Simple A to Z on how to weld a car

Introduction – Learning how to weld a car

Learning how to weld a car isn’t as simple as you see people doing it on daily basis. Working on different vehicles for many years doesn’t make you a welder. Welding the body of vehicles isn’t a child’s play. At a point, you might be wondering why you lack welding skill despite having all other needed skill set to repair a car. Probably something is missing. On many occasions, you give out welding jobs out to someone, who could end up charging you high for it. Sometimes, you could devise alternative method to get the job done by trying to escape the reality that you cannot wield. We are not going to crucify you for cutting corners, since welding is not what most people can actually do.

Apparently, it takes long years to really master the equipment or tools needed. To become a good and skilled welder, you need hours of breaking sweat and strong determination. After all, with less effort, you can probably become an averagely decent welder, who should be able to handle few things around or on your vehicle. The idea here is to help you save money while acquiring new skill.

Truth is, you will still need to spend on needed tools or equipment before you go on learning how to weld a car. Luckily for you, most welding equipment will set you back as low as $100 dollars. If you are interested in going pro, you will need to spend more obviously. If you ask us what we think, we will advise you to go for beginners’ tools and take it from there. There is a popular saying that people learn on the job. Maybe that applies to you as you work your way up to becoming one of the badass welders in town. We have taken our time to find the right welding tools for you here on Cars9ja. See below:

Stick welder

If you are looking for the one of the simplest and most available welding tools in the market today, you wouldn’t go far before you get hold of the stick welder. This type of welding equipment uses electrical current in creating enough heat to weld a vehicle. People often refer to it as arc welder since it uses electricity. For this type of welding tool, the flux and welding material always come in stick-like form, which uses metal clamp in attaching itself to the welder. It usually welds alongside with multiple sputtering and spitting from the flux goop when the electric current gets to the stick via the clamp.

Well, this type of welding tool seems like a very crude way of getting the work done. The truth is: you can even use this tool to weld under the water (underwater welding is strictly for professionals). The stick welder is cheap and it’s something that shouldn’t take much of your time before you learn it. What makes this welding tool easy to use is the availability of few heat settings on the buzz box. The issue with this type of welding tool is the fact that your precision level is limited. The stick welder is a perfect tool for working on major suspension parts or thick auto metallic frames. It also works fine on thin metal sheet but isn’t as impressive as thick ones.

Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Welders

This type of welding tool allows the welding torch to put out cloud of gas in preventing invasion of impurities or compromise on the welded part. Literally, the MIG welder prevents possible failure or reduced lifespan of the weld. This welding tool supplies the well material through its wire feed. Usually, there a spool of wire feeds through the long cable, extending outside the welding torch. If you are using this tool, it will be required of you to control the wire feeds from the wand holding the trigger. Welding starts the moment arc is created, after the wire must have hit the metal.

We cannot deny the obvious truth of getting better tools as you cough out more money, but you can still get MIG welders for starters for a relatively decent price. Interestingly, you can use the entry-level MIG welders even on household 110 voltage of electricity supply. This type of welding setup is ideal for tasks such as 02 sensor replacements and fender repair work. If you are patient enough, you can even use the MIG welders on thicker metals.

Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welders

If you are going pro, this is the perfect welding tool for you. TIG welder is premium equipment that should be purchased only by the highly skilled welder. It promises very neat, precise and high-end job. This welding tool is ideal for working on aluminum. If you are not up to that level, it is advisable you start with the entry level welding tools.

Important welding tips you should know

There will always be cases of cracks and rust on vehicle’s panels. Do not worry, contrary to popular opinion that these repair works are time consuming; these are pretty easy to fix, as long as you get your hands on useful tools. Welding comes handy when you need to perform work on large structural works or even the body work of your small car. These are important welding tips you should know as car owners:

1. You should learn to practice if you haven’t done real welding work before. This will prepare you for the job before hand and also afford you enough flexibility to have control over the welding process. You can start this by making use of scrap metal at the very beginning before you proceed to real vehicle.
2.  Always take our time before you set up the welding process. What we simply mean is: make sure every material is available such as the welding equipment.
3. Always keep the area free of potential risk such as fire accident.
4. Study the welding steps properly before you venture into it. You should size the patch thoroughly. Make sure the corners are well rounded to avoid building up of heat causing distortion.
5. Remember that in the business of welding, precision is very vital. Always check the metal gauge. Measure properly before you cut.
6. Make use of tacks when placing the pieces. It will be useful in keeping the piece flexible since you might need to move it out of your way. Tacking is also good for prevention of distortion while welding.
7. Always keep the heating short when moving the point of welding. When the heat is extremely or poorly distributed in the metal, it could cause distortion or situation whereby the metal bends out of shape.

Final word

If you are really interested in learning how to weld a car, you should understand that it will requires little financial and time commitment from you. Regardless, once you have mastered the art of welding properly, it will always be useful and save you lots of money as well. For more educating piece like this one, do not forget to check our tips section.