By Tony K
Don’t let anybody fool you, welding is not that hard to learn how to do. Frequently all it takes is someone to show you the basics and get you started. You don’t have to know all kinds of theory or go to a tech school , all you need is a little guidance to get started. If you are hesitant to believe me, I taught my 70 year old mother to arc weld in less than an hour. She had a piece of art she had always wanted to make and it was the perfect opportunity to learn. I also taught her how to use a cutting torch which I happen to think is even harder to do than arc welding.
Realistically welding is nothing more than getting two pieces of metal to the right temperature so they fuse together. Nothing more, nothing less. And there is not much that compares to watching a weld bead take shape. While there are numerous ways to weld things together, the most common are arc welding and mig welding. Both of which are done with equipment that is not that expensive.
Before you spend any money I would do a little reading to learn more about the processes so that you can make an informed decision about the best type of equipment for what you want to weld. The book I found really helpful is the “Welders Handbook” by Richard Finch. This is a great getting started reference. He covers all types of welding and equipment. I have lost count of the number of people I have loaned this book to.
While welding is not that hard to do, getting good at it takes a lot of practice. It’s one of those things you need to do over and over again. And to get really good, you have to do it all the time. While some people are naturals at it I think just about any one can learn to do satisfactory welding for the needs of your rig.
If I haven’t welded in awhile I find that I need to spend some time practicing to get back into the flow of things. While some of my welds may not be the prettiest, I have never had a weld fail which is really important as I welded my own bumpers, winch mounts, trailer hitch, shackle mounts and numerous other high stress projects.
Virtually all of my welding on my rig has been arc or what some people call stick welding. I have a Lincoln AC/DC Buzz box that has been a great tool. I have welded everything from heavy steel to exhaust tubing with this thing. With the correct rods I have even arc welded Aluminum. Only recently did I pick up a Mig welder and this is a DC powered spool gun that runs off the batteries in my rig. But it also came with an adapter that allows me to run it with the DC power from my Buzz Box. From the little bit I have messed with it, this thing is going to be fun to use. Especially on sheet metal.
I also have a gas rig that I mostly use for cutting steel and heating it up to make bends and such. I have messed around a bit with gas welding aluminum as well. Yes you read that right. Long before they had those fancy Tig welders they were welding aluminum for a lot of airplanes with gas. Even though you can use oxy/acetylene the first choice for gas welding aluminum is oxy/hydrogen. I still want a hydrogen set up to add to my current one. While I am a pitful gas welder, I believe that if you can weld with gas you can weld with anything. Thats why I still need to spend a lot more time with my gas rig.
So do some reading, get a set up of your choice and start burning some metal….
