Delboy's Garage, Simple Skills, # Welding

After countless requests, we decided to make a short simple skills video on basic MIG welding, hope it can help the newest of you to make a start and get practicing..!
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[@seamusmcshean260]

This lad f..king brilliant, I’ve been following him for years!

[@chrisosullivan2393]

Again thanks for all your work and knowledge

[@Moonfleet41]

My pleasure!

[@paulypj]

Hearing you call "eyes" reminds me of the car body restoration course I did many years ago... Great vid... and you can't have a welding video without saying 'bird poo'

[@renegade1987]

I bought a Transit a few months ago so i bet this information will come in handy - thanks for sharing lol.

[@TheWizardOfTheFens]

Thanks for this! Another useful, non yabbering video - just what we need!

[@TheBanksy14]

A grinder and paint makes me the welder i ain't!!!

[@Moonfleet41]

So true buddy!

[@PBR1369]

Best simple explanation of welding I've ever heard. Wish I had found this years ago. Now I can finally start giving this a try. Thanks a ton!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks Patrick, glad it could help you.. get stuck in and have some fun buddy... its easier than you think.! Happy new year buddy..

[@Halliden88]

I spent last year at college learning welding and you just explained in 20 minutes what my teacher took a year to get through to me. This is why I always watch your simple skills vlogs. Thanks again :)

[@Moonfleet41]

Exactly my point mate, nothing worse than a windy tutor... !

[@kitchfish]

Excellent video, very useful and incredibly well explained.Thanks

[@allenhuling598]

Nice revisit of the basics - Well done!

[@moto238]

Blimey! you have instantly solved a nagging problem I've had most of my life,....What to give to both of my friends for Christmas!! I'm going out to get me a mig welder straightaway!! Thanks D&P

[@Jake-tt6mk]

Thanks, and best to you and yours!

[@jonbryant9352]

Brilliant video and simply explained

[@Moonfleet41]

Many thanks!

[@IronSlimPA]

As someone who has never laid his hands on a welding machine you demystified it and made it more approachable. Thanks for that. Like others said, you would make a hell of a classroom instructor Del.

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks Scott, that's very kind brother... it's simple enough aye?? It's just unravelling the basics, and side stepping the BS aye??!

[@burtongibson9695]

Your basic skills videos are awesome. I've learnt more watching this and some of the others than I could imagine. Thank you.

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks mate, im really glad about that, its what we do them for, and if we can inspire a few people to have a go and get learning, that all's good with the world.. good luck with it buddy, get stuck in..Del.

[@adamchinery1202]

Great vid, simple and easy to understand.

[@slabbertjohan]

Very informative! Thank you for doing the video.

[@davidtillotson7254]

Looked into getting a welder this video was a big help in making my mind up well presented thanks

[@onepairofhands]

good presentation - thanks for sharing your knowledge

[@davidbibeault8435]

Thanks. Very simple explanation of terms others assumed I knew.

[@brentpeyton4304]

great, I never knew about the flux wire, thank you,good man.

[@321hug]

Thanks very much. Great to see a tutorial that starts at the beginning. I've got the same welder too so even better

[@Moonfleet41]

Glad you enjoyed it mate... enjoy your welding!

[@filmcamera]

Another great video thanks Delboy

[@rcchurchy4417]

Perfect timing for a sleepless night!

[@petefroud5308]

Great tips Del. As Martin said a fire blanket is a good call.

[@HammyDaviesSnr]

Cheers Dell, great video!!

[@DAUKGinjaNinja]

Cracking vid. Thanks for this, inspired to have a go. I'll be keeping eye for a similar bargain that you found.

[@Moonfleet41]

Have a scan through Ebay buddy , always a few cheapies pop up, and easy to sell on if it doesn't work out for ya - good luck with it !

[@Gr33nSh4rk]

That was Very helpfull. Obrigado Del! És o Maior ;-)

[@christians131]

"Welding is nothing more than making a puddle, then moving that puddle." best piece of info I got when first learning to weld

[@Migman2020]

one of the most ignorant and dangerous things ive seen being said in a youtube video tbh.. Sick to death of all these "pro" welders who claim they can weld when they know fuck all and put them selves and everyone around them at risk of serious injury of death.. I hate to break it to you but alot of stick welders in 3rd weld countries can lay down more sturdy welds than the avg hobby welder from the west. This is why alot of us actual professional welders laugh uncontrollably when someone says they can weld as well because they welded a car body panel. There is far more to welding than just "melting" the base metals together. And this guy knows fuck all about shielding gases.. Industrial mig gases for steel actually contain small amounts of oxygen for a reason.. I wonder how many hobby welders can tell me why that is as they experts... Tig welding can be done by anyone who understands it correctly..

