Welding Question

Two things of note here:

Don't knock it til you try it.

You have a REALLY thoughtful and encouraging GF!

Lucky guy!  

Yesssir that is correct...she's awesome & very thoughtful. She's bought me a lot of tools and she wrenches herself. Guess who was out there until midnight the other night helping me with my lift & covered in grease? Yep...she was lol. We actually work very well together & it's cool that she will do stuff like this with me, not a lot of women would.

You are, indeed, a lucky man!  

I doubt 'luck' had much to do with it.

Sometimes the stars align and you get what you deserve.

(this can work both ways)

You don't need to take any classes to learn welding. As you're a starter, I'd suggest getting a cheap yet quality MIG welder. MIG machines are easy to use and great for newbies.

Here is a video on mig welding basics, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v62lm7FGhNc

If you wanna go in depth: here is everything you need to know about MIG welding as a newbie:

https://weldingrage.com/what-is-mig-welding/

TIG and MIG welding are two most used welding techniques. If you don't know the difference, well, note that MIG welding fuse two metals together (one metal is fed from welder), while TIG welding melts the base metal to join.

Click here, to learn more about whether you should TIG or MIG.

jaxonj - Thanks for that.  I'm sure it will be helpful.

But you may have missed the email to you that asked you to go to the New Members Start Here folder, read the guidelines, and then start a new thread/topic to introduce yourself.  Not only do we like to get to know people, but it is important that you read the guidelines as we hold everyone to them.

I'd argue that way more sticks are burned on pipelines and structural than MIG and especially TIG.
We are seeing a lot of dual shield in ship building, equipment manufacture and the like.
Automated submerged arc is finding a place not only in factories but on pipelines.

But hey, that's only what I see from where I stand.

Practice is important. Welding is a skill you build.
Having a program lay it out for you, and an instructor to show you where you are right and wrong can help not only the result but your confidence to continue.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

I'd argue that way more sticks are burned on pipelines and structural than MIG and especially TIG.
We are seeing a lot of dual shield in ship building, equipment manufacture and the like.
Automated submerged arc is finding a place not only in factories but on pipelines.

Pipelines? Haven't they all been cancelled?...lol. Just kidding...no need to reply to that. Ship building is HUGE here...local shipyard has decades of work lined up building our new DND vessels.

PS: I love my little Lincoln welder. I did stick welding for years before I ever touched a MIG, so I might find it easier than some, but man I feel like I could teach anybody to weld with my machine in no time. Like everything else...if a dummy like me can do it, I'd argue that anybody can;).

I was just saying that I highly doubt "MIG & TIG are the two mostly used" welding processes.

Miles and miles of bead are laid in shipyards, on pipelines, bridges and skyscrapers.
No one it using gas shielding out on the plains or 50 storeys in the air.

But I do agree, anyone with enough coordination to write their name can learn to weld with a wire feed machine and the right settings.

I was a machinist/welder in the military years back. Most of my welding was TIG and stick. Welding machines and associated stuff can add up quickly, so if you are on a budget you need to think about what you're going to do with the machine and how often you'll be using it, else it collects dust and your money is wasted. I have a Hobart Handler 140 (MIG only) and there is nothing, automotive wise, that this machine can't handle. I've welded everything from  body panels to an automobile rotisserie with it. It is made by Miller, reliable, and quality at a reasonable cost. It is also 120 volts. I have 220 outlets but for those whom don't, they must consider the cost of an electrician. Just some things to think about.......

I just recently started teaching myself to weld.  I have the Harbor Freight Titanium Unlimited 200 multi purpose welder.  It has been great so far for MIG.  I've used it exactly twice so far, just drawing beads on scrap to get used to it.  I'm running 0.023 wire.

The main complaint I read about this welder is the regulator sucks. And that's true, I'll be looking for a replacement soon.

I'm not looking for welding stainless or TIG yet, but I wanted the option.  I've read that having a pedal is super useful for TIG so I would look for a welder that supports that if you're wanting TIG.  The welder I have doesn't support it.

And keep in mind that not all TIG machines can weld aluminum.  If you're getting a multi-purpose machine with the idea in the back of your head that expanding to TIG will let you weld aluminum, make sure that you're getting one that can.

Which is why I said I wouldn't get a tig without high frequency, pulse, a pedal or IGBT.

You can stick weld aluminum.
Look at some of Zila's videos on YouTube.
It isn't pretty like tig can be, but it is strong and functional.
I don't know what else you would do if you had to fix an aluminum catwalk or a truck trailer outside.

There was a question earlier about community colleges offering auto welding classes. Most decent comm colleges have auto body repair classes which should include a tiny bit of welding.

Right now, due to covid, my local comm college is mostly virtual so their shop classes are very limited. But normally, most trade classes have a night session. These are the schools that are keeping trade work alive in this country and theres usually a lot of good people teaching there, who really care about passing on their skills and knowledge. Ive had a couple phone calls with people at my local school and they took the time to answer my questions.

As a "self taught" welder, i recommend learning a little of each process. Mig is an excellent start for autobody, especially with older metal. But you will want to use all of them at some point. And get a good helmet!