Several years ago when I purchased my house, the previous owner left a Lincoln Electric arc welder in the garage. This is an old fashioned stick welder, not a more modern wire feed model. I have no clue if it still works although the fact that it was abandoned doesn’t sound promising. There are no sticks or other accessories like chipping hammers, wire brushes or safety gear that I’ve been able to find. I have a few projects in mind that would really benefit from the skilled used of a welder. Yes I could drill and bolt these items together but welding would be faster and better.
First -Is it practical to teach myself to use a welder or am I better off forgetting the idea?
Second - Assuming you answer the first question with a yes, should I used this welder or am I better off buying a newer wire feed system? I’m going to have to buy all the supporting gear anyway so that part of the project is a wash and better gear would improve my odds.
Practical probably not but its enough fun that I would do it anyway. I had some informal lessons but for the most part I was self-taught and this was ages before YouTube and other sources for basic info. Basically I got a couple books and used trial and lots of error. But I enjoyed almost the whole curve.
I would get something newer but fairly basic. The welder is the least part in some respects but its the one that can bite you in the arse if something is just a little off. We’re not talking certain death so much as having things fail and you think its you but it turns out to be the tool.
I bought a cheapy wire feed and not having any experience or training taught myself to weld. I figured if I can solder, I can weld.
I was mostly right. It’s not that hard. Prep work is key. Start with decent, clean metal and fire away!
I’ve made some real cool stuff, if I do say so myself. Not all of it is pretty, but it’s pretty damn strong! I made some custom stuff for my Jeep, including a rear bumper/tire carrier. It was used to pull out a truck out of 2 feet of mud. Turns out it was incredibly strong.
I can fix stuff that would ordinarily need replacement or expensive repair. Create crazy shit for odd-ball projects. My Jeep looks like something out of Mad Max.
I say, "Go for it!"
Keep in mind, once you start welding, you’ll need a metal cut-off saw, grinders (bench and handheld) and all kinds of other tools. You’ll figure it out as you go…
Can you describe the Lincoln left behind? It might be what they called a “tombstone” because that’s its size and shape. AC only up to 225A. It’s basically a transformer with multiple taps for different currents. Not too much to break. Many years back they sold for about $150 more or less.
You can teach yourself to stick a couple of pieces of metal together, sure, but it takes more than that to be a real welder. There are some very forgiving rods you can use, 6011 has a reputation as being a “farmer rod” that can weld pieces that don’t fit perfectly and/or aren’t cleaned up well. Of course, if a rod is easy to use it lacks in one or more other properties that make for a good weld, but with a working stick welder you could probably make a good start to teaching yourself to weld.
It is very easy to learn to weld poorly but it will still work for most things plus it is fun. Real welders know how to do complex welds that can stand up to inspection but it isn’t hard to get two pieces of steel to stick together for home projects.
The best thing done to improve my welding was for me to have a shield on and watch from close-in as an experienced welder worked the puddle and rod. By close-in I mean about 18" from the arc, with you and the welder side-by-side. And if you can weld with stick well then TIG and MIG will be a breeze, should you ever get a wire feed machine, either flux core or with a gas kit added on later. Have fun and invest in a good shield. Oh, and don’t weld in cotton clothing!
I used to work in a metal fab shop with some amazing welders. I eventually learned to weld good enough for stuff that peoples lives weren’t depending on. I loved doing it but I wasn’t doing it 40+ hours a week. One of my local vocational schools has introductory classes. If you could find something like that I would suggest that.
Like others said, yes, you can teach yourself to weld. You’re not going to be a pipefitter or pass any inspections, but if you just want to have some fun and maybe fix a few broken things around the house (nothing structural), have at it. I picked one up a year or two ago and have plenty of fun with it. There’s more videos on youtube than you’ll ever have time to watch. The early ChuckE2009 videos will teach you to be an okay welder, all the weld . com (<-no spaces, it’s the name of the channel) with Bob Moffett are great.
You mentioned that it’s a stick welder, those I don’t know much about. I picked up a mig (and flux core) welder. You can get one of those for under a hundred dollars from Hazard Fraught, I got a nice 180amp Lincoln on sale for about 600.
I’d love to take a few classes, but the only ones I can find are at the local tech school and they’re set up for people that are planning to make a career out of this. I still keep my eyes open, but in the mean time, even my ‘okay’ work gets the job done. The welds may not look the best, but that’s what a grinder and paint are for.
PS, you’re going to get burned at some point. Make sure the area you’re working in doesn’t have anything flammable within a 10 feet or so and have a fire extinguisher nearby.
This also isn’t the place to skimp on protective gear. There’s no welding without a helmet (again, you can get a cheap one at Harbor Freight) and your entire body has to be covered, not just to protect you from the sparks, but the UV it gives off will give you sunburns.
But even with all that, you’ll still get burned. Every time a spark lands on my head I tell myself I’ll buy one of those beanies, they hurt. I’ve had one or two go into my shoes also.
WAG, he meant like a t-shirt type matieral as opposed to something closer to denim. You’re special welding clothes were likely also coated in something to make the resistant to sparks/fire.
I know many (all) welding jackets use snaps and have a tight collar. From what I understand the tight collar is to keep sparks from going down that way, the snaps are so you can rip it off if it does catch fire. This way you’re not messing around with a zipper.
Personally, I just use my motorcycle jacket. It’s essentially a lightweight denim jacket (but it’s zippered).
Also, if (when) you’re going to use an angle grinder, make sure you have safety glasses and invest in a decent, comfortable set of ear muffs.
I also suggest getting some real steel from a hardware store (Home Depot and Lowes both have it). I know everyone says just to go looking around for scrap metal to use, but for the same reason I didn’t get the cheapest welder that I could find, I wanted to take those variables out. If I make a really bad weld, I want to know that it’s because I did something wrong, not because the $80 welder is binding up or the scrap metal I found on the side of the road isn’t mild steal, but just some garbage metal that isn’t going to take a weld to begin with.
I would suggest sex as the best way to use someone that is in the welding profession. Try and get as much money from them as possible. Welders tend to make decent money during expansion of commercial markets.
I had a stagecraft project in the '70s that involved learning how to weld on the fly, torch and arc. I was cutting out ugly, rough weapons out of plate steel. So far so good. But they needed me to weld hooks on them to hang them on their costumes. I rented the equipment, put on my heavy clothes and spent however much time it took for the job. Helmet, gloves, shirt buttoned up tight… to just before my full neck coverage. I ended up with this little triangle of seared flesh. Like a tiny Superman badge on my chest.
I was partly joking about no cotton clothing. At the very least you can plan on lots of pin-hole burn in cotton sleeves, or cotton gloves, which is what I wore. Now I was primarily welding with TIG which is nearly spatter free, so this was mostly UV and the aforementioned funny shaped sunburn protection.
Stick and to some extent core-flux wire feed can spatter more so be a touch careful with those methods.
