How hard is welding??

[White95]

I've gotten fed up with trying to find friends that can weld and with shops that charge way to much. How hard is it learn how to weld?? I can get ahold of a 100 amp wire fed welder through the Home Depot's rental area. Is welding something I can master enough in a couple hours of practice to be able to weld up parts of my exhuast?? I was thinking of going and buying some cheap exhuast pipes from Autozone and practicing on them. Any hints or tips on good welding practice???? What do I need to do to my car so I don't screw anything up while I'm welding (Disconnect the battery??)?????

[StudlyCamaro]

you might be able to weld in a few hours yes ..but it wont be pretty or strong

[cassie]

Welding is NOT hard. The hard part is being able to afford the equipment TO weld.

I seriously seriously seriously reccomend this product it's called Alumaloy

It's the most incredible stuff. I know a TON of people who use it. All you need is a hand held propane torch and the product. No Flux, no hassle.....

[White95]

On the site theres Alumaloy and Steelaloy. Which would I use on my flowmaster pipes??? Is there a cheaper alternative, $65 is a lot of money for what I need done right now??

[O2Bsogood]

I can wire weld(mig, haven't tig welded yet)pretty good, and I only have about 6 hours experience. Now arc(stick) welding I still suck at, I keep getting the welding rods stuck to what I'm working on. You can pretty much weld whatever you need by tig or mig welding, I just arc weld when I have big gaps that need to be filled in. Another thing about arc welding is if you don't watch what you are doing, you will burn holes in what you are working on. After a couple hours you might be able to make some good solid stong welds, but they won't look very good, not unless it just comes natural to you. They don't have to look good as long as they hold good [img]smile.gif[/img] That Alumaloy stuff reminds me of being at work, I brazed hairpins on air conditioning coils, now brazing is like soldering and is easy. The key in brazing is to get the object your working on hot enough to melt the alloy and the heat will spread it everywhere it needs to go, a lot like soldering. Those rods off that Alumaloy might be the same stuff they use. On disconnecting your battery, I usually always do just to be safe, no matter what I'm working on.

[StudlyCamaro]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by cassie:
Welding is NOT hard. The hard part is being able to afford the equipment TO weld.

I seriously seriously seriously reccomend this product it's called Alumaloy

It's the most incredible stuff. I know a TON of people who use it. All you need is a hand held propane torch and the product. No Flux, no hassle.....<hr></blockquote>


thats not welding .. thats brazing... there is a HUGE difference

[hockeyman]

http://autobody101.com/forums/index.php
I asked alot of questions here in the welding section when I first started with my own mig. There are some good tips in here, and register so you can ask if you need help. Welding should take you about 1-3 hours to get a pretty decent idea of what you can accomplish. Practice makes perfect, and don't be hard on yourself if you don't get the hang of it right away. I WILL say, once you get good at it, you'll love it. If you are doing cosmetics that will be seen by others, get a grinder to take down the rough edges. If you are welding underbody area's like the rear and suspension parts, then you really don't need to grind the excess down. And make sure you prime the area's after you're done to keep them from rusting.
Oh, and do yourself a favor, wear a long sleeve shirt and a hat under your face shield while welding. I had to learn the hard way ;)

-Marc

[oil pan 4]

Try not to cach on fire like I have, that's the hardest part.
And don't ever weld with a plastic lighter in you pocket.

[White95]

Well will brazing with alumaloy work on puting in a cut-out and glasspack in my exhuast system???

[hockeyman]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by White95:
Well will brazing with alumaloy work on puting in a cut-out and glasspack in my exhuast system???<hr></blockquote>

No! Alumaloy melts when propane is applied, and your exhaust will melt it away once the engine get's up to operating temps. Think of alumaloy as a strong solder.
Weld it in...trust me.

-Marc

[Andrew Betteridge]

Mig welding is fairly easy to learn basics, especially if not visible (ie exhaust). Get the gas right and beware varying thickness of metal (especially rusty exhaust). Take exhaust off to weld so you stand above, don't lie under car !

OR JUST BUY A NEW BLOODY EXHAUST, they're so cheap over there.

[White95]

I can't exactly remove to exhaust its all welded up right now as it is. I need to cut a part out for a cut-out and a the cat so it can be replaced with a glasspack. I'm pretty sure the easy way to do this is by welding the parts while there on the car.

[navyblue2000]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by cassie:
Welding is NOT hard after you learn how to. Not sure if you've really welded with a real welder

The hard part is being able to afford the equipment TO weld. again, not true. I decent mig welder (for a beginner) starts at around 350 bucks for something of somewhat halfway decent quality

I seriously seriously seriously reccomend this product it's called Alumaloy
that ain't welding ;)

It's the most incredible stuff. I know a TON of people who use it. the one with the million horsepower z? [img]tongue.gif[/img] All you need is a hand held propane torch and the product. No Flux, no hassle.....no welding<hr></blockquote>

[img]graemlins/rofl.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] :D

[Wicked 3800 V6]

Thing is, cutting it off is a challenge too! As is bending stuff, slicing stuff, shaping stuff, fitting stuff, and doing all of that under a pair of jackstands, with alumalloy, and a dremel is not how you want to do it! Go to a custom (ie. NOT MIDAS) exhaust shop, and they should be able to take care of you. If you're in the MD area, go to www.fbodycentral.com
-Rob

[White95]

I live in Ohio where in my county removing the Cat is illegal, I've tried to get shops to do it and the only place that said they'd do it was a Goodyear/Gemeni place and they said it would take 3 hrs of labor at $75 an hour, thats not something I can afford. I can rent a good welder for $30 a day I'll just have to teach my self I guess, I got old pipes laying around [img]smile.gif[/img]