where do I start?

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So, I am a relatively artistic person. I build furniture (wood), and want to get into welding so I can build a few things I have drawn up. I welded once in high scool, and don't really remember any of what I was taught. Im sure it was a much smaller scale than what I need now.So my question is what do I need to buy, and are there classes on how to weld? I really want to take old sheet metal off of cars and build furniture out of it. Side tables, chairs etc. I put "welder" in craigslist, and stuff comes up that varies in price from 10$-5,000$. So I just need someone to tell me what I need to start welding. I don't need the most expensive gear, nor the cheapest. Just a weekend warrior type setup  any help would be great!
Reply:Where do you live?Most cities have some sort of Welding Classes through a Community College, Trade school or Art School.What is your budget?Do you have 240v set up, can you add it?Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:You first need to decide what you will want to do. Which metals, what thickness, what purposes for the work, what power source will be available, etc.
Reply:I live in Dallas, and there is a Art Institute close to me so Im gonna look there for classes. Or check and see if there is anything local that might not be as expensive. I doubt my loft is setup for 240v, and doubt I can change it. Its perfect for welding though with a concrete floor and no walls to burn down haha. Im not sure what my budget it as Im not sure how much any of this setup will cost. I might be able to purchase it now, or have to save and wait a few months. Can you give me an idea of what a typical setup would be/cost? That would be awesome. I really enjoyed my high school welding but for the life of me cant remember any of it. I do have a neat lifelike wireframe hand I made though!
Reply:I'll add to what Broccoli1 said. Figure out a way to get 220v; because it has few limitations. If you try to use a 110v welder, you'll hit its limits soon. No one ever says "Gee, I wish I'd bought a smaller welder."A MIG is nice because you can hold your piece with one hand and bzzzt it into place with the other hand. Artists have used oxy / acetylene for decades. The  problem is that it takes two hands to weld; who's goning to hold the pieces together? Ingenuity helps, but bzzzt is pretty convenient.Edit: You added that 220v isn't probably an option in your loft while I was typing my reply. So, nevermind.Last edited by Craig in Denver; 02-13-2009 at 10:28 PM.9-11-2001......We Will Never ForgetRetired desk jockey. Hobby weldor with a little training. Craftsman O/A---Flat, Vert, Ovhd, Horz. Miller Syncrowave 250
Reply:Near me the local tech schools run night classes. That would be where I think you should start. Around here they start you on stick and oxy fuel cutting. Then you can do oxy/acet welding, stick, mig or tig. I'd talk to the instructor and see if he'd let you try each and at least get a feel for what they can do. having someone watch what you do as you are doing it is the best way to learn. A good instructor will know what to look for that you might never notice on your own.My guess from what you say you want to build is that you will want either a mig or tig setup possibly oxy/acet. Mig is easiest to learn and fast. However it does have some issues with very thin metal, but can do autobody work with practice. Tig and Oxy/ acet are basically the same but you use an arc rather than a flame to weld. Tig can do super thin stuff, but its slower and doesn't like rust at all. Oxy/act is cheap to buy and will do a wide range of materials and thicknesses, however it's slow like tig (but tolerates rust some what better) and it's "old school" and some places just don't teach it. Oxy also lets you heat and bend, cut, as well as braze to make connections with iron, bronze, brass, alum and other "hard to weld" materials. Oxy/acet is probably the "best" way to learn the fundamentals. All the skills you learn with oxy, heat and puddle control apply to the other methods as well.
Reply:what limits might I run into? If I'm doing sheet metal I would rather have a free hand then have to rig stuff up. My cats lack of opposable thumbs means he cant help. So I'm gonna look up MIG welding on Wikipedia, I'm that noob. It seems like MIG would be better as I am looking at working with 30-40 years old cars that have rust etc. So what would a starter MIG setup run/look like? what brands should I look at? is used equipment okay? what should I look for? IF my power source is limited to my Loft, what is that limiting me to?Last edited by Ryencool; 02-13-2009 at 10:34 PM.
Reply:go to a shop work as a helper, try a month before investment... In a workin environment you are exposed to many welding method, problem and machine. In a long run u will decide... unless u just want a oxy/acet and small stick set in yur garage...Unit in my fab shop dept:my good hand and team that trust me...A lone welder make art... a village full of welder make Miracles...
