[NU_BLUE]

I have a question. Most of you on here are good welders. I was wondering where ya'll learned it? Do you just pick up over the yrs. or were you trained, etc?

I've played around with a stick welder more times than I remember and I've got the basic idea from welding on farm equipment, etc. However, I would like to get into MIG and TIG welding....I'm just curious where to start.

[v7guy]

I learned at work, I played with the MIG during lunch and then started using a stick for structural apps and got reasonable at that. I became respectable at MIG after 40 hrs or so of playing and then some guidance from a friend that I worked with that used to do aircraft maintenance/welding. He had told me that I had it pretty well down and was impressed. My horizontal welds were solid and then I tried vertical and overhead... whole other ballgame. Eventually I became proficient there as well. I bought an old machine off a guy I knew that was closing his buisness, it's worked great and I'velearned more, but I wish for a modern machine that will weld more and is smaller.

A little guidance and a good bit of practice is the key. I would love to learn TIG, but it's likely an issue of I have to buy one and then take classes to learn it.

[DavidDymaxion]

I'm not usual... My first welder purchase was a Lincoln TIG 185, and I'm self taught. It took many hours of practice before I had any welds that looked even somewhat decent. TIG is nice in that you can speed up and slow down as needed (indeed, you can even hold a tiny puddle in one spot for as long as you want). TIG is pretty slow, but for one off kinds of things that doesn't matter much. It has a lot less smoke and splatter than MIG. Safety warning: TIG is much brighter and easier to get sunburned -- 1 or 2 minutes is enough to give you a burn you'll feel for weeks. You also need a special TIG helmet since it is so much brighter. TIG takes 3 limbs (torch hand, dip rod hand, and foot control), so it can be challenging welding in the car.