Where and how to learn to weld and work with metal?
- Thread starter jazngab
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06TJ35's
TJ Addict
My college offers welding courses. I’m looking to take some in the future and get certified. Welding will come in handy when owning a Jeep.
EzPeezy
TJ Enthusiast
I bought a forney 110 volt stick welder and watched a lot of YouTube videos. It takes a while to figure out how to get a good weld that doesn't need a ton of grinding. I'm still more of a grinder than a welder, but all it takes is practice. My father-in-law is my neighbor as well, and he used to work on ships at a shipyard so he likes to help supervise too.
Contact your local junior college if you don’t have a friend to teach you.
My high school ag mechanics class is where I learned to mig and stick weld. Also do a lot of welding on our farm. Start by making simple butt welds with 1/4" steel and work your way up from there.
06TJ35's
TJ Addict
local vocational school usually offers welding classes.
pick up or borrow a 110v flux core welder. practice with that. once you can lay decent passes, then you can start to mess with solid wire and gas.
it takes practice.
pick up or borrow a 110v flux core welder. practice with that. once you can lay decent passes, then you can start to mess with solid wire and gas.
it takes practice.
Pick up a wire feeder, they are cheap and easy to use. I am a certified welder and hey if my wife can pull the trigger so can you. Stay away from a stick welder unless you are building a trailer hitch or structural component, hire a fella for that. Body, minor repairs a wire feeder will be your best bet.
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai...hUKEwib9OGj5ODmAhWNB50JHfVdBmkQpysI0wM&adurl=
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai...hUKEwib9OGj5ODmAhWNB50JHfVdBmkQpysI0wM&adurl=
I took a 1 day / 6 hour class on a Saturday at a local shop. All the local voc/tech or community colleges were too involved or during the work day.
I'd search around for something similar, introduction to welding type of deal. This class walked through basic MIG setup/safety/function then we welded for 4+ hours. Once I was done with that I bought a small 140 MIG welder and just started practicing.
I'd search around for something similar, introduction to welding type of deal. This class walked through basic MIG setup/safety/function then we welded for 4+ hours. Once I was done with that I bought a small 140 MIG welder and just started practicing.
Airjunky
TJ Enthusiast
YouTube & a wire feed welder from HF. I'm no pro & still need a grinder to clean it up, but things stick & don't come apart. Plus I feel like a little common sense comes into play. I'm not building control arms, but more simple things that aren't dealing with high speeds & lots of weight.
know the limits of your machine, don't weld above it's limits. a 110v is not really a 1/4" machine.
as a matter of fact stay below it's material thickness limits until you have it down.
if you know anyone that welds show them some of your practice pieces, they can offer you pointers and let you know if your on the right track.
as a matter of fact stay below it's material thickness limits until you have it down.
if you know anyone that welds show them some of your practice pieces, they can offer you pointers and let you know if your on the right track.
OldBarn
Member
I learned at my local Vo-Tech before they became a foo-foo community college. They let me go as far as I wanted to, as long as I could pay tuition, show up, and do my classwork. Best dang thing I did in a long time, even if I am kind of a hack at it.
They still have a welding program, but I don't think they'd accept me these days. They want young students who they can suck into two year "degree" programs financed with borrowed money.
They still have a welding program, but I don't think they'd accept me these days. They want young students who they can suck into two year "degree" programs financed with borrowed money.
ranger101
TJ Addict
I could have somebody running decent MIG beads in a few hours. I recommend getting a simple 110v flux core welder and practice with that. Some YouTube videos and a cheap spool of wire will have you welding in a weekend. I recommend a used Miller or Lincoln, but wouldn’t hesitate to try a new Harbor Freight welder.
alittleoff
TJ Addict
I too was taught in High School and have been practicing ever since.
BIL was taught at Night School and makes a living at it.
Get at any way you can and good luck turns into great skills.
BIL was taught at Night School and makes a living at it.
Get at any way you can and good luck turns into great skills.
A local industrial gas supply shop by me had a weekend class. $50 for a day of learning some of the safety pieces and 4 hours of hands on training. I’m still not very good, but plan to buy something to practice more at home.
Search around if you can find a hobbyist style class. All I could find within 4 hours of me was vocational schools where I'd be dedicated to $20K+ full time courses. I ended up learning primarily by doing. To test my welds I took out a hammer and beat my work until failure.
having the machine adjusted right is most of the equation.
power vs wire speed is key.
the sound the weld action produces can be an indicator. you want it to sound like bacon frying in the pan and be consistent.
the amount of spatter produced is also an indication of how efficient the machine is operating. to much spatter is to much wire or not enough power.
slow motion and a steady hand, for some the hardest issue to overcome is SLOWING DOWN.
welding does not require a lot of motion other than carrying the bead along.
some think this "stacking dimes" crap is a great weld, it can be, but it's no guarantee.
welding is not just melting 2 pieces together, you need to to push or trail a bead = to the material your bonding.
if you place a 1/8" fillet onto 1/4" material you might as well have used 1/8" material.
power vs wire speed is key.
the sound the weld action produces can be an indicator. you want it to sound like bacon frying in the pan and be consistent.
the amount of spatter produced is also an indication of how efficient the machine is operating. to much spatter is to much wire or not enough power.
slow motion and a steady hand, for some the hardest issue to overcome is SLOWING DOWN.
welding does not require a lot of motion other than carrying the bead along.
some think this "stacking dimes" crap is a great weld, it can be, but it's no guarantee.
welding is not just melting 2 pieces together, you need to to push or trail a bead = to the material your bonding.
if you place a 1/8" fillet onto 1/4" material you might as well have used 1/8" material.
This is mostly true but it can be when you use an O/A torch and no filler rod. Panel beaters use this method for hammer welding sheet metal.
I know this welding isn't what the OP is interested in … one step at a time and hammer welding is not very often needed on a Jeep, if ever!
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OldBarn
Member
As an amateur hack, I've found one of the best things I can do, whatever I'm doing (O/A, stick, flux core), is to pull some scrap from my pile, throw it on my bench, and tweak my setup.
A good quality MIG setup makes things almost foolproof, with just a little bit of knowledge and practice. My Vo-Tech instructor always said he could certify students on it in a matter of a few hours. I wound up selling mine. I don't do much fabricating; keeping it setup and working for my infrequent repair jobs wasn't worth the trouble.
A good quality MIG setup makes things almost foolproof, with just a little bit of knowledge and practice. My Vo-Tech instructor always said he could certify students on it in a matter of a few hours. I wound up selling mine. I don't do much fabricating; keeping it setup and working for my infrequent repair jobs wasn't worth the trouble.
I bought myself a Lincoln SP-135 Mig Welder at the Oshkosh airshow years ago and took a couple of 3 hr classes while there to get the basics down. I put it to good use on a 64 Ford F100 that needed a lot of work.. floorpans, cab mounts, welded in a gas filler door on the bed, etc etc. Ended up making some tow bar mounts for our fleet of tugs at the airport and in exchange asked them to pay for Tig welding classes at our local jr college which I took for a year. Found a Lincoln 225 Tig welder for a great price on Craigslist and practice, practice, practice is what my teacher drove into us.
There are some really good videos on YouTube these days for different methods, styles, practices, etc but just get some scrap metal and start running beads to get the hang of it and know your machine.
There are some really good videos on YouTube these days for different methods, styles, practices, etc but just get some scrap metal and start running beads to get the hang of it and know your machine.