[@fastbusiness]

Good basic welding info. Thanks for taking the time to make the vid.

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks buddy, much appreciated!

[@Gus-cg9yp]

Great video, I allways weld with welding rods. That looks easy. Should have seen it 30 years ago hahha thanks a lot; Gus

[@Moonfleet41]

Stick welding will always be cool..!

[@andrewhirst8403]

Cheers for this, bud. I’ve got some welding stuff I need doing, and I usually ask a mate in the village (ex oil-rig welder, so proper). No prob nipping round with odd bits, and buying him a pint (he’s a nice bloke), but I need something doing actually at my house, which means him carting his gear round (big bottles). Done a bit of very basic blow-torch welding on ally sheet metal, but never done any hot stuff and it always seemed a bit of weird alchemy to me. Now I’ve seen how basic it can be, I think I’ll invest in one of these, as I often wish I could just sort something myself. As usual, your little bit of background is as helpful as your practical demo. Thanks 👍

[@Moonfleet41]

Thank for the feedback Andrew, much appreciated mate, and im glad it could inspire you. have fun with it, once you get started you'll find lots of things to weld.!

[@Richie65afc]

Brilliant video Del. I have never used a mig welder before and my car sills need some welding for it's MOT. I have been thinking for a couple of months now about getting a mig welder and doing it myself and watching your video has been very helpful.

[@Moonfleet41]

Get stuck in Rich.. the cost of the machine will be recouped from NOT paying a garage..!!

[@3dpropstudios]

great video i have this weler just starting off

[@rab..]

Finally! a simple , concise explanation for the average tinkerer that just wants to learn how to fuse some bits of metal together minus all the waffling and frankly quite daunting jargon. Good effort Sir , you've earned another sub! Wish i had found this video the numerous previous times i considered learning how to weld only to be put off by pro welder's videos going far too indepth about highly technical stuff and assuming that the easier stuff is common knowledge that everyone is born knowing . Cheers dude !

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks Robert, you're very kind ,and om glad the video could help you out.. the best learning is done with your hands, so get welding and make some cool stuff.. and you'll understand it a little more every time you use it.. Good luck and have a great week.. Del.

[@jedigeekbiker]

just borrowed this welder to weld nuts to 6mm studs on a fazer manifold.. good to see these videos. :)

[@banditBrian]

great video. all making more sense thanks delboy.

[@Moonfleet41]

Cheers Brian, glad you enjoyed it mate !

[@caledgerton]

I'm a professor at a community college in the USA. You are an excellent teacher!

[@Moonfleet41]

Hi Calvin, Thank you so much for your very kind words, it is much appreciated sir.. Take care.. Del.

[@michaelwilliams3861]

P. Nice one Del, just back from my European tour, and I have three vids to watch, whoop whoop 😀

[@tonymallia1940]

Love it, great vid!

[@CormacBoyle83]

Great stuff Del, always wanted to get into welding....this simple vid givse me the confidence to get out there and try it myself. Cheers

[@Moonfleet41]

That's the spirit mate, get stuck in and give it a go, with nothing to lose, you may as well learn something !

[@davewilson5463]

Great video 😂👍

[@Cueballproductions1149]

great how will add to my delboys servicing etc playlist will come in handy 1day

[@professor1972]

Excellent. Too many times, when you ask about welding, all you get is the "Dark Art" mumbo jumbo. Thanks very much

[@Moonfleet41]

Yeah, nothing dark art about it... just get stuck in and start practicing.. how hard can it be..! lol

[@davecrouch44]

Thank for the I bought a cheap Might welder four years ago on eBay coz it was for sale in my town and it was cheap. Didn't know how to use it , now I do I'm going to give it a try this weekend thanks to you. Spike in Durham.

[@Moonfleet41]

Ayup Spike... blimey mate, you had it sat there all that time and haven't used it ! Get stuck in mate, and ask yourself 'how hard can it be'?? Drop us a line if you have any questions, happy to guide you through it !

