learning to weld?

[stoney126]

hey all, how did you learn to weld? go to school , or just start doing it at home?
I need to learn is why I ask. I got alot of spare sheet metal around the house from other projects and thought hey maybe I should learn to weld :2thumbs:
Anyway, thanks for any info

[k5krushert1]

well i learned to weld at home the hard way.i read alot online about it and barrowed a book from a friend about welding so i studyied first.ive only mig welded so far im actually using flux core in my 110 lincoln mig.sheet metal will be hard to learn on. i suggest finding some other ticker metal like 1/8th inch or thicker to practice on.if you are in the market for a welder i would get a 220 powered one i need more power whicj i dont have to weld thicker stuff.i started with mig which you arent suppost to do but mig is really simple to learn. go out there and pick one up and weld some stuff.i HIGHLY recomend not welding on youre truck until you know youre welds hold and are decent. best thing to do first is read everything you can find :beer:

[CaptainInsano]

My Miller 175 came with a DVD. :thumb:

But actually I learned to stick weld from my dad with a Lincoln 225 buzz box. Best way to learn though is learn the essentials, ie heat, power settings, wire speed, angle of wire, torch distance from material and then just start practicing. I think I made better welds when I first started, lately my welds suck ass. :unsure:

There are some good tutuorials on the web, I think Millers web site has the videos up there somewhere too.

Check this out too:

http://www.offroadfabnet.com/

http://www.millerwelds.com/education/library.html

[UseYourBlinker]

Went to Chabot for a class good hands on. It was about $200 for the class,and books. All in all it was a learning experince. :2thumbs:

[jays68yak]

head first, shitty clarke mig that I just sold and upgraded to a lincoln.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jasons68/detail?.dir=b21f&.dnm=4171.jpg&.src=ph