Teach myself to weld?

[will_08]

Hi everyone, just wandering how possible it would be to teach myself to weld to a good enough standard to construct a kit car chassis?

Ive never done any welding (although im an electrical engineer, some people say my soldering is like welding!) i have looked for a course but there dont seem to be any suitable around lancashire. so can you self teach to a good standard?

Thanks Will

 

[shenion]

I learned from the tutorials and help here. MIG is not difficult, just takes some practice.

A good machine goes a long way on producing good welds. I started with a Clarke MIG and it served me well. I could have gotten a cheap Chinese unit for less, but I now know they do not work as well.

 

[malcolm]

Just about to reply and Shenion's reply appeared. What he said.

A few things are handy - someone who knows how to MIG for helping to set your machine up first time around is a real time saver. Good machine to start with works wonders - a friend borrowed mine, worked through the turorials with no help from me (I wanted to see if they worked) and was welding well in a day.

Being an engineer will help the feedback process - spotting what is wrong and altering things to make it work.

And practice. I've never been on a MIG welding course myself (though did a gas/arc course for half a day years before I started welding - good fun).

 

[G Jones]

Hi everyone, just wandering how possible it would be to teach myself to weld to a good enough standard to construct a kit car chassis?
Ive never done any welding (although im an electrical engineer, some people say my soldering is like welding!) i have looked for a course but there dont seem to be any suitable around lancashire. so can you self teach to a good standard?
Thanks Will

Not wanting to pour cold water here - BUT - when you are talking about attaching 4 wheels to the corners of a home built chassis - adding an engine of some weight / power - then it becomes real important to know what you are doing.
Not knowing your level of knowledge is difficult - so please don't take offence.
I'm not saying you cannot teach yourself - but unless you have someone qualified to check it out - how do you know whether your job is up to scratch ?
If you are looking at Tubular "Space Frame" type of construction - it needs to be welded correctly - as the first failure might be the last...
I would have thought that you would be able to find a welding course somewhere near you - unless none of the colleges bother anymore (too busy teaching health / fitness / beauty)
A training course should supply you with the basics in theory that are necessary to build something safe - and the practical experience to know what you are aiming at - as a "pretty weld" does not always mean a "sound" weld. (far from it)
If that fails there are good books available - I'm sure many others can make recommendations.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Of course it's possible Will! First thing is to make sure you have the right welder, I'd recommend 150 amps minimum, 180 amps if your budget can stretch that far. Get some offcuts of SHS (square hollow section) and practice preparing your joints, welding them then trying to destroy them. It's quite a crude method of testing welds but it works.

 

[Unclefista]

No problem at all, it's what I did (see pics on my website for early welds). If this site had been around at the time it'd have been even easier.

It's not rocket surgery, you'd probably be welding 1.6 - 3mm mild steel which is as "easy"[1] as it gets, if you're an enthusiastic amateur you'd be up to welding a chassis after only a few hours practice I reckon.

[1] Don't get me wrong being a professional welder is a totally different kettle of fish, but to weld ERW to a standard that would pass the SVA isn't quite the same

 

[will_08]

Thanks for the advice, of the colleges ive tried they have suggested giving learn direct a call. i think ill do that, as said a chassis isnt something i really want to muddle through. ive got some friends who swing spanners that can weld, i could always let them have a look at what i do.

As its been mentioned, i know its best to get the highest ampage welder you can get. but at my work there is a Sip cosmo gas100. i gather they are not the best in the world. on the front it has 2 rocker switches max/min, high/low or something like that. and a variable feed speed dial? i think. can find any info about it on the net at all

Q is its only recently when ive looked at buying a mig, some dont have that low an current setting. is that a problem? i think the chassis is RHS 16swg.

Thanks Wil

 

[malcolm]

Interaction with someone who welds well is always a good thing. Gets you up to speed much more quickly.

I reckon the important thing is knowing when a weld is good and when it's not. And achiving the good first by practicing on scrap before a project.

College courses are always a good idea - meet people, use other people's equipment. There's a list of them here you could add to if you find another good one.