[@olafjensen4508]

Excellent. I have never welded but now might just get 1. Btw I could see your animal instinct coming out there Del with the hammer

[@deppipesdavey5471]

Mig nifficent spot on video weldone del.

[@nicholasnarcowich9163]

That was really cool. I always thought MIG welders were only for the pro's as I had only used DC stick welders or a bit of Oxy/acetylene... you have some nice results.

[@johnstafford9106]

thanks del I just got a welder similar to yours now I'm a bit more confident I will have a go at the weekend

[@Moonfleet41]

Nice one John, good to hear it mate... get stuck in and melt some metal...! Keep a fire extinguisher nearby, or at the very least, a big floppy wet towel and have loads of fun - let us know how you get on, and drop us any questions you might have, happy to help mate !

[@killerdublin]

Brilliant mate. This is great looking for a mig at the moment.

[@Moonfleet41]

Good luck with it, there are lots of cost effective beginner machines on the market!

[@mcbain3949]

Thanks Del , Ive never really understood how a mig works until now .

[@Moonfleet41]

Just a basic outline mate, we're all intelligent people aye, and often, just understanding the principle of something, gives us the ability to work it out...!

[@brucesyvertsen2147]

Excellent!

[@rmulchi]

That was AWESOME!!! Thank you guys. I've always wanted to learn how to weld but things come up and then I can't do it. I know now what I want for my birthday ;-)

[@Moonfleet41]

Exactly that mate... just a basic idiots guide to get you started- people don't want to faff about on a yawning two week course, learning about maths and physics, they wanna pick the damn thing up, and burn some metal with it... so get yourself stuck in and enjoy it - if nothing else, you could grab a heap of angle iron and make some cool garden ornaments lol !

[@bhasselgren]

Great video! Thanks :-)

[@wolverhamptonbiker2132]

Thank you for taking the time to make your video's. they are so informative and useful

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks buddy, really appreciate your feedback, am just glad we find an audience !

[@wolverhamptonbiker2132]

+Moonfleet41 am serious. I have been learning to stick weld with my dads equipment he left me and am sure he has a mig. will have to check in my workshop. finding it tricky to find the amp sweet spot for sheet metal. I burn through it

[@Moonfleet41]

Yeah, its tricky with sheet metal.. the trick is to drop the voltage, and the wire speed, then just dwell over the 'tack' a little longer so the heat builds up under your control.. then just let the trigger off as soo nas it glows orange.. its just practice buddy.., as with so much in life aye.. !

[@suzuki750stu]

Brilliant video Del, welding is something I've never done, always wanted to do it but always passed the work on, I was looking in Machine mart at the welding units but they have so many so wasn't sure which one to go for, your video has helped me a lot. Regards Stu

[@Moonfleet41]

Hi stu, glad yto know we can help matey, there are a lot to choose from aye.. but ive always said a good medium level second hand one is better then a cheap entry level new one... you get more settings and better quality build... the Clarke machines are always good for the money, evne though they've gone up a fare bit..!..!

[@naturallywellca]

Hitting stick = Multi-angle Force Adjustment Tool in my garage ;-) Great basic skill vid. Enough info to encourage someone to give it a try. A night course at a technical college, is a good skill builder, and some tool rental places will rent mig welders for a weekend, which will help to sort out what to buy. I run a Lincoln 180amp, and have welded quite heavy steel with it, no problem. Advice is buy a name brand unit that you local shops stock and sell parts for. Some gas shops lease bottles so ask before buying an expensive bottle. Get a few fibre glass blankets, and keep an extinguisher handy. Keep up the cool vids.

[@Moonfleet41]

Wise words all the way though buddy, specially the renting a welder, you will get the feel right away whether you are gonna enjoy it, or not !

[@mikeswift100]

Great job Thanks

[@SHAKTTK]

Thanks for making a welding video for amateurs del

[@Moonfleet41]

That's the point my friend, it's just a short idiot guide to help you maybe just have a go and see how you get on... if you choose to give it a go, you nevre know, you may be good at it !

