welding and education, schools of thought |
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welding and education, schools of thought |
golden2.0 |
Dec 14 2015, 11:59 PM
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#1
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 17 Joined: 26-April 15 From: Virginia Member No.: 18,670 Region Association: South East States |
So I just recently purchased a car and after reading all the rebuild posts I have decided to strip the car down and (with the blessing from my wife) to take a crash course in welding. If I am going to rebuild, I want to do it correctly. I found a school with small class sizes but they told me that they concentrate on mainly stick welding (which I have done before). The question I have is what is the best method of welding these cars back together? Seems that TIG is preferred. My past large welding project was using brass rods and a torch to rebuild a 67' mustang, I don't think I want to use that process for this current project since it requires a ton of heat...it worked, but it wasn't pretty.
Any in-site on type of welding to learn would great. I want to make sure I ask the right questions from the school before I sign up for their classes. Don't want to waste money on school if it is not going to specifically help with my project. I figure I can have the car done by the time my little boy is 16. He is almost 2 now. |
MMW |
Dec 15 2015, 06:41 AM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 152 Joined: 6-October 13 From: Northern NJ Member No.: 16,477 Region Association: North East States |
Stick with a name brand welder, Miller, Lincoln, Hobart. They all make good units in the 140 amp range. Not only are they good quality but if you ever have any issues down the road service & parts are available. They also hold their value better than the off brand units. A 110 volt mig will work for auto body type stuff which is all you should need on a 914. .023 or .030 wire & 75/25 gas is good. Stay away from flux core, it has it's place but it is not for auto body. I'm just backing up what was already said.
Schooling for stick welding will not help you much. Find someone local who comes recommended & see if they will "tutor" you, either free or for pay. Usually a few hours instruction by a pro will get you off & running. The biggest thing about learning by yourself is you don't know what mistakes you are making. Most of the time is in the prep work. Properly fitted & prepped panels will make the welding part so much easier. Two great places to visit are "welding tips & tricks" & the Miller welding forum. Cleanliness is key to a good weld & to much heat can be your enemy. Once you learn from someone then it really is just practice, practice & practice. Some guys love auto darkening helmets, the more expensive ones are really better optically than the cheap ones. You get what you pay for. Lens shades, if adjustable use the adjustments to find a sweet spot for your eyes. If it is non-adjustable you can buy different shades, same thing with trying out different ones. If you are older they make diopters/magnifiers for helmets. These are like reading glasses, if you need them use them, it really does help. |
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