Hi guys! I'm a newbie at this forum and want to start welding.
I have a car and it would be great if I could repair some details with a welder. I've already seen the videos how other people do this and it looks awesome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpE5kh5ftHk
I don't have my own welder yet but I'm ready to buy it. I'm not sure I can do the right decision so, please, help me with it.
The first question is about welder types: which one is better for the beginner? I know about MIG and TIG but I don't know which one is better for car details. And is there any difference with working material? I mean, if one (for example, TIG) works with aluminum, does another one do so? Or not? I've already tried to search some materials about it on this forum but it would be better to have all the answers to my questions in one place (sorry).
And the last question, where can I read more about good(!) models? I'm asking this because some of you may say "just google it" and I want to prevent these messages. For example, I googled and found this resource. May I trust it? I don't know. The Internet is giant and nobody knows what it will show.
Please, share your thoughts and opinions here.
Thanks in advance!
i'll try to keep this short.
its a long road from beginner to fixing cars as per video. its not just welding but other fabraction skills required.
learning to weld, i always recommend a stick welder. best thing to learn with.
not usually recommeded to weld cars with tho not impossible.
main aim here is to learn the basics. plus stick welders are just so handy for repairs and small projects. everyone should have one.
then its mig. more suited for cars and larger projects. but requires more gear. cost of shielding gas is can be a problem.
tig is the hardest. ac/dc tig will do aluminium.
what machines to get is often down to what you have available.
i would not trust any list of machines, most are paid adverts.
and whatever you do, DO NOT buy a flux core welder
its a long road from beginner to fixing cars as per video. its not just welding but other fabraction skills required.
learning to weld, i always recommend a stick welder. best thing to learn with.
not usually recommeded to weld cars with tho not impossible.
main aim here is to learn the basics. plus stick welders are just so handy for repairs and small projects. everyone should have one.
then its mig. more suited for cars and larger projects. but requires more gear. cost of shielding gas is can be a problem.
tig is the hardest. ac/dc tig will do aluminium.
what machines to get is often down to what you have available.
i would not trust any list of machines, most are paid adverts.
and whatever you do, DO NOT buy a flux core welder
tweak it until it breaks
You can also MIG aluminum, Tweake. Lots of auto and motorcycle manufacturers use that process as you well know.
Sage advice about learning to weld on Stick, but it is not a process you’d use on a vehicle. MIG or TIG for that. Body panels- MIG. Bracketed to frame, usually MIG. Delicate details, TIG. TIG is harder to learn, but I will also say MIG is deceiving. Beads can look great but not have the actual strength you think they do. It takes equal experience to weld properly with ANY process. And welding on a car project is NOT suggested for a newbie without supervision. Lots can go wrong.
As for which machine, what’s your realistic budget? Many of the multi-process machines would be a perfect choice. 1 box, all processes and if it’s AC/DC, even better. Expect to pay just over $3k for that. You can start with smaller, less expensive boxes but you’ll need at least 2 machines. And be dead certain you have 240v service where you weld. 120v won’t get you far.
Sage advice about learning to weld on Stick, but it is not a process you’d use on a vehicle. MIG or TIG for that. Body panels- MIG. Bracketed to frame, usually MIG. Delicate details, TIG. TIG is harder to learn, but I will also say MIG is deceiving. Beads can look great but not have the actual strength you think they do. It takes equal experience to weld properly with ANY process. And welding on a car project is NOT suggested for a newbie without supervision. Lots can go wrong.
As for which machine, what’s your realistic budget? Many of the multi-process machines would be a perfect choice. 1 box, all processes and if it’s AC/DC, even better. Expect to pay just over $3k for that. You can start with smaller, less expensive boxes but you’ll need at least 2 machines. And be dead certain you have 240v service where you weld. 120v won’t get you far.
You can also MIG aluminum, Tweake. Lots of auto and motorcycle manufacturers use that process as you well know.
Sage advice about learning to weld on Stick, but it is not a process you’d use on a vehicle. MIG or TIG for that. Body panels- MIG. Bracketed to frame, usually MIG. Delicate details, TIG. TIG is harder to learn, but I will also say MIG is deceiving. Beads can look great but not have the actual strength you think they do. It takes equal experience to weld properly with ANY process. And welding on a car project is NOT suggested for a newbie without supervision. Lots can go wrong.
As for which machine, what’s your realistic budget? Many of the multi-process machines would be a perfect choice. 1 box, all processes and if it’s AC/DC, even better. Expect to pay just over $3k for that. You can start with smaller, less expensive boxes but you’ll need at least 2 machines. And be dead certain you have 240v service where you weld. 120v won’t get you far.
Sage advice about learning to weld on Stick, but it is not a process you’d use on a vehicle. MIG or TIG for that. Body panels- MIG. Bracketed to frame, usually MIG. Delicate details, TIG. TIG is harder to learn, but I will also say MIG is deceiving. Beads can look great but not have the actual strength you think they do. It takes equal experience to weld properly with ANY process. And welding on a car project is NOT suggested for a newbie without supervision. Lots can go wrong.
As for which machine, what’s your realistic budget? Many of the multi-process machines would be a perfect choice. 1 box, all processes and if it’s AC/DC, even better. Expect to pay just over $3k for that. You can start with smaller, less expensive boxes but you’ll need at least 2 machines. And be dead certain you have 240v service where you weld. 120v won’t get you far.
i avoided mig aluminium because thats yet another can of worms.cj737 wrote:You can also MIG aluminum, Tweake. Lots of auto and motorcycle manufacturers use that process as you well know.
As for which machine, what’s your realistic budget? Many of the multi-process machines would be a perfect choice.
while not muilti process quite a few mid range mig machines are coming out with a smple arc welder setting. if you don't want two machines thats an option.
i have a basic multiprocess machine (the tig is terrible on it) that i used to learn arc welding. but i still bought a small inverter stick welder because its very portable and i can run it off a standard household power socket, which i can't do with the mig.
tweak it until it breaks
I have to take a different path, start making mistakes as soon as possible!Oscar wrote:While there were some good take-away's from that video, I'd like to ask you Novette, what he did wrong. If you can tell me, you might be ready to start. Guys, no spoilers!
Then again i did not see any obvious mistakes other than it sounded rough, alot of spatter and soot. Bad gas? Reverse polarity? It's been years since mig welding for me.
So i could be missing the obvious.
The biggest problem i saw was the final weld looked worse than the original pin holes! Lol
Cheers
Ps. The miller multimatic 215 would be great for auto body. It has dc tig, stick and mig. You can use a spool gun for aluminum. I was going to sell my complete set for around $2k but pulled it off Facebook when i realized the 255 no longer had the rebate. I really like the unit for versatility and portability.
Happy hunting
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