A Question From a Beginner

Date 08-03-2004 13:50

I am just trying to get my foot in the door with welding. Reading all these books doesn't seem to help alot. I wanted to work with cars and especially motorcycles. Would a middle of the line Lincoln Electric MIg from Lowes or Home Depot do the job? And also. I've tried to get some ideas off of these television shows. Why do sometimes these welders use welding rods, and sometimes they fly through the job w/out.? I have seen mig welders and tig welders use rods and some not with the same kind if metal! I am sorry if my questions seem foolish, but I wanted to weld all my life and never had noone to show me. I have a college degree and still want to work on bikes. I would appreciate any help anyone can give me. Thank you
Bryan

By Malcolm (*)

Date 08-03-2004 17:29

IMHO the best thing you could do would be to take an introductory welding course at your local community college. In my area, it is offered at night as well as day. It covers safety, oxyfuel cutting, SMAW (stick), GMAW (MIG) and GTAW (TIG). You won't become an expert at any of the processes, but you should get enough out of it to decide the direction you want to go.

By hankj

Date 08-04-2004 03:17

I second Malcom's recommendation. Consider that most motorcycle critical welds are done using GTAW (TIG). GMAW (MIG) works fine, too, and may be the right choice for you, as the learning curve is very short, and there is considerable versatility in what you can weld in the thinner stuff.

If training just isn't available to you, check into some of the manufacturer-sponsored boards. Ther's plenty of help available on www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/ or www.millermotorsports.com/mboard/

hank