I want to expand into welding metal frames for my furniture. Unfortunately there are no local courses for me to take. A friend of mine suggested I purchase a welding kit and that it is not difficult to learn with practice. Is this true, I am willing to put the time in to do it correctly, but if learning this on my own is not practical then so be it. I know there are reasonable Miller and Lincoln welding units for around $500. Is there a practical guidebook I should consider. I have the shop space for it. Thanks for the help
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Replies
Perhaps the local community colleges or trade schools? We hired our most recent welder out of HS. He learned in shop classes.
One thing to remember. Careful with cross contamination of oak with steel particles. The tannins in oak react with iron and form black spots. They won't show up until you throw finish on the wood.
I taught myself to be a bad welder many years ago because I worked on my own junker car. I think for furniture use, yeah, you can master it. It's not really a heavy stress application, nor one that demands fine work. The old angle grinder can smooth out the rough spots.
Easy to MiG weld. Lots of inexpensive welders. Use shield gas instead of flux core wire…lots cleaner. There are tons of helpful videos on YouTube on MiG welding. You’ll be a pro in no time. Just get a good grinder! And get an auto darkening helmet and a welding jacket… .best investment you’ll make.