Should I go to welding skool?

[DSdriver]

I haven't done any for years and that was industrial gauge stuff so I am thinking about taking a course at my local college (almost next door actually). They are advertising a course on oxy-actylene welding, arc welding, MIG welding and gas cutting. No mention of tig (not sure what that is or if I will need it). I would like to be able to weld bits of old Citroen and also aluminium to repair cracked welds in marine escape hatches.

So I am not sure if this course will be useful or should I look for a car restoration course?

Its a ten week course (one day a week) for £180.

Or would I be better off spending the money on a stack of metal and a decent welder and teaching myself?

[cms206]

I haven't done any for years and that was industrial gauge stuff so I am thinking about taking a course at my local college (almost next door actually). They are advertising a course on oxy-actylene welding, arc welding, MIG welding and gas cutting. No mention of tig (not sure what that is or if I will need it). I would like to be able to weld bits of old Citroen and also aluminium to repair cracked welds in marine escape hatches.

So I am not sure if this course will be useful or should I look for a car restoration course?

Its a ten week course (one day a week) for £180.

Or would I be better off spending the money on a stack of metal and a decent welder and teaching myself?

 

Not sure where you are but I was looking at similar courses myself at Motherwell College (or whatever it's called these days - North College Lanarkshire or something) and I reckon it'd be a good idea, partly because I'm a ham-fisted idiot but mostly because I'm a ham-fisted idiot.

[steve_earwig]

I was going to say just get a MIG until I got to the bit about welding aluminium, I don't think you'll pick that up by osmosis because I know it's a bitch.

[babydriver]

I think youu should go for it and then get your money back by teaching us all how to do it, My mig is still in the box after 2 years just because I'll get a roundtoit one day and get some lessons. You can be our insperation

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

I tried to do a welding course back in 2011. Unfortunately the course was cancelled before I could do it because of a lack of interest. That really surprised me.

[babydriver]

Magnificent Rustbucket, Where in Cheshire cos I would deffo have liked to have gone, there does'nt seem to be anything in Trafford unless you can do dayz and I have to work.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

It was Reaseheath college in Nantwich IIRC. I seem to think hardly anyone other than me wanted to do it at the time I applied - the course was certainly cancelled through lack of demand. It could well be back on now if the demand is there.

 

I had my car done professionally in the end. I may learn how to weld at some time in the future though, since it is such a useful skill to anyone who owns an old car. Particularly an old Jag!

[SambaS]

Definately, I've just finished mine and having someone there to teach you who has worked as a welder all life was invaluable. I can now oxy weld, mig weld and mma stick, and tig. Course paid for itself with my recent Samba Cabrio MOT as per Samba thread.

[Partridge]

Seems like good value, but how many repairs would you have to do to make your own equipment pay for itself?

[steve_earwig]

Not many, I suspect.

[SambaS]

My Clarke 110 Turbo Cost me £150 second hand with gas and wire

The course was about £200.

 

My Samba took me two days to clean up chop out make and weld in a repair section. Lets say a professional could do it in one day or 8 hours. At £40 per hour that's £320

[catsinthewelder]

I haven't done any for years and that was industrial gauge stuff so I am thinking about taking a course at my local college (almost next door actually). They are advertising a course on oxy-actylene welding, arc welding, MIG welding and gas cutting. No mention of tig (not sure what that is or if I will need it). I would like to be able to weld bits of old Citroen and also aluminium to repair cracked welds in marine escape hatches.

So I am not sure if this course will be useful or should I look for a car restoration course?

Its a ten week course (one day a week) for £180.

Or would I be better off spending the money on a stack of metal and a decent welder and teaching myself?

 

When I did my metalwork course 10 years ago I learnt those 3 but a couple of lads who could already weld were taken to one side and taught TIG welding.  TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) is probably the hardest to learn as you are controling an electrode with one hand and a foot pedal as well as feeding in a filler rod with the other hand.

 

It is possible to MIG weld aluminium with the right gas and filler wire but TIG  will give a better result.  The question you need to ask yourself is whether it is worth shelling out for aluminium welding equipment for the amount of work you need to do.

 

I doubt that a car restoration course would teach you to TIG weld but other techniques you learn could certainly come in handy.

[Al Bundy]

My Clarke 110 Turbo Cost me £150 second hand with gas and wire

The course was about £200.

 

My Samba took me two days to clean up chop out make and weld in a repair section. Lets say a professional could do it in one day or 8 hours. At £40 per hour that's £320

£40 an hour     gonna have to put the prices up

[Bren]

Yes you should.

 

No substitute for experience.

 

Bear in mind that if you do, the 3 phase equipment that colleges use are far better than the single phase item you would use to repair a motor vehicle.