Reply:You typed that you don't think you have 220v in your loft. If you have an electric stove (50amp 220v) or an electric dryer (30amp 220v) you have the power. It's just a question of getting a cord to reach where you need to go.I used a 220v machine while I lived in several apartments. Made up a long cord so I could plug into the stove or dryer outlet and go out the window to the drive to weld. I just changed  the plug to match the outlet I had at a different apartment.I will agree 100%, get a 220v machine if at all possible. You will quickly outgrow a 110v machine if you catch the bug and get serious. About costs I'd say budget at least $600-1000 to get a good 110v or small 220v mig. You can spend more (LOTS more) but don't spend less. The cheap import migs are generally POS's. When they break you can't get replacement parts 2-3 years down the road and the machine is junk. Used is a crap shoot, I have seen new looking welders that were trashed and useless and I have seen beat up old "junkers" that were well cared for and ran as good or better than new. Try and find someone (your instructor perhaps) who can go with you and test the unit until you have more knowledge. There are some real steals available in machines sometimes used, you just have to be careful.
Reply:Thanks DSW!My grandfather is a woodworker, and I believe he bought welding equipment and never used it. So I'm going to see what he has and maybe he will donate it to me since he never uses it haha. Thats essentially all the info I needed, so thanks for the quick responses! and hopefully I will be posting here a lot more.
Reply:Ryencool, add your location to your user cp so we always know where you are at. When you start welding post up some picts of the beads and we can help you out. The reason I say to add the location to your info is you never know when someone here is around the corner and can offer to give yo a hand.
Reply:1kw subarc.  ...nevermind. City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:tanglediver... you should do underwater welding so you have recreation and work at the sametime...Unit in my fab shop dept:my good hand and team that trust me...A lone welder make art... a village full of welder make Miracles...
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWRyencool, add your location to your user cp so we always know where you are at. When you start welding post up some picts of the beads and we can help you out. The reason I say to add the location to your info is you never know when someone here is around the corner and can offer to give yo a hand.
Reply:http://www.airgas.com/browse/product...&recIds=153864would this work for what I want to do?
Reply:Originally Posted by Mandautanglediver... you should do underwater welding so you have recreation and work at the sametime...
Reply:Well he said old sheet metal from old cars, so I figure a 110v MIG just might fill the bill.Besides livin' in a loft kinda cancels out building things like trailers and suchUnless it's a really BIG loft"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by Ryencoolhttp://www.airgas.com/browse/product...&recIds=153864would this work for what I want to do?
Reply:Originally Posted by Ryencoolhttp://www.airgas.com/browse/product...&recIds=153864would this work for what I want to do?
Reply:Again, I agree with farmersamm, A mig. Try checking out MSC Industrial supply, or NorthernTool.com. With a low budget machine and practice, you will get what you are looking for.
Reply:But is he sure that once he gets started, he'll be happy just working with sheet metal?Samm, he did say he has a concrete floor!  Wonder what kind of goggles he'll need for the cat? "Curious as a cat" can run through the nine lives pretty quickly. Or it's eyesight, at least.BTW,  Ryencool, can you explain a bit how the furniture will be made or look? Is this just modern art or really useful articles you have in mind? Will it have any framing or just be sheet metal, only fairly flat parts or lots of curvy stuff, like old fenders and fins from 50's Lincolns or???Do you have access to old wrecking yards, newer ones, or scrap from body shops?Sounds interesting (but a little weird, like much of what I do).
Reply:Yo be honest I saw this and wanted to recreate it. Then I started thinking of other pieces of furniture that could be made pretty easily using the same technique. Will the above machine be able to do this?http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/fuo/1033928788.html
Reply:mandaus first suggestion(apprenticeship) is excellent, second not as attractive to methe small mig will make the table and stuff like itdefinitely take a course. the problem with a small mig is in ten minutes of practice you'll think you are real good.. you need tolearn some techniques  to get real penetrating weldsalso keep in mind that an oxyacetylene set will weld, cut, heat to premit bending, and teach you much much nmore than a small mig...small mig is like training wheels on a bicycle..
Reply:just slapped myself on head..while you do need one hand tohold a gas torch and one hand to feed rod, taint true for tackin. you can hold stuff with one hand and fuse-tack it with a gas torch same as with tig...you dont need the cat to help you after all.  when im at the computer like now my cat thinks his job is t o lay on my desk and block the screen.