If you’re passionate about cars, and haven’t yet explored the world of welding, it’s practically inevitable that you will soon. Learning how to weld is a transformative skill for any car enthusiast. It’s like getting your driver’s license all over again, but this time for metalwork. Suddenly, a vast landscape of automotive possibilities opens up. You’re no longer limited to off-the-shelf bolt-on parts or relying on expensive and often unsatisfactory custom fabrication services. The frustration of lengthy waits, high costs, and results that aren’t quite what you envisioned becomes a thing of the past.
For many, welding seems like a mysterious trade, reserved for professionals in specialized industries. I felt the same way until a friend, while helping me with a car project, casually handed me his welding helmet and MIG torch. I admitted my desire to learn but confessed feeling completely lost on where to begin. He simply set up the machine, and I took my first shot. The weld, pictured above, surprisingly turned out decent, mostly because the settings were already dialed in!
Since that initial spark, my welding journey has been filled with challenges and moments of confusion, but ultimately, immense personal satisfaction. Overcoming the complexities of learning this skill has been incredibly rewarding.
It’s hard to imagine learning to weld before the internet age. Without online resources, finding a teacher or enrolling in basic classes seemed like the only options. Classes often cover just the fundamentals, enough for entry-level jobs, but not necessarily the nuanced techniques for specialized applications like automotive work. The internet, however, allowed me to quickly progress beyond basic classroom learning. I soon needed answers to more specific welding challenges: joining thick to thin metals, working with very thin materials, stainless steel, titanium, machine and setting selection, filler rod choices, and more. Online forums could be helpful for common issues, but for more complex problems, responses were often limited or unreliable. Fortunately, there are true online welding gurus. Jody from Welding Tips & Tricks is a standout resource. His videos have been invaluable, like a masterclass in welding, far exceeding the practical knowledge I gained from many university courses. Maybe I should ask for a tuition refund? But I digress.
My goal is to empower more car enthusiasts to experience the liberation that welding provides. This article is the first in a series that will cover welding basics, common welding processes, equipment considerations (machines, helmets, etc.), and more advanced topics like filler rod selection, welding exotic materials, and techniques for tricky situations. If you’re keen to Learn How To Weld, or are already on your welding journey, let me know in the comments what specific equipment or techniques you’d like me to cover in future articles.
While I lack formal welding certifications, I’ve gained extensive practical experience as a hobbyist. I’ve successfully completed a wide range of projects, from building gym equipment and custom bodywork to fabricating aluminum intake manifolds, stainless steel downpipes, titanium exhausts, radiators, roll cages, driveshafts, and more. This isn’t to boast, but to assure you that if you have a welding question related to automotive projects, I likely have the experience and definitely the desire to help.
I won’t get bogged down in overly technical jargon. The welding world can sometimes be overly focused on pedantry. Yes, technically MIG welding is GMAW, TIG is GTAW, a “welder” is the machine, and a “weldor” is the operator. But for our purposes, and for clarity, we’ll stick to simpler terms. If you’re more concerned about terminology than actually learning to weld, this might not be the series for you. Let’s get to the practical stuff.
THE FUNDAMENTALS OF WELDING
At its core, all welding processes achieve the same result: melting two pieces of metal together so they fuse as one. Electric welding methods use electrical current to generate enough heat to melt the metal. Think about accidentally shorting a tool across a car battery – the melted spot on the wrench is a rudimentary weld! In fact, stories circulate of resourceful truck drivers in Eastern Europe using battery cables and coat hangers to weld broken leaf springs for roadside repairs.
Fortunately, welding technology has advanced significantly beyond battery cables and coat hangers, leading to more controlled and refined methods.
A BRIEF LOOK AT STICK WELDING (SMAW)
I’ll only touch on stick welding briefly for two reasons: I have limited personal experience with it, and for most automotive applications, more modern processes offer significant advantages. Stick welding (SMAW – Shielded Metal Arc Welding) certainly has its place, particularly for heavy-duty outdoor applications like pipeline welding. However, for car work, more refined processes are generally better suited. One possible exception is welding thick metal in very tight corners, such as deep within a roll cage, where even a MIG gun might not reach. However, even in such situations, I’ve found that a TIG micro-torch can access incredibly confined spaces where a stick electrode wouldn’t fit due to its length and manipulation requirements.
