Where can I learn to weld?

[Rave]

As title says really, I want to learn how to weld up cars. My car needed the sills doing for its MOT, which cost me £350. For that I could have bought a nice MIG welder and done it myself, if only I knew how! I did a bit of arc (stick) welding at university just so we could understand how it was done, and wasn't bad at it. I reckon MIG must be a bit easier 'cos you don't have to worry about the flux getting everywhere and you're not trying to wave about a long unwieldy stick. What I really need to know is how to prep the surfaces, where to get and how to shape the metal etc.

Can anyone point me in the right direction? Even if my current car doesn't need welding again for a while, there are quite a few cars I fancy which I could probably pick up as rusted MOT failures for next to nowt (E30 BMWs for a start).

Cheers,

Rich :¬)

[Tumble]

Have you got a vocational training centre near you? We've got a Dept of Trade & Industry run centre over here - and they do welding courses. I'd imagine there would be something similar around where you are. But, as in all cases, Google is your friend - get a list of local colleges and see what courses they're offering. Bound to be something around.

GL matey.

[sdp]

What car have you got? I got a whole sill replaced and 2 other bits welded for about 110quid, so that seems expensive..

[5lab]

yeah having a sill welded on my volvo came to £30

[Rave]

It's a mark 1 Toyota MR2. I didn't really shop around, but I think the sills were pretty bad before, so it didn't seem unreasonable. When I got back in it after having it done it felt totally different, no more shakes and thumps. It doesn't seem drastically expensive compared to you SDP, you've got a mini intcha? I bet the sill on an MR2 is a bit longer

Thanks for the tip Tumble. I can only do an evening course really, and AFAIK none of the local colleges do a welding course. Maybe I'll look a bit further afield.

Rich :¬)

[Jiff Lemon]

Most local colleges should do an evening course.

Let me give you one big tip about mig welding - CLEAN THE METAL! Gas welding is great - you can weld just about anything, but MIG is pretty damn fussy about rusty metal. Replacing entire panels is pretty straight forward - unpick spot welds, align new panel, spot weld back on. Fabricating and welding patches onto panels is a whole new kettle of fish....

[Rave]

Originally posted by Jiff Lemon
Let me give you one big tip about mig welding - CLEAN THE METAL! Gas welding is great - you can weld just about anything, but MIG is pretty damn fussy about rusty metal.

Cheers for the tip. I guess rust doesn't conduct electricity well?That would be the plan anyway though; there's not much point welding a patch in if what you're welding to is rusty, you'll just have to do it again in a couple of years. I did some Oxy-Acetylene as part of this course but it all seems a bit too much hassle, plus I guess the gas bottles and stuff must be expensive and a pain to carry about.

Replacing entire panels is pretty straight forward - unpick spot welds, align new panel, spot weld back on. Fabricating and welding patches onto panels is a whole new kettle of fish....

That'd be what I'd be wanting to do though. The door pillars on the MR2 where the catch for the lock is have big patches of rust around them and sooner or later it's going to need patching up.

As for the panels, I'm not quite sure how to unpick the spots, but from then I could probably do the rest with what I know now!

Rich :¬)

[sdp]

I got mine done by a mobile welder, the garages wanted loads to do it. But for an MR2 I'd pay the 350 and get it done neatly, mine isn't pretty tbh.

[Rave]

Originally posted by sdp
I got mine done by a mobile welder, the garages wanted loads to do it. But for an MR2 I'd pay the 350 and get it done neatly, mine isn't pretty tbh.

I probably have the crappest looking MR2 in the country mate. It got written off a couple of years ago when someone ran in to the back of me. I just spent the money on beer, so it's still got a great big dent in the back. One of the headlight motors doesn't work so I just drive it around one eyed during the day. The paint needs a damn good T-Cut, and the rear wing has a hole rusted in it.

I just hope I can keep it running until I have the money and skill do do it up properly.

Rich :¬)

P.S. I was not amused at the race they just had on Top Gear. Of course the new one's quicker, it's a 1.8 with 140BHP as opposed to a 1.6 with 120. They should have raced a supercharger, that would have shown the new boy a thing or two. And where's the damn boot on the new one?

[sdp]

Who cares what Jeremy Clarkson thinks anyway?

[Mart]

MIG is easy as long as you have good kit. Half the problem is setting the wire speed, the power and the gas flow rate. When you start out you don't know what the best settings are.

The best way to learn is to get some old panels or some sheet steel, clean off any paint and practise. You can experiment with the power/gas settings without any harm.

Always use a face mask and good quality gloves. I found a head mask was best as you can have it on your head and then nod your head forwards to cover your face as you are about to weld.

GAS
====
Not enough gas and you get brittle welds which don't look too pretty (like bird crap). Too much gas, well you can't have too much gas . You can use C02 or C02/argon mix. C02(pub bottle) is cheaper but C02/argon spits a lot less

Power
=====
Not enough power for the thickness you are welding and you don't get proper penetration (weak welds). Too much power and the metal you are welding disintegrates (blowing holes).

Wire speed
==========
If the wire feeds too fast you soon find out as you find your hand being forced up from the weld. Wire feed too slow and the wire keeps burning back so you can't keep a nice pool of molten steel flowing.

If in doubt keep an angle grinder handy!

Mart

[Rave]

Thanks a lot for the advice Mart.

If the wire feeds too fast you soon find out as you find your hand being forced up from the weld.

Doesn't that cause the wire to weld itself to the metal? I did that a few time with the arc welder I used!

Rich :¬)