Club 80-90 Forums

Thanks for all the advice guys. Decided not to go for the ebay one until I learn a little more about it all as could be wasted money.

My uncle has a gasless MIG which although not ideal would be free to practice with and see if I feel it is worth the investment. I also think doing an evening welding course at the local college might be a great idea. They seem to be about £320 for 21 week course with some form of accreditation at the end of it, although again will have to look into this more. It would be mainly just to learn some basic MIG welding for car projects etc.

What I would do for a barn space or double garage with a pit lol

Hi mate

I started my resto on me van with a 90 amp sip which was fine when I was doing panel work but it quickly ran out of steam when it come to doing my inner sill re-placement. I opted to get a Clarke 135 amp which is fine but in hind-sight I should have just got the 150 amp one as it wasnt much more .

I to learnt to weld at night school and got a city and guilds at the end of it, but we were taught on industrial migs welding 4-5mm plate which is totally different to body work, but as everybody has said practice is the best way forward .

Good luck as once learnt its a skill that will save you a fortune.

James

So before your college course had you done any welding? And at the end of it would you say you could competently weld panels etc? Can you remember how long the course was and how much you paid?

Cheers

Hi mate

never welded before the course, after the first night I was ready to chuck it all in. Never thought id get the hang of it, but went back and it soon clicked. I am a engineer by trade so have spent all me working life working with metal . Weather this makes a differance or not I cant say. I cant remeber how much the course was but it wasnt mega money no more than a couple of hundred, again not sure how long it was definatly no more than 10 nights/weeks.

The course taught us how the basics of how to weld and the basics of penetration and technic. This was when the internet was in its infancy and knowledge was thin on the ground, now theres http://www.mig-welding.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Which is a great re-source, always found people very helpful on there. Again I cannot stress how much a industrial mig in a nice warm classroom will complement your welding . Welding on the drive in winter with a portable welder on the end of a extension lead adds a whole new angle to it .

Not sure how competent I was when it came to welding my van. My van cost me £600 its never going to be a show winner , it doesnt matter what it looks like to me but its cost me nothing to weld it . It needed a lot and it was probably a good way of learning but Ive made lots of mistakes . With the help of metalmickey, dugcati and many more members off here I got there in the end. Still not finished welding but I no longer fear rust and holes as now possess the ability to cure them .

Get stuck in make mistakes learn from them. Best advice I can give.

James

Thanks a lot fidget some great info there. I definatly think I'll sign up for a course now. I am only 28 and find DIY mechanics etc a really enjoyable hobby (when if goes right) so think it would be great to be able to lay a few welds for future projects.

I'll keep you all updated