Hi all. Just joined the forum having decided to take up a new challenge and learn to weld ahead of hopefully getting myself a car restoration project in 2025. Idea is to get myself a DIY and car appropriate Mig welder using advice on this forum and then either teach myself from the internet or better still find someone locally (Surrey / London boarders) who can provide help, or a class I can attend.
- Thread starter AndyCo
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Barking Mat
Cuddler of hedgehogs.
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Welcome, you've found the right forum.
What kind of car ?
What kind of car ?
addjunkie
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Careful, next itll be a Harley, medallion and chaps!
Smallfry
HE's Spartacus.
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You will find all the help and advice you need here, and more besides.
Best to find a class if you can, but you can really only learn by doing it. On the face of it, it is one of those things that look quite easy, but actually isn't. As said, car work is difficult to learn on, and to do.
Best to find a class if you can, but you can really only learn by doing it. On the face of it, it is one of those things that look quite easy, but actually isn't. As said, car work is difficult to learn on, and to do.
Gareth J
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Well, this is far too sensible an attitude for a midlife crisis. The proper order is to buy a bargain car you lusted after in youth and then realise you need to buy a welder and learn to weld as it wasn't a bargain but a rust bucket. I applaud your sensible attitude!
Bobupndown
What could possibly go wrong?
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Welcome, what car are you planning to get?
Pictures are obligatory.
Pictures are obligatory.
slim_boy_fat
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Welcome aboard! 
As said ^^, it's a great place to be - you'll soon learn to avoid the 'rabbit holes ' which litter the forum. 
There's expertise and experience on virtually any subject besides welding.
To get meaningful advice from The Collective, you'll need start by giving some idea of your total budget, to include PPE (personal protective equipment) and any essential tools you may not have already.
Good luck and enjoy the journey/adventure.
As said ^^, it's a great place to be - you'll soon learn to avoid the 'rabbit holes ' which litter the forum. There's expertise and experience on virtually any subject besides welding.To get meaningful advice from The Collective, you'll need start by giving some idea of your total budget, to include PPE (personal protective equipment) and any essential tools you may not have already.
Good luck and enjoy the journey/adventure.
Chippie
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Let the nightmares begin…..
arther dailey
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When I initially joined it was to learn due to the absolute mess some one who was a lifetime "welder" had made on a lorry chassis I owned , so bad that although it passed plating test I sold it , total pidgeon poop.It's funny how most people seem to want to get into welding to do up a car. And what is the hardest stuff to weld? Car body panels! Thin dirty rusty metal is not the best thing to learn on
Tangledfeet
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"Necessity is the Mother of Invention" is my excuse. Getting a classic welded by a paid Welder is one thing.... Getting anyone as daft as yourself to weld on a fausty old LDV Convoy (now RIP) is quite another (& that's before you factor in the cost if you found anyone mental enough).It's funny how most people seem to want to get into welding to do up a car. And what is the hardest stuff to weld? Car body panels! Thin dirty rusty metal is not the best thing to learn on
I'm still a pretty appalling occasional hobby Welder, but usually I can glue stuff together well enough to be strong if not pretty.
To the OP I say "Flap Disks!" (& a Finger Grinder). These wonderful things can make amateur metal glueing look a bit less terrible
Indeed so."Necessity is the Mother of Invention" is my excuse. Getting a classic welded by a paid Welder is one thing.... Getting anyone as daft as yourself to weld on a fausty old LDV Convoy (now RIP) is quite another (& that's before you factor in the cost if you found anyone mental enough).
I'm still a pretty appalling occasional hobby Welder, but usually I can glue stuff together well enough to be strong if not pretty.
To the OP I say "Flap Disks!" (& a Finger Grinder). These wonderful things can make amateur metal glueing look a bit less terrible
Black and Decker powerfile with quality blue belts never ceases to amaze me. Feels like cheap flimsy rubbish but goes on for ever and removes a surprising amount of metal. A lot less scary than an angle grinder as well.
slim_boy_fat
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Tangledfeet
Knurling is my Nemesis.
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Pessimist!
On the contrary, that's an optimistic* figure!!!
* I shudder to think how much I've spent since joining this forum!!!
Pigeon_Droppings2
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I ended up here 10+ years ago on a similar trajectory to the OP....great forum with very knowledgeable people.
Teaching yourself to weld + restore a car is perfectly doable...pretty much how I started.
Teaching yourself to weld + restore a car is perfectly doable...pretty much how I started.