Stick welding is the most basic form of electric arc welding. It involves using a consumable “stick” electrode held in a clamp. Electricity flows through the electrode, and when it contacts the workpiece, it creates an arc, melting the electrode and the base metal to form the weld joint. While modern stick electrodes can produce surprisingly high-quality welds – famously demonstrated by American female welders during WWII – it’s generally not the most practical choice for automotive work given the accessibility and ease of use of modern welding technologies.
MIG WELDING (GMAW): THE GO-TO FOR BEGINNERS
MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding, also known as GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding), has become the most common starting point for many fabricators today. MIG welding shares similarities with stick welding in principle, but instead of a fixed electrode, it uses a welding gun that feeds a continuous wire of consumable metal from a spool. The other key difference is the use of shielding gas. MIG welding uses a shielding gas that flows through the welding gun nozzle, surrounding the wire and weld pool to protect it from atmospheric contamination. Stick welding electrodes are coated with flux, which performs a similar shielding function. Molten metal is highly reactive and can easily oxidize or become contaminated if not shielded, leading to weakened welds. Shielding gases in MIG welding prevent these unwanted reactions.
MIG machines can also operate with flux-cored wire, which incorporates flux into the wire itself, eliminating the need for external shielding gas. However, like stick welding, flux-cored MIG welding is rarely the optimal choice for automotive applications. It’s important to be aware that some very inexpensive welding machines, while resembling MIG welders, are actually flux-core only and do not support shielding gas. True MIG welders must have the capability to use shielding gas. There’s an interesting variation of flux-cored MIG welding worth exploring, but we’ll delve into that in a future article specifically focused on MIG processes.
Shielding gases themselves are a fascinating topic. Typically, noble gases like Argon are used to provide a clean welding environment. However, shielding gases also significantly influence heat input into the weld. A common MIG shielding gas mixture is C25, consisting of 75% Argon and 25% CO2. Using 100% CO2 is also possible. It results in a weld with more spatter and a less refined appearance, but it increases heat input into the weld.
Speaking of chemical reactions, let’s pause for a crucial safety reminder.
SAFETY FIRST: NEVER USE BRAKE CLEANER BEFORE WELDING
Brake cleaner, and other chlorinated degreasers, react with the heat and UV radiation of the welding arc to produce Phosgene gas. Phosgene is an extremely dangerous nerve agent, infamously used in World War I. Even small amounts can cause severe and permanent health damage, and slightly higher concentrations can be fatal. Always use acetone or designated welding-safe cleaners for metal preparation before welding.
Back to the enjoyable aspects of welding. MIG welding is the popular choice for beginners for several compelling reasons: it’s relatively easy to learn, affordable equipment is readily available, and it’s highly effective for a wide range of automotive fabrication tasks.
While many budget-friendly MIG machines are available from various manufacturers, reputable brands offer excellent starter machines. The Lincoln MIG PAK series is a very common entry point for many welders, myself included!
I acquired my MIG PAK 180 in near-new condition from local classifieds for a significant discount. In a future installment, we’ll explore welding machines and their features in detail.
These are my very first welds with my MIG machine, done using flux-core wire while waiting to set up shielding gas. Not pretty, but everyone starts somewhere!
MIG welding is remarkably user-friendly, requiring less dexterity than other processes. It’s also quite forgiving of less-than-perfect technique, making the learning curve relatively short. Furthermore, MIG welding is incredibly versatile. For a car hobbyist, a MIG welder could realistically be the only welding machine needed. While specialized processes like TIG are better suited for certain materials and applications (like very thin aluminum or titanium), MIG welding can handle the vast majority of automotive fabrication tasks.
Above is my first real welding project: a welding table that has served me well for countless subsequent projects. (Apologies for the low-quality photo!)
With practice, I progressed to more functional (though perhaps not show-quality) projects, like reinforcing my car’s rear subframe with 1/8″ steel plate for added strength.
Someone jokingly asked if I was building a tank. So, I did.
I even ventured into aluminum MIG welding, acquiring a spool gun with the initial idea of fabricating my own charge pipes. I quickly discovered that welding aluminum MIG is a different beast altogether and requires more finesse than I initially anticipated.
However, with persistence, I eventually gained enough proficiency in MIG welding aluminum to create projects like this tablet dash bracket.
