Should I learn to arc weld?

[sbshaver]

I'm not a mechanical wizard, but it seems that some basic welding skill would be cost effective. Has anyone taught themselves to do it? Once upon a time someone tried to teach me to acetylene weld. I can cut anything with a torch, but generally I totally sucked eggs.

[Redneck Teepee]

You really need some one who has basic knowledge to watch and teach you, it will go much quicker, that being said you can almost teach a monkey to wire feed. Once you get the basics down then it's practice' practice, practice...and when you are done practicing...practice some more.

[cornfused]

I 2nd the wire feed welder. You can even go simpler with flux cored wire so you don't have to mess with shielding gas. One of the cheaper 110v units will be enough for 90% of what most homeowners will typically need welded.

[mgb4tim]

I use an inexpensive wire feed welder at home. I've used real MIG units, which are very nice. But, for home, the wire feed from HF has been fine for years. I have a stick welder for heavy stuff, but haven't used it in years.

[working on it]

If you choose to get a stick welder, be sure to check that your home/garage/shop wiring is capable of handling it. I jumped the gun, bought a Northern 220vac stick welder (I had 220 receptacles in the garage, right!) but the wiring and service feeding the 220v was only 10gauge to the breaker, and 12gauge to the receptacles. My welder requires 6ga (or 8 at the least). So, I bought a 110vac flux-core from Northern, a few days later. I've sorta taught myself some welding skills (after I had watched experts for years), but I'm not real good yet (may never be). But I've gotten better with practice. Wish I had done this years ago. Have fun, and wear your safety gear (watch out for UV sunburn!). Still haven't rewired for the stick, yet.

[MtnDon]

Well, if you ask most people who have a welder they'll likely respond affirmatively. Unless they have not developed the skills to weld properly. Trial and error can work, but it is easier and quicker to be taught. Either by a friendly knowledgeable welder or in a community college class.

I've used cheapy welders like the ones sold by HF and I've used better ones like Hobart, Miller and Lincoln. One thing to keep in mind is that the HF type of cheap Chinese imports may be harder to have repaired if the need arises. Hobart and Miller are still made in the USA and parts are easier to get. Lincoln is a mixed bag, IMO.

By the time you buy the peripherals; a good auto darkening helmet, good gloves, a welding apron or jacket or maybe just arm protectors, plus a few other odds 'n' ends you may have spent more than a cheapy HF-like welder. Especially if you buy a MIG setup. UV was mentioned; you will get a bad sunburn quicker than you have ever had before if you weld with bare arms. Add a good pair of ear muffs and eye protection for when you are grinding or friction cutting steel.

IMO, once you use a MIG welder (with argon/CO2 mix) you will always prefer that to flux core. But then MIG does not lend itself well to outdoors welding. So you may find yourself with both types of wire for different tasks.

The caveat about 240 VAC wiring is a good one; some of the cheapy HF type welders can not be run on 120 VAC. A welder that can run on 120 VAC is okay for smaller work; no steel thicker than 3/16 and IMO most 102 VAC I've used are happier with 1/8 steel as the upper limit. Thicker can be done with 120 VAC but it takes more passes, more time and more down time as you wait for the welder to cool. Sometimes that is not a big deal, but it can interrupt the work flow.

[aggie79]

Learning to weld is on my "want to" list, but is over-ruled by the "don't have money to do" and "don't have time to do" lists. I guess maybe someday I can retire and be able to do the things on the "want to" list.

[Mike S]

Same here. I agree with the advice above. In my ongoing cargo trailer adventure, I decided I needed to be able to do basic welding on the trailer. I bought a Lincoln 220v MIG/wire feed welder from a friend who's got a lot of experience with welding. He taught me the basics, gave me some scrap metal and a couple rolls of welding wire, and turned me loose. I paid $200 for the welder. I spent another $175 at Harbor Fright buying these accessories: auto darkening mask, cutting/grinding wheel, safety goggles (for grinding), various sizes of locking plyers, wire cutter, wire brush set, welding gloves, welding cart, 4 alligator clamps, and four magnetic red arrows(whatever they're called). Gotta love cheap Chinese made accessories. And that's pretty much all I needed to get started. So far I've used the welder to frame out two windows and my air conditioning unit. Future welding projects including reinforcing my fenders, and building a tongue box for my generator and propane.