[@davidvanniekerk3813]

Baie dankie/ Merci beaucoup Delboy's Gararge. The video was very much informative. I didn't know of that kind of welding "hats". I or we still use the old model here in South Africa. You quest sort off and then weld. The MIG and TIG machines. I heard about it and it is very expensive. We use an even older type (oil-baths). It works with oil and you also use rods. Commonly a 60 Amp rod to weld and the welder machine it is very heavy (30+kg) To weld is a praying session. It is difficult. A newer type is the inverter-welder (5kg). The newer model do not use oil and it also use rods. The newer kind of welder use a different kind or higher band of Hz. It welds like a dream, but do breaks after some time. The MIG and TIG I've heard of. Here only the professionals use it and it's BIG. In your video It welds much better than our oil-baths or inverters. Your video showed me that I'll have to invest in a MIG (and not a TIG!) Thanx 4 the video.

[@buaan]

Top video, Thanks Del. Deffo wear a long sleeve shirt and gloves guys, my mate got what amounts to a decent sunburn welding up some brackets in just a Tshirt and safety squint method. Tut tut.

[@Moonfleet41]

the t shirt is ok... but "squint method"... tut tut indeed..!!!!

[@garyhardman8369]

In the mid eighties, I had a Colt Sapporo (Mitsubishi) which I had bought for cheap from my Father-in-law. The car needed a new rear section of exhaust. Mitsubishi was still a bit of a rarity in the UK, so the only parts available were OEM. The main dealer wanted around £250 for the part. On the industrial estate where I worked, a business had just opened importing 'pocket' MIG' welders from Italy. I went in and explained to the chap behind the counter, that I was interested, but had only ever done a bit of 'stick' welding. So, he does no more than take me into the back where he had a welder set up, and lets me have a practise. Half an hour later, I parted with about 120 quid and was leaving with my newly acquired MIG. Long story short, I managed to cobble together some lengths of tube scrounged from the local scrap yard, and fixed the exhaust well enough for a new MOT ticket. Only half the money spent, new bit of kit acquired and new skill learned - Win.

[@KOOLlE]

Cracking tute, mate.

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks Ade!

[@tombailey6342]

Brill!! Thanks.

[@maurice5012]

Mate, you've inspired me to buy my first welder. Just done a test piece. Absolute rubbish but, as you'd say, beef. Brilliant and addictive. Cheers! 👍

[@Moonfleet41]

Nice work mate, you'll get better with practice, and until then, the grinder is your friend aye..!! Enjoy it mate. .Del.

[@clivegreenall309]

Hi Del, A great 'How To Weld' for idjits. I worked in an engineering shop for short time after leaving school and got 'arc eyes' from the flash of nearby welders .. Not something I would wish on anyone. Tx for another great video. (Maybe I should just copy and paste my Tx's to the many productions I have yet to watch :-) Ride Safe Rgds Clive

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks Clive, yeah you gotta watch it with that light, it's as bright as the centre of the sun aye! And irritating when you can still see it in your sleep 3hrs later... you only get one pair of eyes aye?! Glad you enjoy the videos, and welcome aboard!

[@ThePonkster]

Good vid Del - I find the fluxed wire works better if yo are having to weld outdoors as the shield gas tends to disturbed by drafts on the hobby machines , in the garage I think that you get cleaner welds using with gas and standard wire as the fluxed wire does leave a residue on the weld a bit.

[@Moonfleet41]

Very wise words well said mate... flux core wire is pretty much the same as a welding rod..

[@MrAlmar07]

Great Video Del, cheers for that. Gonna see if I can get myself started on this..Cheers mate.

[@Moonfleet41]

Cheers Al, keep your eyes open for a second hand kit as well, as many people up-grade and sell their old set so they do come up sometimes and at a good price!

[@MrAlmar07]

+Moonfleet41 Already on the lookout Del. Cheers again mate.

[@markozstranox]

Good explanation of basics of welding and setup without toouch jargon... just a point to add. The Clarke 135te you have is a gas only machine, if you use flux core wire you will get poor quality welds and loads of spatter... The multi use migs have changeable polarity or the ability to manually reverse cables to change the pos/neg polarity as flux core mig require the polarity reversed. Just like you can get a No-Gas machine that would give very very poor welds if solid non shielded wire was used due to the polarity difference and lack of gas/flux. A dual purpose mig can use both with a simple change of polarity. The Gas/solid wire welding is better for indoors and cleaner/neater welds and thinner matrerial. Flux core is better for out door work, thicker metal and worse condition metal. Just be careful on thinner metal as welding pool burns hotter than gas welding and a tad messier. Excellent video and keep up the good work, just thought I would point that out to help with people starting out like my self 👍

[@Clungedoctor]

I bought an arc welder to begin with and while I'm happy with how I've progressed with it this looks so much easier. love the gas aspect no chance of flux getting into the weld if you're not so steady handed. which I'm not lol

[@Moonfleet41]

Sure thing mate, flux core wire is a messy process, fundamentally just stick welding but fed out as a wire, but good to outdoors where it's windy !

