Q&A for How to Learn Welding As a Hobby

As a beginner, MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding is often recommended as it's relatively easy to learn and provides good control over the welding process. MIG uses a consumable wire electrode and a shielding gas, making it suitable for a wide range of materials and thicknesses.

MIG welding is probably the easiest. It’s easy to preset the speed of the weld and how much gas and heat you use, so you don’t have to worry about controlling those factors while you’re welding. It’s not as clean as some other methods, like TIG welding, however.

Yes, but you’ll want to start with a relatively easy method, like MIG welding. It’s a good idea to at least get advice from an experienced welder about the best kinds of equipment and protective gear to buy, and how to use it all safely.

Welding is a great hobby if you enjoy DIY projects! It’s also a great way to save money on home and auto repairs that you’d normally have to pay a professional to do.

It is great to have a chance to learn a new skill. Besides welding is the only way to repair broken metal items.

AC welders - the ubiquitous "buzz-boxes" - are very cheap and easy to come by. They are also pretty hard to master. As a beginner the practice will do you good!

The arc is the bit of plasma, or in layperson's terms, electric fire that is between the metal piece and the electrode, which is the stick that you put in the stinger. The metal piece has a positive current, and the electrode has a negative current, so the electricity jumps from the piece to the electrode, creating the arc, which gets the metal hot enough to melt and weld together.

No. Manually remove mill scale, paint and rust. A wire wheel on an angle grinder does the trick.

If you are using a small (average) tip, then set acetylene to about 3 psi and oxygen to about 6 psi.

Generally it is considered the most difficult to learn, however it really depends on your own personal learning style and previous experience. It can somewhat be learned on your own, but with any type of welding, it is best to seek qualified/experienced instruction to develop the right techniques. For example, thin stainless steel can be welded without filler, but for thicker pieces, filler is recommended. For aluminium on the other hand, filler is always recommended as it has a tendency to crack if it has not been added.

In short, No, MIG welding is also known as GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) which is a wire fed process that uses shielding gas to protect the weld (CO2, Argon, or both) and therefore produces no slag. Stick welding on the other hand is also known as "Arc welding" or SMAW (Shielded metal arc welding) which is a single consumable electrode process, with a flux coating that burns up creating smoke and a physical "cloud" that protects the weld. This produces Slag that needs to be chipped off after the weld has been completed.

Some machines (usually MIG welding machines) will have a chart inside/under the lid that you can use as a guide for exactly this reason. Otherwise, search online and specify the metal and weld position and process - e.g. "TIG welding amps for stainless steel butt welds". These charts are a good starting point. However, as everyone welds slightly differently, feel free to go hotter (more amps) or colder (less amps) as you practice welding.

AC TIG or MIG are considered the best ways to weld aluminum, stick welding isn't really recommended unless its thick aluminum for a field repair.

Try out a short course to learn the basics, then if you can afford to, buy a TIG or multi-process welder to practice at home. You can always enroll in a community college formal / engineering or fabrication course, these run for several months/years and will also give you a certificate once you are done - highly valuable for gaining employment. The easiest way to learn TIG is on mild steel, stainless steel is trickier as it tends to turn black when too much heat is applied. Practice and master fusion welds first (without filler) before learning to add filler to your TIG welds.

You could, but it is really not recommended for various health and safety reasons, aside from the physical dangers, e.g. fume exposure. If you wear all the correct PPE, as well as a rated breathing mask, you could possibly learn under the experienced supervision of your parents or a trusted guardian, as it is unlikely you will be able to find a formal training organization that will allow you to undertake welding training. You can always inquire, but it may not be possible due to official health and safety laws and liability/insurance.

Welding forums and/or welding specific social media is good for this - for example "r/Welding" on the "Reddit forum" being a notable example. Be aware when doing this however, as through the anonymity of the internet, people may not be as nice as they would be in person.

This is not a "must" - welding tables are tables specially designed for welding by the simple fact that they are all metal (usually steel) and therefore are electrically conductive. This allows for the welding machine's earth cable to be connected anywhere to the table, and therefore the workpiece can be welded freely on the table (rather than having to connect the welding machines earth cable directly to the workpiece).

Generally yes, it is harder, as there are more variable present when welding aluminium compared to Steel - e.g. oxide layer, pre-heating, etc. For TIG welding aluminium, you will need a TIG welding machine with additional HF/AC TIG welding capabilities. Otherwise, when using stick or MIG processes, the same welding machine can be used, although of course using different wire/electrodes.

That depends on what metal the car frame is made of and what the desired finish is. For high quality, high strength, and aesthetic looking welds on virtually any metal, TIG welding is best, however requires high operator skill and is a slower process. MIG welding can also be used, which is a much faster process and requires much less operator skill, however it still takes skill to make the welds look good, as well as the unavoidable spatter MIG welding produces. Stick or flux-core wire welding processes could be used, but they really aren't as ideal for this task.

Virtually anyone can learn to weld, as it doesn't really require any physical strength, mostly it's just practice, repetition, and hand eye coordination. Traditionally the "target market" for welding companies has been males aged 18 - 70, however in recent times, the target market for welding can be really anyone that has a desire to do so.

It is highly unlikely you will be able to find a formal training organization that will allow an 11-year-old to undertake welding training. You can always inquire, but even if you as the parent are in constant attendance, it may be simply too young of an age for the company's liability and safety obligations. Your best bet would be to simply buy a multi-process welder to use at home, and you can both practice welding. Constant supervision is highly recommended with any type of welding, especially oxyacetylene welding/cutting.

It depends on the steel. Refer to a base metal and wire matching book, or the weld blueprint.