The welds aren't perfect but seem to be good enough and getting better. I'm very glad I got the welder. I wish I had more time to use it. Also on my wish list is a miter saw for more accurate cuts. My father in law has a band saw which is also nice.

[Shadow Catcher]

As some one who spent his work career doing non destructive testing and among other things doing weld inspection, I am not in favor of some one doing critical welds that can cause catastrophic results with out them being a certified welder. Yes you can 'get away with it' most of the time, until it fails. I do not do my own welding and I know how.

[kayakdlk]

Just remember good enough for some windows frames, A/C mounts etc is a lot different than a trailer frame on the road that goes down the freeway at 60-75 MPH.

If you are prepared to invest the time and money to learn enough and practice enough to be confident enough in your abilities to build a trailer frame that goes down the freeway at high speed and doesn't fall apart and hurt anyone including yourself or others then by all means go for it.

Mig welding looks the cleanest but has the potential for beginners to make great looking welds that don't penetrate and wont hold up. Arc welding thin tubing is harder and the bubble gum welds which most beginners make are not that strong. Make sure and test your practice welds for strength before doing it on the real trailer frame.

Good luck

Dan

[sbshaver]

I just had a lucid vision of a future filled with bolts, nuts, washers, and brackets. But yeah, for welding, it's not worth the effort and expense and learning curve just to weld a few RV window headers and maybe a tongue bracket. I cannot think of what else I'd use it for. Or maybe hire a mobile welder, I'm sure it'd cost less than the price of get rigged out in a welding set up.

[cornfused]

A mobile welder is a lot more expensive than you think. Your trailer is on wheels, you're a lot better off to take your trailer to the welder than to bring a mobile welder out to your place. I would be willing to bet the "transportation" charge from a mobile welder just to get to your location would cost more than the cheap HF 110 welder.

[abqlloyd]

Welding takes practice. If your goal is simple repairs and spot welds then HF is the better option. If you want to learn to weld, and to fabricate and be the guy everyone calls when they need something welded, then buy a Miller or Hobart. Practice, practice, practice.

[Mike S]

I just had a lucid vision of a future filled with bolts, nuts, washers, and brackets. But yeah, for welding, it's not worth the effort and expense and learning curve just to weld a few RV window headers and maybe a tongue bracket. I cannot think of what else I'd use it for. Or maybe hire a mobile welder, I'm sure it'd cost less than the price of get rigged out in a welding set up.

I've gotten reasonable quotes from local welding shops for other small projects. I'm sure I could have spent less and gotten the same result had I gone that route. For me though, it's another skill that I wanted to acquire (and another toy to buy), and my trailer project just seemed like a good way to jump into it. Kinda like when a guy buys a lot of wood working tools in order to complete a simple carpentry project (not that I know anything about that ). I think the danger to yourself or the general public has been a little overstated. Like any do-it-yourself project (electrical, carpentry, auto maintenance), there are liability issues involved and a degree of risk with doing your own work. The reasonable person knows his or her limitations and can calculate risk. "If you want something done right, do it yourself", is the reason why a lot of us are building our own conversions to begin with. I have an interesting story about welding;. About 5 years ago I bought a X brand trailer from X big box store. Not long after owning the trailer, we were driving on the interstate in the Washington DC area, of all places. I heard a screeching noise, followed by a pop. I look in the rear view mirror and see my trailers' fender airborne bouncing down the road. Luckily traffic was light and I was able pull over and retrieve it. When I inspected the opposite side, I saw that the opposite fender had only been tacked onto the frame in three places. This was from the factory. Supposedly professional welders and supposedly inspected. I admit that the fenders had always seemed flimsy to me. So it was truly my fault for not doing a pre-trip inspection. My father-in-law and I were able to add some additional bracing (something the factory forgot?). So the moral of the story is that professionals don't necessarily get it right all the time either.

[tony.latham]

I use a Hobart 125EZ flux core and it's all the welder I need including teardrop trailers. 'Does just fine up to 3/16" steel. Sure, I wish I had a 220V MIG but I probably wouldn't be tackling anything greater and my welds probably wouldn't look any better (okay, maybe less spatter but no big deal).

It's best to have someone spend an hour or so with you while you weld several pieces of scrap steel together. Basic welding is not rocket science (but NASA isn't going to hire you to join a turbine blade after an hour of welding in your backyard). Do some searches on Youtube and Google how to deal with welds that may cause your project to warp.





Tony