[@KingsColas]

STICK WELDING TIP - Stick welding feels like your fighting a strong strong magnet the whole weld... I was in 8th grade and TO PRACTICE WE WOULD HOLD A VERY STRONG MAGNET HOLDING IT AS EVEN AND STEADY AS POSSIBLE WHILE IMITATING WELDING FIRST. Then we did the real work. IT REALLY HELPED!!!

[@votour]

Thanks for the video, very interresting. I'm just surprised about the lifetime of your gas bottle, i always read that it's around 10/15 minutes maximum of welding ! Best regards from France, keep the good work mate

[@1071jmkz]

Your instructional videos are excellent, so clear and sincere. I knew nothing before and have zero experience, but this has been a breath of fresh air for me, and it's really encouraged me to want to try a small welding job as I can't afford the money I've been quoted by a custom specialist. I have a couple of questions and I hope they're not too daft: I have an XV1100 I've owned for 20 years and I want to chop the pillion section/sissy bar off the frame, cap the open ends of the frame, cut the mudguard right down, and then fabricate some sort of small bracket that can be welded directly onto the swing arm so I can then bolt the chopped mudguard to that, so that it "hugs" the tyre more and the tyre doesn't swing up and snarl on the underside over bumps, together with fabricating some sort of reinforcing hoop for extra support for the mudguard (if necessary). -What thickness of steel/Ali would I need for attaching a bracket to swing arm? and where do I buy the metal? -How would I hold the small pieces of metal for the caps to the chopped frame in place so they can be welded? -How big would the welding machine have to be for a small job like this? -What happens if you make a total hash of the weld? Can it be removed so you can start again? Thanks in advance! .

[@Moonfleet41]

Hi there, welding is a skill and you need to practice it and I would suggest you need to build your proficiency before you attack your bike, get yourself a small hobby MIG welding machine, maybe 135 amp or therabouts, and get praticing by just welding peices of some scrap metal and practice the process of welding first... pratice with thicker metals and thin sheet metal and get yourself to a point where you can lay done a healthy bead of weld without blowing through the metal and without it falling apart. And then at that point consider attacking your bike, good luck !

[@1071jmkz]

@@Moonfleet41 Thanks for the quick response and tips, I'll look into it further!

[@azkiker]

Thanks im gonna start welding now, i always wanted to do this, i thought this welding machines would take too much power and could not weld indoors, But from the looks of it i can weld inside the house in my workshop.

[@Moonfleet41]

Yeah, these welders are fine for a domestic garage... just make sure the weld splatter cant land on anyting flamable like cloth or carpets..!

[@mattbridge6925]

You'd make an awesome teacher mate.

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks Matt, you're very kind, I think you need a degree in maths though lol- realy appreciate your kind comment!

[@alanirvine1094]

Super video

[@MotoMirius]

My top tip for those new to welding who wear glasses - you can't weld wearing glasses that react to light. Don't ask how long it took me to figure out why I couldn't see what I was doing...

[@Moonfleet41]

Ha ha ha ah... sorry, just thinking about that made me chuckle..."who turned the lights out lol""

[@grahamejordan3973]

Amazing how obvious that is once someone has said it, also explains why I have real difficulty welding straight can only see the puddle nothing around it.

[@laikatravels]

Great, thank u for that

[@rossjackson7134]

Thanks mate.

[@GaryT1952]

Always enjoy simple skills, gives you the confidence to go out and try something new. Isn't it time for another road trip around the Dorset countryside?

[@Moonfleet41]

Funny you should say that Sir ! I was only thinking that this evening... we've had some cool new music sent to us by some great musicians and am planning on making a 'haulin' ass' video without any waffle, just the sunny countryside, fast bendy lanes, cool music and the beat of the Harley having it's neck wrung lol ! Maybe a video or two away, but coming soon !

