I am wanting to learn how to weld

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I am looking for advice on how to get started welding. I have never welded before but have always wanted to learn. I am NOT looking to make a career out of it. I simply want to master the skill and hopefully I can use it as a creative outlet for making art and such. I have looked into classes in my area here in Oregon and they are all very expensive and geared towards people actually wanting to make a living a welding. Are there any classes al a carte, so to speak? I am interested in learning different types of welding for use with different metals. Would it be better to find someone that knows how to weld and ask them to teach me? My dad welds, but he lives 2000 miles away, so not a good chance for lessons there. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Reply:What type of schools are you looking at? Around here many high school votech programs run night classes. Most classes are designed around the person looking to get a basic entry level position, or the home hobbyist who wants to learn. Classes tend to be short and relatively inexpensive.Community colleges often have similar programs, but often many are geared more towards someone who will be doing this professionally, and cover more in depth material. These programs often go hand in hand with other classes designed to get students an associates degree on graduation and tend to be more hours of class time, with an increase in cost.Then there are technical schools that are simply designed to give their students an  in depth education in one or more processes, usually aimed at the person who wants to get a mid to top paying position as fast as possible. These are often aimed at pipe or structural welding or at a particular job requirement the school tends to place graduating students in. These schools usually are intensive 5 day a week, 12-18 month courses, and usually cost significantly more money. Some also offer classes individually, usually aimed at getting a specific cert for an employer.If you can find a "basic" votech level class, that's the best value usually for your money. When you sit down and add up what material, gas, wire, electric, not to mention instruction, and you usually have access to better equipment than the average student has a budget for, plus all the extra shop equipment like plasma, OA, saws, ironworkers, shears, etc., and break it down to an hourly rate, a class is usually "stupid" cheap. Around me classes run between $350-550 depending on how many hours is in the class and what school is offering the class, but they all break down to $10-15 / hour  I don't know how most can manage to cover materials at that cost, let alone pay for the instructor. It might sound expensive at first, but in reality you can't learn much cheaper than most of these classes. If you try and do it yourself, usually you'll waste a good bit of money fumbling around learning bad habits, and in the end it will end up costing you more, both in time and materials, than if you have simply bit the bullet and ponied up the money up front to start with..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I just started myself. I read all I can here and watch any and all welding videos online. Went out and got myself a Hobart 210 and practice practice practice. By no means am I good but I am 200 times better than I was 4 weeks ago!!
Reply:You have shared very little about yourself, so I would avoid giving specific advice without some more information.What knd of welding do you have in mind?  Are there projects you are considering?  What resources do you have?  Are you in a city or out in the country?  Do you have access to any equipment or a workspace?I offer three choices: Good, Fast, & Cheap. You may pick two.Hobart AC/DC StikMate LXHarbor Freight AD HoodHarbor Freight Industrial Chop SawDeVilbis 20 Gallon, 5 HP Compressor
Reply:you tube
Reply:I got out a couple books from the library,  by no means does it replace watching someone weld and learning from them, but it really teaches you a lot. It will give you a basic understanding if the fundamentals and help you apply them later when you start actually welding. http://www.philswelding.com