My neighbour lured me over with some beers and bbq last week as I was messing around in the garage with some car stuff to teach his 16 year old son how to weld up some rust holes in the boot of his vehicle with his brand new welder he got for Christmas. Little did I know what we were working with was a $150 gasless unit and I could fit my fingers through the rust, so off me and him went to the junkyard with bag full of my Milwaukee cordless for some steel and practice sheet metal for him. 6 hours later and an aerosol can he’s a proud boy with a new skill. He asked how much I wanted for my high end millers, the ones that have the bottles he said, - I politely told him to grab some more bbq before it’s all gone, and make sure to return my Milwaukee’s.
Learn to weld fellas, it’s a rewarding and useful skill to have and can be picked up by anyone with some trial and error - nothing to lose.
Very true. Even just having my own little $150 flux core welder has been great to learn and mess around with. Welded my ladder rack, machine stands and reel stands and now I’m saving my pennies for when I come across a deal on a real deal unit. I want an all-in-one unit but we’re saving for a shop before that can happen.
I appreciate you taking the time to teach the kid, so many people caught up in their own lives. Building bridges right there.
I don’t weld, and have no desire to learn it. Don’t get me wrong, I see a usefulness to it, especially with my tractor implements. I just have access to a couple of welders now. Getting my ladder rack done last year got me a ton of questions from so locals as to why I didn’t use them.
I really don’t need any more stuff in my pole building. Too much wood working crap in there now that doesn’t get used nearly as much as it used to.
Absolutely. It’s a useful skill that you never forget like riding a bike, molten puddles become second nature. I’m a firm believer that any welder used occasionally pays for itself over time, always worth having tucked away in the corner.
One thing I could never pick up was working with wood even in my youth, I guess I liked the idea of being able to grind off my mistakes and start again . I will admit that wood turning is as satisfying to watch as cnc machining.
Mine paid for itself immediately. I tried to hire a welder to weld up all my projects on the trailer. After three weeks of waiting on a quote and being told I’d have it “this afternoon” I just said screw it and bought one. Took a couple hours of watching videos and reading and then an hour or so of practicing then I just went right in. Haven’t had a weld break yet and they look pretty decent for a newbie. Besides, like the great AVE says, “A grinder and paint makes me the welder I ain’t.”
I live vicariously through AVE, Diesel Creek, Vice Grip Garage, and Watch Wes Work. Those guys all pretty much live a slightly different rendition of my dream life lol
I’m a welder by trade and I’m more than happy I learned how to. I’m almost scared to know how much I’ve saved doing it myself as opposed to having someone do it for me.
Good to see another welder on the forum. I was a sheetmetal fabricator by trade many moons ago before this washing gig. Every ticket I’ve ever owned has expired many years ago but I’ve never welded anything with a piece of paper either
