How to learn to weld by yourself. Part 2

Selecting a process to learn

Ok, so you want to weld? Have you identified what type of welding you want to pursuit first? No? Well if you haven’t, you need to. Not all welding is the same or uses the same techniques. Though some skills are transferable between the different welding disciplines there a special skills and equipment you’ll need for each type of welding you will do, whether it is MIG, TIG, Stick or even oxy-fuel welding.

How do you pick the right area of welding to learn? Well, that’s going to depend upon what you think you will be welding and how much you think you will be welding. Out of all the welding processes, MIG welding (GMAW) is the usually the easiest to learn for most, and is the first welder that many people buy these days. But hold on a second. MIG welding may be the easiest to pick up and learn, but it may very well be the hardest for you to become proficient in.

MIG welding requires plenty hand eye coordination. It requires a steady hand, but more than anything it requires a real mastery and understanding of the process to get proper and consistent fusion. MIG welders are relatively cheap and that is one reason they are so popular for a starter unit. For an Everlast Power i-MIG welder, you can buy an introductory Power i-MIG 140E, which is 120V capable for under $400.00. This may very well be all you’ll need but you don’t know until you start welding how far you will go or how big of stuff you’ll want to end up welding until you try it.