The Chopper Compendium

Hi all,

I'm looking to teach myself to be a half decent welder. I have tried the local college and they want £700 for the course I then tried a company but they want £250 a day. I can't afford either so I thought I'd try teaching myself by buying a car door from a local scrap dealer I was going to cut it up and weld it back together.

Eventually I'd like to be able to weld my own chopper frame but that's a long way off I don't really have any welding experience.

Is this a good way to start or is there an easier way

I would just get some 1"x1/8"x3' steel.You can practice running beads on top of it with filler rod.Then cut it up in sections.You can butt weld, do inside & outside corner welds with the cut up sections.Donthe same with some 1/8 tube.You'll also be able to practice prepping the joints.You really cannt go wrong taking a class though.

Seat time is very important but technique is also important.
Practice a lot but also ask a lot of questions. Spent most of
my career welding or teaching others to weld. The guys that
would listen and practice usually made it into the field faster.

Here's a site that is full of great info. http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/ is how i learned!
his youtube channel is ace.
the course would be money well spent. the car would be a waste of money

Spend the money and go to the local college, you will learn more faster and you will learn the right way and how to tell difference between good and bad.

riceburner wrote:Spend the money and go to the local college, you will learn more faster and you will learn the right way and how to tell difference between good and bad.

That's not always true. I've seen some guys who graduated from both beginners and intermediate welding courses at local community colleges that
couldn't pass a simple 3G short arc mig test if their life depended on it. Hell some of the instructors probably couldn't pass one either.
some continuing education programs are simply money makers for the college and they could care less if you really learn anything. Very few
community college welding students ever passed the welding school at the shipyard.

damn good site. thanks for posting.

triker_chewie wrote:http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/ is how i learned!
his youtube channel is ace.
the course would be money well spent. the car would be a waste of money

rakeNtrail wrote:

riceburner wrote:Spend the money and go to the local college, you will learn more faster and you will learn the right way and how to tell difference between good and bad.

That's not always true. I've seen some guys who graduated from both beginners and intermediate welding courses at local community colleges that
couldn't pass a simple 3G short arc mig test if their life depended on it. Hell some of the instructors probably couldn't pass one either.
some continuing education programs are simply money makers for the college and they could care less if you really learn anything. Very few
community college welding students ever passed the welding school at the shipyard.

Do your homework on the programs and instructors at the school that you are looking at.

NOW - if you take classes will that automatically make you a welder? no. Any welding class will only prepare you to go into the world as a beginner that knows basic skills, I say go get the basics with some instruction that will help keep you pointed in the right direction.

BUT - what makes a good welder is practice, practice, practice