[@sox3265]

Since I found your videos, I have increased my building abilities 10 fold. I really want to thank you for the straight talk and focused facts that you share. I also have the same intrest in collecting license plates as you. If you are interested in a license plate from China, I have 2 of the same ones that I aquired while I was working in China. Let me know if this is something you want to add to your collection. Thanks. Sox

[@Moonfleet41]

Hi Sox, thank you so much for your kind words, and I would absolutely love a plate from China...! For us the plates represent a real live viewer watching from that place, they're almost like a world map of our audience... and even though you're not in China now, I guess, this would be a dedicated souvenier from you, and your travels, so we would love to add it, proudly, to the collection... could I please ask you, if you don't mind, to email Penny on: delboysgarage @yahoo.com so she can hook you up with a land address and details... Thank you, much appreciated!

[@MidwestMotoRider]

Great video. The only welder you will get for around $100 in the states is a flux only welder. For me that would be fine since I would be welding outside more than inside so I hope to be getting one soon and this was a great beginners video. Thanks!

[@Moonfleet41]

If you're mostly welding outdoors, then flux core is useful, but maybe look round for a second hand uint on Craigs List....?!!

[@MidwestMotoRider]

Yea, so far only $200 and up on craigslist that's ok I am in no hurry I figure one will turn up that is at the right price and does both I mostly would do stuff out side but in the Winter I will be inside so having gas is something I really want to have on the welder for sure.

[@Lorddarthvader1701]

I like MIG welding not very good at it either, the one thing I do not have is an argon tank, I like the small bottle that you guys have, we cannot get them here, I tried to buy them overseas but they won't ship them here, surprise surprise...Great video, always down to earth instructions layman level....

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks mate, that was the aim... when I run that large bottle of Argon out on the TIG welder, am gonna get it re-filled with MIG mix as I do 10x more MIG welding than TIG...

[@rcchurchy4417]

Another great simple skills vid Del! I'm really enjoying the series, Keep it up! And get penny some welding goggles!

[@Moonfleet41]

Cheers mate, gonna buy a couple of masks , one for Penny and one for the camera, cos then you will be actually see the weld puddle... glad you enjoy these, it's just a little inspiring idiot guide to maybe get you started!

[@8ball903]

Nice one dell, wish I had mig, I got arc.

[@Makiaveliko85]

I prefer TIG but sometimes the best/fast way is to use MIG/MAG. Using MIG/MAG its better too push it then drag it. (you can see what you're doing)

[@vitalp]

Mate, this is awesome. ive learnt more in the last 22min than i have the last two weeks searching other vids and blogs. some other good saftey tips in the comments too. Thanks!!!

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks buddy, glad it could help you! We do these every other week or so, sometimes more!

[@vitalp]

Yep been following you for a few years. Started when i bought my bandit as i think at the time you were doing a bandit project. Ive moved on to a cafe build and finding loads of other useful videos, keep it up! And all the best to infamous camera lady doing a great speilberg job👍

[@bushratbeachbum]

Great video for the beginner, the main thing is, just do it. I taught myself using a much earlier version of that exact welder i got for nothing. I was salvaging exhaust tube for a project and the garage owner had thrown it out for the gypsies or scrap man as he couldn't get it to work. Turned out he had the wire feed tension set way too tight and it was deforming the wire and it wouldn't go through the liner smoothly. I still have the machine and am giving it to my nephew when I (eventually ) visit the uk next. That was 20 something years ago. I now use about 6 or 7 5kg rolls of wire a year and get 2x 2kg and a 6kg bottle of co2 pretty regularly. I make a bit of money from it but it's mostly me building things i need or want and doing stuff for friends. My only comment would be to aim for smaller, prettier welds, so you don't have to do as much, if any grinding. If you learn early how big a bead you need for the job, you'll learn faster, and save money on wire, gas and abrasives! Welding is like magic to me still, every time I flip my helmet down, i feel like a wizard, sticking metal together with electricity!! Whoop!!! Cheers Del and Penny, nice one. Ride safe

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks buddy, how great to hear from you and what a wonderful story! You're right, it's great to be able to make something from nothing and be able to do so many jobs yourself! Keep enjoying mate, and stay safe, all the very best from us both!

[@tinks43]

(P) Great tutorial Del, very informative.

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks buddy, simple enough aye?? Glad you enjoyed it mate...