[Bren]

If you could mig weld ali to a satisfactory standard there would be no need for tig.

 

You would need an AC/DC item to weld ali but they are very expensive - I need one in my life but cannot justify the cost.

[SambaS]

I used the colleges MIG once, all other times I used my own. I figured I may as well learn with the one Id be using for all the cars. I also suspected my welder was shite, it was a bit so college and I rebuilt it. Works a flippin treat now!

[New POD]

I did a course, years ago on Car paintwork restoration,  and there was a bloke in the corner, who was "on" the course, but actually was just there using all the nice tools. In the 10 evenings I went, he constructed a new wing from scratch for a MgA, using the rusty, dented original as a pattern.

 

I filled dents and painted a mini clubman wing, about 7 times in that time. Including being taught LEAD loading.   A couple of years later I sold it in a car boot sale for more than it cost me to attend the course.

[steve_earwig]

I started out using hired migs but they were so misused and knackered I could never get much better than pigeon shit, then I bought one and the difference was a revelation. It's a Clarke Pro-90 that cost me a ton from Machine Mart (Ooh, I see they're 200 quid now, just shows you how long ago that was, it's probably older than some of the cars you guys are welding). It's pretty weak and won't do anything much more than car stuff but it's enough. I did use the one at my mate's garage here, 3 phase, fans, the works, too many adjustments for my liking.

 

Incidentally, I did some welding for another one of my mates here (on a Tomos frame), he wanted a go so I showed him. Next thing I know he's bought his own and he makes furniture, cabinets, workbenches, all sorts with it. Oh, and he's nicked my gas bottle

 

Get them sausages a-sizzlin!

[DSdriver]

Thanks for all the useful info, I think I am enthused enough to sign up for the course that starts is September, but prepared for the potential disappointment should they decide to cancel the course.

I suppose it would make sense not to buy my own kit until afterwards in case I am rubbish at it.

[jakebullet]

Methinks you'll be good to learn all that lot in 10 weeks, unless it's a full day every week?

 

If you learn gas welding then TIG isn't that much of a step. Same technique, different sort of heating.

[Inspector Morose]

I love gas welding. To me it's very therapeutic. Never done TIG though and I'd love to have a go.

[cort16]

I think gas welding is dieing out. Is there not a shortage of oxy these days so it's quite expensive to do? I think books and that are a waste of time but a practical course would be definetely worth it.

I'd like to learning how to do tig as you can weld alloy and stainless. From what I've heard welding alloy it's one of these things that seems impossible to do then it just clicks. The machines are expensive though.

[DSdriver]

I love gas welding. To me it's very therapeutic. Never done TIG though and I'd love to have a go.

That's what I need - THERAPY 

[AlabamaShrimp]

I had a similar idea, got pissed off with my job (convenient that I got fired ) so signed up to a classic car restoration course at college. It's the only course I found that has welding, bodywork, painting and mechanical type stuff. Really my main focus will be welding as rust seems to be the killer of most cars and the most expensive thing to get fixed

[Alfamale]

I did a mig welding course at Worksop college a few years ago. Was a 12 week course - 6-9pm and was really useful for someone like me who had never welded before. Tutor was a really nice chap who built a really good sense of camaraderie between us blokes on the course. Had a go at TIG too but the perpetration needed is way too much for mucky cars.

[DSdriver]

Random thought that just entered my head: Why do we weld cars and not epoxy panels, would not the epoxy be less rust prone?

[cort16]

A lot of new cars are just epoxied together. All the new BMW's exterior panels are held on with their special adhesives there's no welds in them.

if you get a new rear quarter on a 3 series it's all glued in place. I've seen a few cars that have got through their MOTs with panels glued on then undersealed over but if you're patching in metal you'll never get the strength with the glue that you get with actually fusing to bits of metal together.

[PiperCub]

Did a bodywork course at my local FE college about 20 years ago, 30 weeks of Saturday mornings, learnt to MiG weld(properly) plus arc & gas weld from scratch (not done thaose two before) plus some metal fabrication and spraying. Was about the best course of any of the multitude of many different things I've ever done. Had two brilliant teachers who found us much better to teach that the stroppy/spotty Kevin-the-teenager types (or 'Little darlings' as they referred to them) they got in the week.

Go for it I'd say, I don't know how much the one you are considering is but mine was (20yr ago) less than £250 all in & I still consider it a bargain.

 

Didn't do TiG as wasn't around then but would like to give it a go too.

[Junkman]

 

Should I go to welding skool?

 

Nah, you should start with elementary...

 

 

Sorry, couldn't resist that one. I'll get my coat.