fun.

You’ll need to familiarize yourself with wire speed and voltage. I’ve tried welding but I don’t have a steady enough hand to mig weld decently.


Pick your poison.

I've been a casual MIG and Oxy/Acet welder for many years. Last year, bought a TIG machine to weld stainless steel exhaust pipes. It's been fun learning TIG, which is much more intricate than I expected, very precise control needed for TIG. Not so much precision required for MIG, so long as equipment all adjusted properly.

I've had great luck getting welding advice at this forum here: http://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com/index.php

On YouTube, watch videos by "Jody"... he's a great teacher. "Welding Tips & Tricks" forum linked above is Jody's forum.

Also, this forum has been great: http://weldingweb.com/forum.php

I had looked around locally and found local classes available by the hour. I never took advantage of it, but since you mentioned it, I am just saying that there are indeed options like that available if you search them out.

Good luck. It's a great skillset to have in your kit, even if you don't make 'pro' level, hahahahahaaaa

EDIT: my one big tip is to make sure you have microscopic vision. Not just 20-20, but microscopic. And a good auto-darkening helmet with CLEAN lenses. Many guys who suck at welding simply aren't seeing the puddle clearly enough. You may need reading or magnifying glasses.

Thanks Mojo - good stuff there!! More excuses for me to burn some bandwidth!

I am a hobbyist and stated maybe 40 years ago. I only weld sporadically so am no expert at it. I started with oxy with one of those small bottle kits. Not good at all for sheet metal but got fairly good at it. I them bought a CambleHausfield MIG. While it is easier on sheet metal the welds are very hard and grinding them down can warp sheet metal. So you have to be precise on how you weld so you do not get a hump. Learning process. I now have a Eastwood 200 TIG that I use for most things. Have used it on numerous sheet metal projects. Everything I have is hobby grade. If you plan on doing any suspension work you will need a good setup. I would not trust anything less when doing that kind of work.

I have a Miller matic in the shop and use a portable Honda stick that can be used in the field. I really like the one above because it is so versatile. Check out the specs.


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Mojo88 said:

EDIT: my one big tip is to make sure you have microscopic vision. Not just 20-20, but microscopic. And a good auto-darkening helmet with CLEAN lenses. Many guys who suck at welding simply aren't seeing the puddle clearly enough. You may need reading or magnifying glasses.

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I had a guy give me what he called a cheater lens that replaced the lens in my helmet, that may help out so you don't have to fiddle with glasses, he said they came from the supply house.

Thanks for the help fellas. I picked up that small welder from a buddy today for $20. Now it is time to get the rest of the setup and start practicing!

hahah damn! I was about to recommend the Hobart brand from northern tool. Built my whole turbo kit with it and I've welded up to 1/4" when installing custom engine mounts in my Jeep to fit my 408W. Its their biggest 110v unit.

I also cut and welded floor pans in. Takes very little heat or you'll burn right through.

Think my helmet cost almost as much as the damn welder though.

Definitely no expert as well, but welding is like riding a bike.
The more you do it the better you will be.
Im sure you tube has more help videos then I ever got, but the biggest thing was just know what its supposed to look like in the end, and have the basic welding patterns nailed down in your head, and melt metal until it looks like the book. I spent 100's of hours welding gates, crowder tubs, calving pens, feeder bunks, pipe stands,..etc...the longer I did it the better I got. The day I stopped I started getting worse and worse, and now I can still stick stuff together, but I won't ever show you a pic..lol

That extreme off road on "Spike" channel has some good info sessions
Any actual welder will probably tell you the same.

Getting the heat and the wire speed matched to the thickness of the metal is normally my only concern.

Once you get the hang of it, it's second nature.

I did grow up in my dad's paint and body shop though.

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Recon said:

You’ll need to familiarize yourself with wire speed and voltage. I’ve tried welding but I don’t have a steady enough hand to mig weld decently.


Pick your poison.

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You can do it, and I'm going to make sure you are good at it. That day is coming.

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