never welded before, think i might have to give it a go...!

[humbucker]

hi all

this may have been covered a million times before so feel free to just forward me to a duplicate post, however, at some point in the not-too-distant i will be stripping my cav to a bare shell in order to restore it. as part of this challenge i have no doubt that i'll need to do the odd spot of welding, and i wondered what the best advice you could give to someone who has never done it before, i.e. what to avoid (cheap mig welders) and what tried and tested methods you might advise someone so that they can hit the ground running with good results. i'm pretty anal about the detail so i'll be aiming for a really good finish, and have confidence in my own abilities, just lacking the practice and knowledge at this stage so thought i'd ask those who know (that's you by the way hehe!)...

cheers

[Novasportowner]

Would suggest you search the forum, this has been covered many a time (as you have said yourself). When you have bought a MIG, I bet there will be somebody here with the same one who will be able to advise you on the setting up of it, but here are a few pointers;

1) Avoid gasless migs (my opinion)
2) Preperation, preperation, preperation!!!!!!
3) Do not grind the surface before welding, use an abrasive polishing wheel/wire wheel to remove paint etc or the material will get even thinner before you start.
4) If you're looking for a really good finish at your first attempt, you will be very lucky, so practice on the same gauge material as what you will be welding on.
5) Make sure there is no combustable materials around and get a fire extinguisher.
6) Stitch weld the patches on unless you are on a beefy part of the car.
7) Remember thin material will bend/pull/loose its shape due to the heat, so beware of this when welding in the middle of a panel etc...
8) Do not use "Pub Gas/Co2" if you want a good weld. Would suggest using a company like "Hobby Gas" for the gas and bottle, as there is no annual rent on the bottle. There is a company around here that sell it (Argonshield), it's £50 deposit for the bottle and about £28 per refill and thats a 1m tall bottle to give you an idea.

********I have read that some people don't like using gas bottles without annual charges/rent, because if you don't pay an annual charge, they say you are not covered by your house insurance if things go tit-up in your garage. I'm not 100% sure of this statement, but suggest you do your own research regarding this matter.***********

Good luck.

[humbucker]

thank you for your advice, gives me a great starting point

[Dav1d]

More H & S stuff. (your H&S really)
Cover up bare skin when prepping and when welding.
Grinding can do serious harm to your eyes. A few on mig (myself included) have had grinders flick up crap (metal crap at that) into their eyes, resulting in A&E visits.
For welding,a decent helmet/face mask is advised ,not to mention gloves.
Don't look at the welding in operation without eye protection, or you'll have another A&E visit.
Practice first on scrap panels/metal.
You will need the practice if you've not done it before.
Visit mig welding forum (google it) for a suitable welder.

[humbucker]

thanks again, will take note. humbucker snr was in the sheet metal industry for many years so i should be able to nab a helmet at the very least.

[tuffty]

practice, practice, practice. welding is one of those skills that takes lots of, so dont be put off by your first attempts.

[8valve-craig]

6) Stitch weld the patches on unless you are on a beefy part of the car.

Dont stitch weld patches. MOT work needs to be seam welded.

practice, practice, practice. welding is one of those skills that takes lots of, so dont be put off by your first attempts.

Yes. Nobody can really tell you how to weld. Its all about buying a mig and teaching yourself.

All the tips in the world will go straight out the window when you start. Its all about what method you feel comfortable with, And which gives best results with the equipment you have.

[Novasportowner]

[QUOTE=8valve-craig;4505135]Dont stitch weld patches. MOT work needs to be seam welded.

Yes, correct, I didn't explain very well.
What I was trying to explain was, not to weld the patch on in one go, to weld it bit by bit rather than runing a weld all around in one go, in oreder to avoid distorting too much of the panel.

[Gaz86]

Gasless is fine for learning
CO2 is fine for welding

Fire exstinguisher is a must!

[tuffty]

and a good pair of welding gauntlets / thick gardening gloves are a must, you'll be amazed how hot things get in a very short space of time.