Thread: Where to learn to weld?

Originally Posted by isuzurover

Unless you are really good with a stick there is a chance you will blow holes in the frame.

That'd be me .....................

OK so having just looked at the 8 intro to mig welding vids (yes it is a bit addictive) and a few others it does seem to me as if a Mig would be a better option to learn on and more flexible for a variety of home workshop tasks.

So what should I be looking at if I wanted to buy a Mig set up.

Originally Posted by VladTepes

OK so having just looked at the 8 intro to mig welding vids (yes it is a bit addictive) and a few others it does seem to me as if a Mig would be a better option to learn on and more flexible for a variety of home workshop tasks.

So what should I be looking at if I wanted to buy a Mig set up.

For starters about a factor of 10 in price, both to buy the welder and consumables.
my arc setup cost about $100, my MIG $1000, both second hand. On top of that there is gas bottle hire for the MIG unless you want to go gasless - but you may as well just be using a stick with 1.6 mm rods.

If you are not going to make a living out of it, could be best to talk to a mate of mine , a retired boilermaker, with a home workshop equipped for almost anything. And can do almost anything regarding welding, is a top bloke, Bob

I learnt stick and oxy many years ago as part of a farm technology course after I left school.
A couple of years ago I bit the bullet and did 1 year of the TAFE welding course one night a week for 12 months to learn TIG welding. I bought myself a TIG machine for about $1200.00 and can now weld up holes in series Land Rovers.
A couple of Tips:
Buying a gas bottle for a MIG/TIG might be cheaper. Gasweld sell bottles and you can do a swap and go when you need more gas. Much cheaper (for me) than paying $300.00 rental per year.

Get the Miller app for your phone. It very cleverly calculates the current required for most jobs.
Miller - Welding Calculators

Regards,
Tote

I learnt to weld using a crappy old arc welder, and got fairly proficient with it. The day after I bought my mig welder I disposed of my arc welder to my mate the shonky machinery trader. I've never ever wanted to go back to a stick welder, 30 years later I've still got the same second hand mig. Gas bottle costs are the thing I've had to live with with but the next time I empty my BOC bottle I'm going to Power 10 gases to buy one out right.

Suppliers of Industrial Oxygen and Oxygen Cylinders

Originally Posted by bee utey

I learnt to weld using a crappy old arc welder, and got fairly proficient with it. The day after I bought my mig welder I disposed of my arc welder to my mate the shonky machinery trader. I've never ever wanted to go back to a stick welder, 30 years later I've still got the same second hand mig. Gas bottle costs are the thing I've had to live with with but the next time I empty my BOC bottle I'm going to Power 10 gases to buy one out right.

Suppliers of Industrial Oxygen and Oxygen Cylinders

I still use both. I often leave the MIG on Al and use the stick unless i need to weld some really thin steel.

Jeez I didn't realise Migs were so expensive !

Trying to convince the missus that the economics of it make sense.....

Tell me = what sort of welder would be best for building a canopy?

I suppose you need a TIG to do alloy welding?