Here's some input from a near amateur welder (if that) which might be of
benefit to someone who has never welded at all.
I don't think it's fair to give a rank beginner the impression that welding
is child's play right from the start. That's the impression I've gotten from
some of the comments.
I bought a wire-fed flux-core MIG welder from SIP a few years back to use on
an MGB. I found that it is CRITICAL to get all the welder settings
practically dead-on in order not to do more damage than you already had.
It's VERY easy to burn a hole straight through your new replacement panel or
burn away that last piece of original metal you hoped to weld onto.
Remember, we're dealing with very thin metal here.
When I managed to get everything right, I produced some pretty impressive
welds. When I went back six months later, I was back to square one and
having all kinds of trouble. It's very much an art.
My feeling is that a beginner would very likely be wasting a lot of money on
a gas shield MIG welder unless he or she had someone to demonstrate how it's
done. Remember, we're talking upwards of $300.00 here. It's not just a good
idea to have a teacher, it would be pretty foolish not to arrange for one.
A lot of the articles in the british car magazines say cut this and weld
that, and it's a lot like the sheetrock/plastering pros on This Old House who
do an entire wall in three quick and perfect swipes (no sanding required).
I don't want to discourage anyone from learning to weld, but let's not make
it sound like you read
|