20 replies to this topic

[robmeeks]

any 1 live near Leicester who i could come and visit for some tips/demos on mig welding please. i have never done it but want to learn and i am thinking of getting a mig welder
thanks

[siggy]

Try your local college, they might run a night class.

Siggy

[robmeeks]

i have looked and they don't start till september and i don't fancy waiting 3 months, but cheers anyway

[Al*]

hey robmeeks you could always do it the way i did....gewt a couple peicesof scrap steel and teach yourself.....the worst that'll happen is you'll burn through on scrap steel....if your trying to learn welding so you can go weld body panels might i suggest practicing on 16 guage.

Al

[robmeeks]

cheers. will give it a blast

[dklawson]

As Al said, there is no substitute for practice, particularly if you'll be working on automotive panels. However, in the U.S., 16 ga sheet is 0.059" [1.5mm] thick. All the panels on my car were about 0.040" or thinner. If you're buying material to practice on look for something closer to this... perhaps 20 ga. Rather than buy, why not visit a local body shop and see what dented panels they're throwing out. They may let you have some old sheet metal panels from the scrap bin to practice on for free.

[robmeeks]

i got a welding mask but u cant see anything through it unless u look ata bright light but surly u shud b able to see a bit so u can see what u going to weld ?

[Woody]

The best welding mask you can have to learn is a self darkening mask , they are a bit dearer (£80/100) but looked after they will give a life time of use .
If you are useing a standard mask what you do is position the torch where you want it , move the mask in front of your face and then pull the trigger .
the mask i use is a head mounted one and has a letter box of clear at the top that you use to position the torch , you tilt your head a bit and weld , the clear bit is covered during welding , this mask was a bit cheaper at about £30.

[robmeeks]

thanks woody. i will invest in a better mask.
nice 1 mate

[Jordie]

or as me dad does, dunt wear one hehe.

I always wear the mask or look away. I cant weld for my life even tho he keeps tryin to teach me, so good luck.

**i never said DONT wear a mask people, i sed my dad doesnt**

Edited by Jordie, 04 June 2004 - 08:48 PM.

[tom]

Unless you want to frazzle out your eyeballs, then I suggest that you definatley wear a mask!

[adam c]

Its often impractical to tack up with a mask and i know many proffessionals who often come home with a tan from doing this. I only have a cheap hand held mask and its a pain in the arse because you always have to have one hand holding the mask. If your on a tight budget at least get a head mask so you have an extra hand to support the torch if necessary. Good luck and practice makes perfect...

ps. don't forget the cost of your gas with a mig welder, disposable cylinders aren't even worth trying and for a medium size bottle from BOC I pay £50 a year rental and then about £40 a refill, you'll also need a regulator (£30) and a hose to connect to a small mig (£6). When practising it would be very expensive with disposable cylinders....

[dklawson]

I LOVE auto-darkening helmets. I have two... a mid-priced one that I'll never use again and a cheap one that I'll use until it fails. Shop around. In the U.S. we have a cheap tool company called Harbor Freight. They sell a budget auto-darkening helmet for about $50 (28 GBP?). I'm very happy with mine. For what it's worth... my more expensive helmet is a "solar powered" unit having no batteries. You need to "charge" it under a bright light before welding or your initial welds will blind you before there is sufficient charge to darken the lens. I also found the solar powered unit difficult to use for low-Amp, small arc welding (like TIG welding sheet metal panels). So far the battery powered unit from Harbor Freight has given superior performance for significantly less money. I'm sure this same (Harbor Freight) helmet must be available from a discount tool supplier in the U.K.

[robmeeks]

cheers for all the advice guys. i will purchase a darkening welding mask me thinks

[Woody]

when i was younger i spent two days bench welding some brackets , i also thought it was OK to just shut my eyes when "tacking"... after two days i was in serios pain , i had "sunburn" on my eyelids , as they are very thin they get damaged easily , the doctor said i was lucky not to loose them as they went crispy , i have the scars to this day :sad: