Good idea learning to weld- you can then fix just about any Mog- time permitting.
As my Traveller (pictured) passed its MOT due to my own welding, I feel humbly qualified to re post my welding tips (although I claim not to be an expert- just a very enthusiastuc amateur):-
"I was in almost the same position as you- traveller needed welding, needed to learn to weld! In fact thats what i've been doing a lot of over the last year. Cutting, shaping metal, welding...
First of all- don't get a gasless welder- I've heard they are oops I typed a naughty word, the Clark turbo 250 te is a good one, 150 amps gives plenty of power in reserve.
I'd say you also need to get a few other things:-
1. pub gas bottle- can be refilled for ~£20 (needs a regulator-about £50 ish)
2. angle Grinder with cutting discs (I like 1mm cutting discs)), and grinding disks.
3. decent weldin g helmet, by that I mean an automatic one that darkens when you strike the arc- well worth the £100.
4. Decent leather gauntlets.
5. decent fire retardant cotton overalls
6. fire extinguisher
7. a spot weld cutting drill is ideal if you decide to remove the whole inner wing.
8. Lots of clean degreased steel of about 1mm thickness to practise on.
It took me about two years of occasional practise, and lots of asking tips and advice from professional welders in the local MM club, before I felt confident enough in my welding to work on my car.
Practise lap welds (a small overlap between the two pieces of steel to be welded) to start with as they are easier to master without blowing holes. Then try butt welding. (where the two edges of the pieces are "butted" together).
On the turbo 150 TE, I set the voltage to 2/ minimum for thin metal (inner wings etc) and two maximum for thicker stuff (chassis). wire speed to around 4. Don;t overtighten the wire feed rollers, set the co2 on your regulator so when you pull the trigger you can just hear it hiss. Use 0.6mm mig wire and 0.6mm contact tips. Have a supply of contact tips because they do knacker up and need replacing.
Steel needs to be absolutely clean and de greAsed and free of paint, underseal, rust, waxoyle ect before welding it. I use a rotary wire brush attachment on my grinder which takes everything off in seconds, leaving you with bare steel. If there is an overlap or you are welding the last piece closing a box section, then use weld through primer (available from frost.co.uk) this is zinc based and you need to let it dry before welding with it.
What else?? dont try to weld to pitted metal, even if all the rust is removed, as you will end up blowing holes.
Take your time, and don't skimp on materials, equipment or preparation time! "
Note- some folks prefer 0.8mm wire and 0.8mm tips, or sometimes 0.8mm tips with 0.6mm wire, if it works then fine, but I use 0.6mm tips and wire with no problems- its important to keep the tip and nozzle clean and clear using a small screwdriver to remove the splatter and a wire brush to keep the copper welding tip clean. I also like dipping the MiG welding tip in antisplatter paste when its warm. Do this and the mig wire will rarely stick to the tip and the tip will last a long time. BTW, everyone who welds in the East Kent branch that I've spoken to also prefer 0.6mm wire and tips for car body work. Set the gas so when you pull the trigger you can hear a faint hiss- that is enough. No gas leads to weld porosity (holes in the weld) and a weak welded joint- not good!
Its often better to replace complete panels on the car, for example whole sill pieces than weld in patches, especially if the panel on the car is extensively rusted- it will last longer, look much better and possibly increase the value of the car.
These repair sections are available from the usual parts suppliers and cost (usually) between ~ £5- £20. Often better to use the whole panel than weld a series of patches.
You need to make sure that mig welds are continuous- ie no gaps in order to pass the MOT, unless the panel was originally spot welded, in which case spot welding will be OK- in my case on the Traveller, I drilled holes and plug welded the inner rear wing to the chassis- provided the welds are good and enough of them the MOT station should pass the car- mine did.
Oh, and once you've welded box sections, protect the inside of them with waxoil or dinitrol to prevent rust re-occuring.
To learn to weld you first need to get the machine set up properly, a good idea to join your local club and get a friendly professional welder to show you how to set up your Mig. I learnt the hard way, from reading a book and pestering Martin (one of the clubs professional welders) with loads of questions. In the EKMM club, we recently had a "welding afternoon" - Martin gave a lesson- we had 7 Morrises turn up and 14 club members, everyone had a good few goes. If you can persuade your local club to hold something like this it would be a good idea.
You need to develop the skill of holding the torch at the right angle (90 deg to the plane of the work piece, about 70 deg to the direction of the weld bead) and to get a "feel" for the right distance to hold the torch and how quickly to push the bead of weld. Too slow and you will burn holes in your car and too quick and you'll get poor penetration. Again, much better to get your friendly local welder to show you this.
Once you get it though you'll start to develop a "feel" for the technique. Personally, I try and get my welds as neat as possible! If its all going well, you'll hear a sound not unlike that of frying bacon!!
You will also see evidence of penetration on the otherside of the piece you have just welded- discolouration of the steel and weld bead.
When fitting a patch or new panel, first of all tack the piece in place- a tack is a quick~ 1 second weld to give you a small blob of weld to hold the piece in place. Put tacks in diagonally across the piece to avoid distortion from the heat of welding. Then weld the piece (or patch) in using lines of weld as long as you can manage without going off the line. For instance if welding in a square repair patch to an inner wing (after cutting the rust out as a square hole- cut a piece of steel of the same size as the hole) to tack, first tack one side in the middle of each side, then the opposite side then the corners etc then other tacks in between these initial tacks untill you have tacks about 1-2" apart holding the piece in, then weld in a bead to join the tacks.
A bead is the name of a line of continuous weld. Its perfectly acceptable to use the grinder or flap wheel to "dress" the weld after its cooled, i.e. gind it to make it look neater. Dont remove all the weld, though as this may compromise the strength of the weld.
others may like to chip in but thats what I can think of off the top of my head!
good luck and enjoy it!!