[@jamonritchie9549]

Thanks!! You're right....Most of the vids out there assume some prior knowledge. Good to see someone thinking about the true newbies.

[@Moonfleet41]

Hay Jamon, exactly that! There is so little these days ptched at the utter novice and I think from 0 to step 1 is often is often the biggest step to make, don't you think??

[@jamonritchie9549]

"A journey of a thousand miles...", and all. :D

[@dodge10111]

Does thicker metal require more time under wire and heat?

[@concrete981]

your right. gas bottles the best. flux cored wire is a mess. slag and the worst is the smoke that pours off the weld like a forest fire. can you make a short video of you showing penny how to weld... your ideas for the fighter bike are amazing.

[@Moonfleet41]

Penny doesn't want to learn how to weld mate, she designs and makes jewellery, so has a completely different skill set,...!

[@markpowell2657]

my dad taught me how to weld his welding is friggin amazing....I defo agree wi u del don't do it own frames unless u wanna end up wi a zimmer frame :(

[@Moonfleet41]

Said that right mate, it's a massive hill to climb, even welding an engine mount on a frame is a serious business, but fabricating bolt on parts is harmless as there's little, or no, risk ...

[@daz0705]

I was first taught on an arc welder, then mig but ive never tig welded before, ive never had the need to to be honest but in the body shop I used a spot welder more than anything,

[@Moonfleet41]

Yeah, didn't mention spot welders, really specialised process, and you can plug weld to get the same result... tbh, I never really see the need for TIG welding unless it's precision stuff, plus it needs a lot more time and patience!

[@daz0705]

yeah average home workshop wouldn't use a spot welder mate, expensive bit of kit for a decent one but saves a lot of time in a body shop, even a decent spot weld drill bit costs stupid money compared to a normal one, one of the last jobs I had in the body shop was to replace the entire side panal on a new transit van, some bloke bought it and a week later had a car reverse into the side of it, and funny enough we had the car that reversed into it in aswell, a focus, both new cars, I ended up drilling about 700 spot welds out to get the side panal, down the rear door hinge, across the gutter rail then side sill off to expose the bottom spot welds and the across the roof to the top of the A post and from top to bottom of the b post plus all the bracing inside, bloody tedious job, then after that had to take the rear valance rear hatch door and boot floor out of the focus, I used to love that job though, great satisfaction seing a car come in after an accident then after doing the body work myself and sending it of to paint booth, it would come back for me to refit trim and alike and leave the workshop like a new motor, cant beat it,

[@williamcormier1553]

My name is Mr. bubblegum when it comes too welding ,lol easy enough to farm the work out.....no shame here!!

[@cigarcaptain]

When welding small pieces that that need to be held in position, I use super glue. A drop or two and and weld!

[@Moonfleet41]

Hi buddy, that is inspired, I will happily admit I've never heard of that, but makes total sense... you genius !

[@shauny9149]

Sorry for the daft question but would I get an electric shock from the welder if I touch the metal during welding?

[@Moonfleet41]

Perfectly logical question, and the answer is no - it's perfectly safe mate ...

[@petersmith7175]

Got myself a stick welder years ago , but not very good at it . Nice vid ..

[@rogkmyers]

There are some good stick welding videos on youtube, but the thing I find that helps me the most is remember to 'pull' the stick, dragging the puddle rather than push the puddle with the stick.

[@petersmith7175]

+Roger Myers thanks for the tip and I'll take a look .. Thanks ..

[@alanpayne1442]

Glad that I dropped on your site because my wife got me a MIG135TE for Christmas years ago and I was keen at first but the novelty wore off as I was not making much progress...you've kindled my interest again and I have learnt a lot from you. Unfortunately I left the batteries in my helmet and the cartridge is ruined so need a new helmet...however it seems to work without the batteries but will it still be safe?

[@Moonfleet41]

Hi Alan, sounds like you just need to practice, maybe look up a few settings helps, power vs. wire speed etc., and as long as your mask is drakening instantly and you're not getting any bright flashes in your face it should be fine, but they're not expensive for a basic one, so why not treat treat yourself and get started.

[@davecrouch44]

Last night I found it in the back of my garage but I think it's an electric Arc Welder with lots of welding rods. Are you going to cover this type of welder Del ?

[@Moonfleet41]

Sadly mate, I don't have one, so can't cover it , but a simple process with many of the same principles !