Here we go. I’ve just found an article at Street Chopper about DIY welding entitled Raiders of the Lost Arc Weld. They claim:
A common misconception about welding is that it is better left to trained professionals that have been doing it for years. We here at Street Chopper want to dispel that myth, because every really good welder started out as a really bad one. Welding is not hard, but the only way to perfect the art of joining metal is to practice. If you’re not confident enough in your abilities to practice on your own, the best way to learn is by taking a course and reading books on the subject. Then, buy a less expensive 110V MIG starter welder or get an old gas welder at a garage sale and learn on your own in the comfort of your home, at your own pace.
Now what he says is fairly true apart from the fact that welding bits onto your bike that can’t be seen is slightly different to welding hygienic stainless steel cabinets.
I’ve always had a problem with DIYers. They’re the main reason why the majority of tradesmen from plumbers to joiners actually charge so much. The majority can’t even drill holes into walls without needing to get a sparky in, and a paramedic, after drilling through a cable.
Get a trained professional in from the off and the job is invariably done without any hassle and it tends to be spot on. It’s all well and good having your first weld looking like a spasticated anaconda, but what do you do when your exhaust flies off whilst you’re doing 90 mph down a motorway?
Is it really cheaper to buy a load of welding gear for a one off job and then take a course to get yourself up to scratch? Because we’re on the busiest main road through Colne we get all manner of folk turning up at Butler Sheet Metal asking if we can weld their fuel tanks back on or even their wok handles. (We don’t mind the wok handles as the free Chinese food is a nice little bonus!) But the point is that a vast majority of them have tried to do it first themselves.
I can also assure you that we don’t look like Gap Welder.
Comments
☼ The Tinbasher Blog » ‘Get Thee Behind Me, Blogger!’
on 18/11/2004, 2:37 pm
[...] one complaint from a chap who said he was quite enjoying the blog until he saw the article belittling DIY welding and if that was going to be my a [...]
Sheet Metal Blogs – the first installment. » ☼ The Tinbasher Blog
on 1/2/2005, 8:39 pm
[...] watch his progress with some interest. However, its primary focus isn’t that of the DIY welder. It looks at all manner of things technologi [...]
Derek Woolverton
on 6/11/2004, 9:18 am
I’ve taken a couple classes in metal work, so now I can fabricate about half of the stuff I can think of. Learning wire feed welding really isn’t that hard, and if you’re willing to burn up a few practice pieces, you can end up with a half decent job. Of course more practice would help with that, but right now I’m spending all my spare time tuning up a CNC plasma table (built from a kit).
I think the Lost Arc article is pretty useless as an explanation of anything, but I agree with the thought that anyone who has an interest should check try it out.
Now the DIY stuff you probably see is more like what my high school buddy used to do. He had seen his dad stick weld once, and so when he broke his bike, he figured “how hard can it be?” Boy did he make a mess.
Paul
on 8/11/2004, 10:15 am
You can always go by the old painter’s addage – ‘But for putty, paint and glue, what on earth would joiners do?’ Good polishing skills can hide many a bad weld.
But you’re right. It isn’t rocket science.
lloyd moffitt
on 24/10/2005, 5:36 am
fun read article but not informative
Ed
on 1/2/2006, 10:49 pm
If a guy asks a question regarding How To Weld –then answer the question and not try to be smarter than you aren’t I dont know how to weld simply because you guys are too full of your self importance and not prepared to throw in some advice
Paul Woodhouse
on 2/2/2006, 10:04 am
If anybody asks us how to weld then we’d be more than happy to hand out a bit of advice.
However, this post doesn’t address welding advice.
Yes, it’s a glib post. This also isn’t a site dedicated to helping home metalworkers. However, if you do take the time out to search some of the links and maybe a post or two you’ll find links to sites that do provide advice.
Karl
on 4/9/2006, 8:55 am
It’s a magazine article with sponsers all over the webpage I see it as a sponser friendly article not informative but gets the DIY wanting to possibly buy some welding eqiptment which is linked at bottom of page. So I see it as an indirect advertisement after all the more you click on the sponsered links the more money they make off of the advertizers on the page. sad really most magazines cater to there sponsers and are very buiest and are more looking to sell than to actually be informative.
Paul Woodhouse
on 7/9/2006, 1:42 pm
Karl:
Whilst it does have sponsors at the end of the article, I don’t find them intrusuve – and I’m quite a stickler for this kind of thing.
But, such is life in the world of online publishing these days.
Keith Cockburn
on 3/11/2006, 9:34 am
Hi
I quite like the ordinary stick welding, I have made a lot of stuff. The latatest is a power hacksaw. See my efforts at
http://www.calenterprises.co.uk\hacksaw.html