I have taught myself to weld after some encouragement from some well established forum members. This being said I thought I would pass along some of the things that I learned.
By a quality welder, perhaps slightly more than you need, in preparation for future projects.
By a good helmet and gloves
Search MIG welding on YouTube, they have dozens of helpful videos
Go to a local fabricator and buy some practice scrap metal in various thicknesses they sell it by the pound.
Practice practice practice. I went through eight pounds of wire before I put the gun to the car.
Make sure that all parts to be welded are clean as possible. Even new parts need to be cleaned, I use lacquer thinner.
If you are grinding paint off an edge to be welded try not to grind it to a knife edge it will burn back easier.
A good weld does not have to look good. As a matter of fact when welding new sheet metal to old original I found it quite common to get a lot of spitting and sputtering.
Buy a grinder and a big hammer and don't be afraid to use either.
By a quality welder, perhaps slightly more than you need, in preparation for future projects.
By a good helmet and gloves
Search MIG welding on YouTube, they have dozens of helpful videos
Go to a local fabricator and buy some practice scrap metal in various thicknesses they sell it by the pound.
Practice practice practice. I went through eight pounds of wire before I put the gun to the car.
Make sure that all parts to be welded are clean as possible. Even new parts need to be cleaned, I use lacquer thinner.
If you are grinding paint off an edge to be welded try not to grind it to a knife edge it will burn back easier.
A good weld does not have to look good. As a matter of fact when welding new sheet metal to old original I found it quite common to get a lot of spitting and sputtering.
Buy a grinder and a big hammer and don't be afraid to use either.