How To Decide What Welding Process To Learn If You Want To Start Welding As A Hobby
People weld for many reasons.
Some people start as a hobby, doing things like building yard art, mopeds, practical shop equipment or repairing things around the house.
With modern welding equipment, this rewarding and useful hobby can be in anyones reach.
There are four basic processes of welding that are in use today.
Oxyacetylene welders use a flame to melt the metal and form the weld pool.
An welding rod must be fed into the molten weld pool to fill the weld.
A stick welder uses an electrical arc to generate heat and a flux to help fuse the metal in a process known as Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW).
A stick welder uses the electrode as the filler material.
The MIG welder, also know as a gas metal arc welder (GMAW) also uses an electrical arc to generate the welding heat and a shielding gas to protect the weld pool.
The weld filler material is delivered via a wire feeder.
A TIG Welder generates the electrical arc using a Tungsten electrode, with a shielding gas while a welding rod is fed into the weld pool by hand.
There are many other processes used in specific industries or specialized applications, but these are not practical for the average welder.
If you are trying to decide what kind of welder to buy there are a few important things you should consider.
If you do your research and answer these basic questions before you make a purchase you will be much happier in the long run.
A welder can be quite expensive, so it is important to make sure you get the one that will work for the type of projects you have in mind.
Oxyacetylene torches are the most versatile of all welding methods.
You can weld any kind of metal with Oxyacetylene.
You can also braze and cut metal with an Oxyacetylene torch.
Stick Welding is the most versatile of the electrical welding methods.
It is primarily used to weld iron, steel and stainless steel.
However you can also weld aluminum, copper alloys and nickel using a stick welder.
Stick welding is used in most of the metal fabrication and construction industries.
MIG Welders where originally made to weld aluminum, tin, copper, zinc and brass.
Now it is used extensively to weld steel as well.
MIG welding is the most extensively used welding process in the automobile industry.
It is relatively easy to learn, very adaptable and one of the best choices for someone looking to learn welding as a hobby.
The advantages of MIG welding are that you can spend less frustrating time trying to learn the art of welding, and more time putting it to use.
TIG Welders are used to weld stainless steel, aluminum and other lighter metals.
A TIG Welder allows greater control over the welding pool which results in better looking, higher quality, strong welds.
TIG Welding is much harder to learn, and more difficult to master than any other commonly used welding process.
However, with enough practice, TIG Welders can produce perfect welds of unsurpassed strength and reliability.
Some people start as a hobby, doing things like building yard art, mopeds, practical shop equipment or repairing things around the house.
With modern welding equipment, this rewarding and useful hobby can be in anyones reach.
There are four basic processes of welding that are in use today.
Oxyacetylene welders use a flame to melt the metal and form the weld pool.
An welding rod must be fed into the molten weld pool to fill the weld.
A stick welder uses an electrical arc to generate heat and a flux to help fuse the metal in a process known as Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW).
A stick welder uses the electrode as the filler material.
The MIG welder, also know as a gas metal arc welder (GMAW) also uses an electrical arc to generate the welding heat and a shielding gas to protect the weld pool.
The weld filler material is delivered via a wire feeder.
A TIG Welder generates the electrical arc using a Tungsten electrode, with a shielding gas while a welding rod is fed into the weld pool by hand.
There are many other processes used in specific industries or specialized applications, but these are not practical for the average welder.
If you are trying to decide what kind of welder to buy there are a few important things you should consider.
If you do your research and answer these basic questions before you make a purchase you will be much happier in the long run.
A welder can be quite expensive, so it is important to make sure you get the one that will work for the type of projects you have in mind.
Oxyacetylene torches are the most versatile of all welding methods.
You can weld any kind of metal with Oxyacetylene.
You can also braze and cut metal with an Oxyacetylene torch.
Stick Welding is the most versatile of the electrical welding methods.
It is primarily used to weld iron, steel and stainless steel.
However you can also weld aluminum, copper alloys and nickel using a stick welder.
Stick welding is used in most of the metal fabrication and construction industries.
MIG Welders where originally made to weld aluminum, tin, copper, zinc and brass.
Now it is used extensively to weld steel as well.
MIG welding is the most extensively used welding process in the automobile industry.
It is relatively easy to learn, very adaptable and one of the best choices for someone looking to learn welding as a hobby.
The advantages of MIG welding are that you can spend less frustrating time trying to learn the art of welding, and more time putting it to use.
TIG Welders are used to weld stainless steel, aluminum and other lighter metals.
A TIG Welder allows greater control over the welding pool which results in better looking, higher quality, strong welds.
TIG Welding is much harder to learn, and more difficult to master than any other commonly used welding process.
However, with enough practice, TIG Welders can produce perfect welds of unsurpassed strength and reliability.