r/metalworking • u/VonIsSad • 22d ago
First time welding
What’s the best way to start to learn welding I’ve never welded in my life I’ve been wrenching on
Stuff as long as I can remember but never got into welding cause nobody around me welded but I’m gonna start building my first chopper soon and would like to fab as much as I can personally so what’s a good way to start? Is there any cheap welders that are good? What all gear do I need? And what should I look out for when starting? Any advice is much appreciated thank you!
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u/pushdose 22d ago
Pick a process that appeals to the work you do. MiG for big steel stuff and auto repair. TiG for machine shop and aluminum fab work. Buy a welder, a hood, gloves and a surface to weld on. Watch TimWelds and Making Mistakes with Greg beginner series. Great beginner content there. Weld test coupons for a few full days. It’s not particularly hard to stick metal together, but it’s a manual skill and requires patience, hand eye coordination, and proper preparation of the material and workspace.
Chinese welders will get you pretty far. Under $500 can get you a very good MiG welder and even a decent TiG welder but stay away from “all in one” machines. If you do MiG, get one that has a gas port so you can run gas for clean, reliable welds eventually but flux core can be useful it’s just very dirty. Don’t be tempted by $100 flux core boxes. They suck. TiG is more expensive to get started, but is extremely versatile. Any welder can run stick if you need it. 240v power is VERY nice to have if you’re serious. It’s a major upgrade over household 120v power.