13 replies to this topic

[LittleMissD]

So as someone who has never done any welding before I wondered how hard it is for me to learn?

 

I've recently started amini project and initially thought the only way to get the welding done is by a professional, I wondered how likely it is that I will be able to do it myself given I have absolutely no prior knowledge?

 

I also wondered if anyone can suggest the best tutorials etc. and the better welders. I have done a little research and MIG welding seems the best option.. but I don't know what I am talking about so I could be wrong..

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated, or even if anyone was up for it (providing I decide to weld myself) a little tutorial or teaching for my first go?

 

Cheers in advance

[nicklouse]

Anyone can weld.

Yes Mig. As expensive as you can afford don’t bother with the stupid small canisters of gas get one that with take a 10L bottle Minimum.

Oh Auto dimming helmets as a must. (Correctly set).

Preparation and cleanliness make for a good weld. Unfortunately Minis do not lend themselves to this.

This is where the good old local Car/Mini club comes in handy.

An Idea I always put out there ask your local places of further education if there are any evening courses.

[Harrison541]

Theres some good instructional videos on Youtube, I found a few useful ones from Chucke2009 showing what certain mistakes look like (not enough gas, too much wire etc) they helped me realise why my welds looked a right mess when I started. I'm quite happy welding now, don't bother with the disposable gas bottles as said above and have lots of practice first.

[Ben_O]

Your best bet as a complete novice is to have a go first. There are members close to you with the equipment who i am sure would be happy to show you, let you have a go and give plenty of advice.

 

If you feel after having a go that you can manage, then you can start to look into getting your own mig welder. There are plenty to choose from and most hobby welders are simple to set up and use.

 

As has been said, you need to allow for consumables like a large gas cylinder, Gauntlets, an auto dimming shield, fire proof clothing plus the adaptor gauge and pipe work to adapt the hobby mig to accept a large cylinder. and then of course you will need welding clamps to actually hold your work pieces together prior to welding.

All of the above is the bare minimum you will need so allow yourself £300 upwards to get set up

 

Ben

[spiguy]

You absolutely can do it. If you can work a set of tools you can weld. The mig welding website is a great resource (http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/) , with some good simple down to earth video tutorials on what you want to aim for. Of course welding can be a very complex, in depth subject (like anything can!) but welding on the thin metal that you find on a car only requires a small set of skills and criteria to achieve acceptable strength welds, so perfectly within the reach of the DIY'er.

 

Take your time, get a good welder (I reccomend the Clarke range, the 135te is excellent and good value too) get a decent sized bottle of CO2 / Argon mix shielding gas and a good twin gauge regulator (so you can see the bottle pressure and the flow rate) and do lots of practise on scrap metal. Don't be scared by it, small mistakes can be corrected such as blow holes, and worst case you can always cut it out and do it again!

 

Absolutely critical though is safety. As said above, a good autodarkening mask (I found weldequip - theres a link on the mig welding site  - to be excellent to deal with )  and gloves, and good safety goggles for when you are doing grinding and cutting (oh, by the way a good grinder with 1mm cutting discs will become your friend). For goggles, go for fully enclosing ones, DeWalt do good value ones. DONT use safety 'glasses' as these allow debris to get in. When grinding / cutting / welding, don't allow yourself to become distracted by anything or anyone, if you need to divert your attention in any way at all, then stop and go do what you need to then return to it. You should always be pre-empting what could go wrong, particularly when cutting - such as a change from a thin skin to a bracket or thicker part, or a change in direction - could the disc bind up? Are you going to end up cutting close to your body etc, what way would the grinder kick back - try to make sure it is away from you! Just go slow and think it all through, and if you are not confident then consider what it is that is concerning you and try to address it rather than just charging on.

 

Plenty folks on here doing welding so plenty of advice is available as you go.

Edited by carlukemini, 26 May 2015 - 04:11 PM.

[sonikk4]

Keep an eye out for Machinemart VAT free nights. This can save you a large chunk of change on the Clarke range of welders. Again i would recommend the 135TE, more than enough for your car and much more.

 

As mentioned about the protective equipment also consider C clamps, mole grips, Cleco pins etc. Grinder, i buy my mine from B&Q. Cheap and cheerful and do the job nicely. There are detractors on here but if its good enough for the boys on Project Binky then its good enough for anyone. I cane the crap out of mine and have been for the past 6 years now. Killed two in that time but thats two complete restos and on with a third. (About £20 a go)

 

Buy a pack of 1mm stainless steel cutting discs, grinding discs and flapper wheel. Also a twisted wire cup as well. 

 

With all of this lot you are basically ready to go.

[bluemini1979]

So as someone who has never done any welding before I wondered how hard it is for me to learn?
 
I've recently started amini project and initially thought the only way to get the welding done is by a professional, I wondered how likely it is that I will be able to do it myself given I have absolutely no prior knowledge?
 
I also wondered if anyone can suggest the best tutorials etc. and the better welders. I have done a little research and MIG welding seems the best option.. but I don't know what I am talking about so I could be wrong..
 
Any help would be greatly appreciated, or even if anyone was up for it (providing I decide to weld myself) a little tutorial or teaching for my first go?
 
Cheers in advance

Where are you based. I'm quite happy for my equipment to be used to see if you want to buy your own stuff

[LittleMissD]

Cheers for all your responses guys, you've all given me the confidence to really consider doing my own welding!

 

I will make sure to check out the sites and scroll youtube for useful vidoes

 

Cheers guys

 

 

 

 

So as someone who has never done any welding before I wondered how hard it is for me to learn?
 
I've recently started amini project and initially thought the only way to get the welding done is by a professional, I wondered how likely it is that I will be able to do it myself given I have absolutely no prior knowledge?
 
I also wondered if anyone can suggest the best tutorials etc. and the better welders. I have done a little research and MIG welding seems the best option.. but I don't know what I am talking about so I could be wrong..
 
Any help would be greatly appreciated, or even if anyone was up for it (providing I decide to weld myself) a little tutorial or teaching for my first go?
 
Cheers in advance

Where are you based. I'm quite happy for my equipment to be used to see if you want to buy your own stuff

 

 

 I'm base in Tonbridge in Kent. If you are up for a meet I would be extremely grateful, but I can respect if its too far.

 

Cheers

[Carlos W]

www.adamsgas.co.uk do rent free gas bottles, you pay a deposit but you get that back when you return the bottle, if you exchange the bottle the deposit just transfers. 

 

Welding is all about practice, it's probably worth building a few random things before embarking on restoring your car.

 

I wish I'd learned before attacking the car. 

[bluemini1979]

I'm in Essex near Colchester

[Covert]

have a look at this website too , loads of good advice and info/links on the forum.

 

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/

[Rog46]

If you get a welder that uses disposable bottles you can convert to the larger bottles http://www.weldequip...version-kit.htm I've not done it myself but it should be easy to convert.

[Ben_O]

If you get a welder that uses disposable bottles you can convert to the larger bottles http://www.weldequip...version-kit.htm I've not done it myself but it should be easy to convert.

With that kit in the link, you simply pull back the collar on the welders regulator to release the gas pipe and then the gas pipe simply is a push fit onto the connector on the gas hose that comes with the regulator in the link

 

Takes 2 seconds

[Rog46]

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