Topic: welding classes....

[94runner]

ok..... so i am looking into welding classes at the community college and uh... theres like 4 different types.. i was wondering which type of welding should i learn. thers arc welding, gas tungsten welding(t.i.g), wire feed welding and acetylene welding..

which would i benefit from the most.... all i want to do is work on my truck and be able to weld tubing and pipe together and basically fab up stuff for my rig.
if you could also tell me why this would benefit me the most that would be helpful
thanks
-Sid

[kneedownnate]

I'd say mig, wire feed.  Arc is strong and all, but you'll always hafta be busting off the slag and cleaning your welds up.  Tig is strong and pretty, but is also expensive to get into.  Mig is a very good choice for most anything you're gonna do on your trucks.  If you mig with flux core you might still hafta clean your welds, plus they won't quite look as nice as your gas mig.  If you can hook up gas to your mig welder you can get some really nice welds, and if you start with a good enough welder you'll have no problem making strong enough welds for anything on your truck.  I just plain don't like acetylene welding, but it does have it's pluses.  If I were able to do it I'd talk to the instructor and tell him what your plans are and see what he suggests.  Maybe take all the classes you can afford to. 

[94runner [OP]]

thanks man, unfortunatley i dont have the time to take all the classes so you think i should take wire feed welding, correct?

[brainlessfool]

MIG! if your only going to take one.

[Willy Mammoth]

Mig to start. Oxy Acy is good to know especially the brazing part. You can pick up on that on your own, but the safety part of that may save your life.

MIG is easy with practice, but formal instruction is a plus.

Good luck and have fun.

[94runner [OP]]

cool. thanks willy.... looks like alot of people are telling me MIG... i'll probabley end up taking that

[kneedownnate]

If you check out "making of the willy mammoth" you'll see why he's definately one to listen to on this subject.

[snowshoebrue]

you might want to check the pre-requisis (sp) some colleges make you take arc before you can take the mig class

[94runner [OP]]

really?..... why the hell would they make you do that? ( im being serious, not sarcastic) why would they make you take an arc class before the MIG class... is there some connection between the two?
-Sid

[kneedownnate]

Arc is kinda viewed as the into to welding.  It's very good as an industrial application, like big buildings and the like.  Some schools will require it so you can pick up the basic welding skills before moving on to the more advanced styles/techniques.  First time I ever welded was arc, welding boat cleats to the dock.  Guy that I was learning from got butt hurt cause my welds looked better than his.  Funny thing is, several years later those cleats are still welded to the dock, but where the factory welded them together they've busted off.  I tried mig after that and I couldn't run a bead to save my life.  A few years later we had to weld in new supports for a new style generator and my sup. kept trying to get me to try it.  We had a miller suitcase welder that ran off a big self contained miller arc welder.  I tried it doing what he told me and once again my welds looked pretty decent, and have yet to crack.  I now own the exact same type of welder and love it, but still don't have a big arc to run it off of.  My dream trial rig will have an arc mounted in the back with my suitcase welder handy.  With a long enough lead you could do trail repairs 2 or 3 trucks away.

[snowshoebrue]

ya i wanted to take a mig class just to refresh and they told me i had to take the arc first.   so i just practiced on my own.  this was at modesto junior college